þyncan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *þunkijaną. Cognate with Old Saxon thunkian, Old High German dunken, Old Norse þykkja, Gothic 𐌸𐌿𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (þugkjan).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθyn.t͡ʃɑn/

Verb

þynċan

1. (impersonal) to seem (+ dative)
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "The Saints Alexander, Eventius, and Theodosius"

     Þā cwæþ Aurēliānus, "Eom iċ hund ġeþūht?"

     Then Aurelianus said, "Do I look like a dog?"

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "On the Festival of St. Peter the Apostle"

     Se enġel cwæþ, "Begyrd þē and sċō þē and fylġ mē." Petrus þā him fylġde, and þūhte him swelċe hit swefn wǣre.

     The angel said, "Put on your belt and shoes and follow me." Peter followed him, and it felt to him like he was dreaming.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "On the Passion of the Apostles Peter and Paul"

     Simōn bræġd his hīw ætforan þām cāsere, swā þæt hē wearþ fǣrlīċe ġeþūht cnapa, and eft hārwenġe.

     Simon changed his appearance in front of the emperor, so that he suddenly looked like a boy, then like a bearded old man.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, the Old English Hexateuch, Genesis 29:20

     Iacōb him hīersumode seofon ġēar for Rācēle, and hit þūhte him fēawa daga for þǣre lufe þe hē tō hiere hæfde.

     Jacob served him for seven years for Rachael, but it seemed to him like a few days because of the love that he had for her.

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 23:27

     Ġē sind ġelīċe hwītum byrġenum, þā þynċaþ mannum ūtan wlitiga, and hīe sind innan fulla dēadra bāna and ealre fȳlðe.

     You're like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful from the outside, while on the inside they're full of dead people's bones and all sorts of filth.

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, John 8:53

     Hwæt þyncþ þē þæt þū sīe?

     Who do you think you are? (Literally: Who does it seem to you that you are?)

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Preface to Genesis"

     Þā unġelǣredan prēostas, ġif hīe hwæt lȳtles understandaþ of þām Lǣdenbōcum, þonne þyncþ him sōna þæt hīe mæġen mǣre lārēowas bēon.

     If uneducated priests understand anything at all from the Latin texts, they immediately think [lit. "it seems to them immediately"] they can be famous teachers.

Conjugation

Conjugation of þynċan (weak class 1)

infinitive	þynċan	þynċenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	þynċe	þūhte
second person singular	þynċest, þyncst	þūhtest
third person singular	þynċeþ, þyncþ	þūhte
plural	þynċaþ	þūhton
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	þynċe	þūhte
plural	þynċen	þūhten
imperative
singular	þynċ
plural	þynċaþ
participle	present	past
	þynċende	(ġe)þūht

Descendants

• English: think, methinks