waken

English

Etymology

From Middle English waknen, from Old English wæcnan, from Proto-Germanic *waknaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈweɪkən/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪkən

Verb

waken (third-person singular simple present wakens, present participle wakening, simple past and past participle wakened)

1. (transitive) To wake or rouse from sleep.
2. (intransitive) To awaken; to cease to sleep; to be awakened; to stir.
   • 1697, Virgil, “The Ninth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     Early, Turnus wakening with the light.

   • 1914, Louis Joseph Vance, chapter II, in Nobody, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 1915, →OCLC:

     She wakened in sharp panic, bewildered by the grotesquerie of some half-remembered dream in contrast with the harshness of inclement fact, drowsily realising that since she had fallen asleep it had come on to rain smartly out of a shrouded sky.

Related terms

• awaken

Anagrams

• Wanek, Wanke

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋaːkə(n)/
• Rhymes: -aːkən

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch waken, from Old Dutch wacon, from Proto-Germanic *wakāną (“to be awake”).

Verb

waken

1. (intransitive) to stay awake
2. (intransitive) to watch, to be alert

Inflection

Inflection of waken (weak)
infinitive	waken
past singular	waakte
past participle	gewaakt
infinitive	waken
gerund	waken n
	present tense	past tense
1st person singular	waak	waakte
2nd person sing. (jij)	waakt	waakte
2nd person sing. (u)	waakt	waakte
2nd person sing. (gij)	waakt	waakte
3rd person singular	waakt	waakte
plural	waken	waakten
subjunctive sing.1	wake	waakte
subjunctive plur.1	waken	waakten
imperative sing.	waak
imperative plur.1	waakt
participles	wakend	gewaakt
1) Archaic.

Derived terms

• bewaken
• ontwaken
• waakhond
• waakkat
• waakvlam

Related terms

• wake
• wakker
• wekken

Descendants

• Negerhollands: waek
• → Papiamentu: wak, waak

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

waken

1. Plural form of wake

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch wacon.

Verb

wāken

1. (intransitive) to wake, to be awake
2. (intransitive) to not be or fall asleep, to stay awake
3. (intransitive) to awaken, to wake up
4. (transitive) to guard

Inflection

Weak
Infinitive	wāken
3rd sg. past	—
3rd pl. past	—
Past participle	—
Infinitive	wāken
In genitive	wākens
In dative	wākene
Indicative	Present	Past
1st singular	wāke	—
2nd singular	wāecs, wākes	—
3rd singular	wāect, wāket	—
1st plural	wāken	—
2nd plural	wāect, wāket	—
3rd plural	wāken	—
Subjunctive	Present	Past
1st singular	wāke	—
2nd singular	wāecs, wākes	—
3rd singular	wāke	—
1st plural	wāken	—
2nd plural	wāect, wāket	—
3rd plural	wāken	—
Imperative	Present
Singular	wāec, wāke
Plural	wāect, wāket
	Present	Past
Participle	wākende	—

Descendants

• Dutch: waken
• Limburgish: wake

Further reading

• “waken (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “waken (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English wacan, from Proto-Germanic *wakaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwaːkən/

Verb

waken

1. to wake, cease from sleep, to be awake
2. to remain awake on watch (especially over a corpse)

Conjugation

Conjugation of waken (strong class 6)

infinitive	(to) waken, wake
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	wake	wook
2nd-person singular	wakest	woke, wook
3rd-person singular	waketh	wook
subjunctive singular	wake	woke1
imperative singular		—
plural2	waken, wake	woken, woke
imperative plural	waketh, wake	—
participles	wakynge, wakende	waken, wake

¹Replaced by the indicative in later Middle English.
²Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Related terms

• wake (“a watch, vigil”)
• wakien (“to watch, awake”)
• waknen (“to waken, to be aroused from sleep”)

Descendants

• English: wake
• Scots: wake

Etymology 2

From Old English wācian.

Verb

waken

1. Alternative form of woken