æcern

Old English

Alternative forms

• ǣcirn

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *akraną, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ógeh₂ (“berry”). Cognate with Old Frisian akern, Old Saxon akeran, Old Norse akarn (Danish agern), Old High German ackeran (German Ecker), Gothic 𐌰𐌺𐍂𐌰𐌽 (akran).

Folk-etymologized as āc +‎ corn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæː.kern/, [ˈæː.kerˠn]

Noun

ǣcern n

1. acorn
2. tree mast (fruit of forest trees)

Declension

Declension of æcern (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	ǣcern	ǣcernu
accusative	ǣcern	ǣcernu
genitive	ǣcernes	ǣcerna
dative	ǣcerne	ǣcernum

Descendants

• Middle English: acorne
  • English: acorn
  • Scots: aicorn

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “ǽcern”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.