scunian

Old English

Alternative forms

• sċeonian, sċynian, sċyniġan

Etymology

Unknown. No known cognates in Germanic. Perhaps derived from Proto-West Germanic *skuhu (“shy”), making it akin to Old English sċyhhan (“to shy away from, shun”) and sċucca (“evil spirit, demon”); or possibly from earlier *sċūnian, *sċēonian, from Proto-West Germanic *skeuhnōn, *skiuhnijan, *skeuhnēn (“to be shy, fear, avoid”), from Proto-Germanic *skeuhaz (“shy”). Further, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewdʰ- (“to cover, wrap, encase”), from *(s)kewH- (“to cover, hide”); if so, cognate with hȳdan (“to hide, conceal, preserve”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃu.ni.ɑn/

Verb

sċunian

1. to shun; avoid
2. to hate; abhor; detest

Conjugation

Conjugation of sċunian (weak class 2)

infinitive	sċunian	sċunienne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	sċuniġe	sċunode
second person singular	sċunast	sċunodest
third person singular	sċunaþ	sċunode
plural	sċuniaþ	sċunodon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	sċuniġe	sċunode
plural	sċuniġen	sċunoden
imperative
singular	sċuna
plural	sċuniaþ
participle	present	past
	sċuniende	(ġe)sċunod

Derived terms

• asċunian
• forsċunian
• onsċunian
• sċunung

Descendants

• Middle English: shonen
  • English: shun
  • Scots: shun

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “sċunian”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.