hreosan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *hreusan, from Proto-Germanic *hreusaną (“to fall down”). Cognate with Old High German riosan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxre͜oː.sɑn/, [ˈr̥e͜oː.zɑn]
• Rhymes: -e͜oː.sɑn

Verb

hrēosan

1. to fall
   • 10th century, The Wanderer:

     baþian brimfuglas, · brǣdan feþra,
     hrēosan hrīm ond snāw, · hagle ġemenġed.

     the sea-birds bathe, spread their feathers,
     frost and snow fall, mingled with hail.

2. to collapse
3. to rush
4. to fall down
   • Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church

     ...ðā ðā hǣðenan āhēowon þæt trēow mid ormǣtre blisse, þæt hit brastliende sāh tō ðām hālgan were, hetelīċe swīðe. Þā worhte hē onġēan ðām hrēosendum trēowe þǣs Hǣlendes rōde tācn, and hit ðǣrrihte ætstōd, wende ðā onġēan, and hrēas underbæc, and fornēan offēoll ðā ðe hit ǣr forcurfon.

     Then the heathens cut down the tree with great joy, so that, rustling, it fell towards the holy man very violently. Then he made the sign of the Savior's cross to the falling tree, and it immediately stood still, turned around, and fell down backwards, and almost fell upon those who had previously cut it.

Conjugation

Conjugation of hrēosan (strong, class II)

infinitive	hrēosan	hrēosenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	hrēose	hrēas
second person singular	hrīest	hrure
third person singular	hrīest	hrēas
plural	hrēosaþ	hruron
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	hrēose	hrure
plural	hrēosen	hruren
imperative
singular	hrēos
plural	hrēosaþ
participle	present	past
	hrēosende	(ġe)hroren

Conjugation of hrēosan (strong class 2 Anglian)

🛈 This feature is under development and may not always produce the expected forms

infinitive	hrēosan¹	hrēosenne, hrēosanne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	hrēosu, hrēose	hrēas
second person singular	hrīoses, hrēoses³	hrure³
third person singular	hrīoseþ, hrēoseþ²	hrēas
plural	hrēosaþ²	hrurun, hruron
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	hrēose	hrure
plural	hrēosen¹	hruren¹
imperative
singular	hrēos
plural	hrēosaþ²
participle	present	past
	hrēosende	(ġe)hroren

¹In Northumbrian, final -n was regularly lost from these forms
²In Late Northumbrian, final -þ was frequently changed to -s
³In Mercian, final -t was sometimes added to these forms due to West Saxon influence

Derived terms

• āhrēosan

Related terms

• hreorig (“ruinous”)