ebere

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin hebeō (“to be blunt”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eˈbe.re/, /ˈɛ.be.re/
• Rhymes: -ere, -ɛbere
• Hyphenation: e‧bé‧re, è‧be‧re

Verb

èbere or ebére (third-person only, third-person singular present èbe, no past historic, no past participle, no imperfect, no future, no subjunctive, no imperfect subjunctive) (intransitive, archaic)

1. to become dull, to become blunt

   La spada di Medoro anco non ebe;
   ma si sdegna ferir l'ignobil plebe.

   Medoro's sword still does not blunt, yet he disdains to injure the ignoble multitude.

   (Ariosto, Orlando Furioso)

2. (figurative) to weaken

   E se non che 'l suo lume all'estremo ebe

   And if his glory had not been eventually obscured

   (literally, “And if not that his light weakens at the utmost point [of his life]”)

   (Petrach, Trionfo della Fama, Chapter 1)

Conjugation

• Only found in the third-singular present indicative èbe.

Anagrams

• ebree