waken

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈweɪkən/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (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.

   Synonym: disturb

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 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter II (Burglary), page 378, column 1:

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

Derived terms

• rewaken
• wakener

Related terms

• awaken

Translations

rouse from sleep

• Esperanto: veki
• Irish: múscail

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-West Germanic *wakēn, from Proto-Germanic *wakāną (“to be awake”).

Verb

waken

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

Conjugation

Conjugation 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, waak2	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. 2) In case of inversion.

Derived terms

• bewaken
• ontwaken
• waakhond
• waakkat
• waakvlam
• waker

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 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

Conjugation of wāken (weak)

infinitive	base form	wāken
	genitive	wākens
	dative	wākene
		indicative			subjunctive
		present	past		present	past
1st person singular		wāke	—		wāke	—
2nd person singular		wāecs, wākes	—		wāecs, wākes	—
3rd person singular		wāect, wāket	—		wāke	—
1st person plural		wāken	—		wāken	—
2nd person plural		wāect, wāket	—		wāect, wāket	—
3rd person plural		wāken	—		wāken	—
		imperative
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-West Germanic *wakan, 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	woke1
3rd-person singular	waketh	wook
subjunctive singular	wake	woke2
imperative singular		—
plural3	waken, wake	woken, woke
imperative plural	waketh, wake	—
participles	wakynge, wakende	waken, wake

¹ Later replaced by the 1st-/3rd-person singular or wookest.
² Later replaced by the indicative.
³ Sometimes 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