seþan

Old English

Alternative forms

• sēðan — edh spelling

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *sanþijan, from Proto-Germanic *sanþijaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈseː.θɑn/, [ˈseː.ðɑn]

Verb

sēþan

1. to prove
   • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy

     Iċ eom ġeþafa þæs þe þū sæġst, for þon þe þū hit hæfst ġesēðed mid ġesċādwīslīcre race.

     I agree with what you're saying, since you have proven it with rational argument.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Nativity of St. Paul the Apostle"

     Saulus sōðlīċe miċelum swīðrode and þā Iūdēiscan ġesċende, mid ānrǣdnesse sēðende þæt Crist is Godes sunu.

     Saul only became stronger and embarrassed the Jews, proving with his resilience that Christ is the son of God.

2. to attest, affirm
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Nativity of St. James the Apostle"

     Eall hālgu ġewritu sēðaþ þæt sē is Hǣlend Crist.

     All the books of the Bible attest that he is Jesus Christ.

Conjugation

Conjugation of sēþan (weak, class 1)

infinitive	sēþan	sēþenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	sēþe	sēþde
second person singular	sēþest, sēst	sēþdest
third person singular	sēþeþ, sēþþ, sēþ	sēþde
plural	sēþaþ	sēþdon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	sēþe	sēþde
plural	sēþen	sēþden
imperative
singular	sēþ
plural	sēþaþ
participle	present	past
	sēþende	(ġe)sēþed

Synonyms

• benemnan
• ġesēþan
• sōþian
• tōsēþan

Derived terms

• āsēþan
• ġesēþan
• sēþend
• sēþung
• tōsēþan

Related terms

• sōþ n

Descendants

• Middle English: sethen

References

• Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “SĒÐAN”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.