couren

Middle English

Alternative forms

• cowre, curyn, koure

Etymology

Borrowed from either Middle Low German kûren (“to lie in wait; linger”) or a similar North Germanic word (e.g. Icelandic kúra (“to doze”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkuːrən/

Verb

couren

1. To crouch, especially in fear; to cower.
2. To hide or conceal oneself.

Conjugation

Conjugation of couren (weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) couren
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	coure	coured
2nd-person singular	courest	couredest
3rd-person singular	coureth	coured
subjunctive singular	coure
imperative singular		—
plural1	couren, coure	coureden, courede
imperative plural	coureth, coure	—
participles	courynge, courende	coured

¹Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

• English: cower
• Scots: cour, coor

References

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