forbirnan

Old English

Alternative forms

• forbeornan, forbyrnan, forbiernan

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *frabrinnan. Equivalent to for- +‎ birnan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /forˈbir.nɑn/, [forˈbirˠ.nɑn]

Verb

forbirnan

1. (intransitive) to burn (completely): burn down, burn up
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, the Old English Hexateuch, Exodus 3:2

     Mōȳsēs ġeseah þæt sēo þyrne barn and næs forburnen.

     Moses saw that the bush was burning without being consumed.

   • c. 900, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History

     Eft ġelamp æfter tīde fæce þætte sē ilca tūn forbarn and sēo ilce ċiriċe.

     Then after a while the same town burned down again, along with the same church.

   • c. 900, translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans

     Ethna fȳr āflēow upp swā brād and swā miċel þætte eall þā clifu þe nēah þǣre sǣ wǣron forburnon tō ascan.

     Mount Etna erupted so explosively that all the cliffs near the sea were burned to ashes.

Conjugation

Conjugation of forbirnan (strong class 3)

infinitive	forbirnan	forbirnenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	forbirne	forbarn, forborn, forbearn
second person singular	forbirnst	forburne
third person singular	forbirnþ	forbarn, forborn, forbearn
plural	forbirnaþ	forburnon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	forbirne	forburne
plural	forbirnen	forburnen
imperative
singular	forbirn
plural	forbirnaþ
participle	present	past
	forbirnende	forburnen

Derived terms

• forbærnan

Descendants

• Middle English: forbrinnen, forburnen
  • English: forburn