forma had

Old English

Etymology

Calque of Latin prīma persōna, itself a calque of Ancient Greek πρῶτον πρόσωπον (prôton prósōpon). Equivalent to forma (“first”) + hād (“grammatical person”)

Noun

forma had m

1. (grammar) the first person
   • c. 995, Ælfric, Excerptiones de Arte Grammatica Anglice

     Sē forma hād is þe spricþ be him selfum ānum ("iċ seċġe", oþþe mid ōðrum mannum on maniġfealdum ġetæle, "wē seċġaþ").

     The first person talks about himself alone ("I say", or with other people in the plural, "we say").

Related terms

• hād
• ōþer hād
• þridda hād