ernen

Middle English

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English earnian, from Proto-West Germanic *aʀanōn, from Proto-Germanic *azanōną.

Alternative forms

• arne, erne
• earniæn, earnin, ernien (Early Middle English)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛːrnən/, /ˈɛrnən/

Verb

ernen (third-person singular simple present erneth, present participle ernende, ernynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle erned)

1. To earn (to accrue or receive payments)
2. To earn (to merit or achieve what one merits)

Conjugation

Conjugation of ernen (weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) ernen, erne
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	erne	erned
2nd-person singular	ernest	ernedest
3rd-person singular	erneth	erned
subjunctive singular	erne
imperative singular		—
plural1	ernen, erne	erneden, ernede
imperative plural	erneth, erne	—
participles	ernynge, ernende	erned

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

Descendants

• English: earn
• Scots: earn

References

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

Etymology 2

Verb

ernen

1. Alternative form of rennen (“to run”)