onbærnan

Old English

Etymology

By surface analysis, on- +‎ bærnan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /onˈbær.nɑn/, [onˈbærˠ.nɑn]

Verb

onbærnan

1. to set fire to, to burn
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans

     ⁊ hæfdon ġeleornad mā cræfta hū hīe þā elpendas beswīcan mehton, mid þǣm þæt hīe nāmon trēowu, ⁊ slōgon on oþerne ende moniġe sċearpe īsene næġlas, ⁊ hīe mid flexe bewundon, ⁊ onbǣrndon hit, ⁊ beþyddan hit þonne on þone elpend hindan...

     And they had learned more tricks through which they could ensnare the elephants; they took stakes and drove into the other end many sharp iron nails, and wrapped them in flax, and set them on fire, and then thrust them into the elephant from behind...

2. to heat
3. to incite, kindle desire to do something

Conjugation

Conjugation of onbærnan (weak class 1)

infinitive	onbærnan	onbærnenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	onbærne	onbærnde
second person singular	onbærnest, onbærnst	onbærndest
third person singular	onbærneþ, onbærnþ	onbærnde
plural	onbærnaþ	onbærndon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	onbærne	onbærnde
plural	onbærnen	onbærnden
imperative
singular	onbærn
plural	onbærnaþ
participle	present	past
	onbærnende	onbærned

References

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