hyge

Old English

Alternative forms

• hiġe

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *hugi, cognate with Old Saxon hugi, Old High German hugu, hugi, Old Norse hugr, Modern Norwegian hug, Modern Swedish håg, Gothic 𐌷𐌿𐌲𐍃 (hugs).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxy.je/, [ˈhy.je]

Noun

hyġe m (nominative plural hyġas)

1. (poetic) thought, mind, mood, desire, inclination
   • Forþon is mīn hyġe ġeomor. ― Therefore my thought is sad. (‘The Wife's Lament’)
   • ne biþ him tō hearpan hyġe. ― He has no desire/mind for the harp. (‘The Seafarer’)

Usage notes

• The noun is not attested in the plural.

Declension

Declension of hyge (strong i-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	hyġe	hyġas
accusative	hyġe	hyġas
genitive	hyġes	hyġa
dative	hyġe	hyġum

Derived terms

• brēosthyġe
• hyġerōf

Descendants

• Middle English: hige, huȝe, huiȝe, hiȝe, huie, hiȝ, hie