bidelven

Middle English

Alternative forms

• bedelven, bydelve

Etymology

From Old English bedelfan (“to dig around, bury”); equivalent to bi- +‎ delven. Cognate with Dutch bedelven (“to bury, overwhelm”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biˈdɛlvən/

Verb

bidelven (third-person singular simple present bidelveth, present participle bidelvende, first-/third-person singular past indicative bidalf, past participle bidolven)

1. To bury; to cover up.
2. To dig around or about.

Conjugation

Conjugation of bidelven (strong class 3)

infinitive	(to) bidelven
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	bidelve	bidalf
2nd-person singular	bidelvest	bidolve, bidalf
3rd-person singular	bidelveth	bidalf
subjunctive singular	bidelve	bidolve1
imperative singular		—
plural2	bidelven, bidelve	bidolven, bidolve
imperative plural	bidelveth, bidelve	—
participles	bidelvynge, bidelvende	bidolven, bidolve

¹ Replaced by the indicative in later Middle English.
² Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

References

• “bidelven, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.