wedan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wōdijaną, derived from *wōdaz (“insane or enraged,” whence Old English wōd) + *-ijaną (causative suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈweː.dɑn/

Verb

wēdan

1. to be or go insane, or to rage

   Fulnēah nān mann ne hlīepþ undruncen, būtan wēnunga hē wēde.

   Almost no one dances sober, unless maybe they're crazy.

   Þā sē henġest onġeat hwæt horsa þis wæs, þā wēdde hē and teslāt þā rāpas and hlēop tō þǣre mīeran, and hēo onweġ tō wuda.

   When the stallion recognized what kind of horse this was, it became frantic and snapped the reins in half and leapt over to the mare, and the mare ran away into the woods.

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

     Hwā mæġ þām wēdendan ġītsere ġenōg forġiefan? Swā him man māre selþ, swā hine mā lyst.

     Who can give enough to a raging materialist? The more you give them, the more they want.

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, John 10:20-21

     Maniġe heora cwǣdon, "Dēofol is on him, and hē wētt. Hwȳ hlystaþ ġē him?" Sume cwǣdon, "Ne sind nā þis wōdes mannes word. Cwist þū mæġ wōd mann blindra manna ēagan ontȳnan?"

     Many of them said, "There's a demon in him, and he's crazy. Why are you listening to him?" Others said, "These aren't the words of a madman. Can a madman open blind people's eyes?"

2. (especially with dogs and other animals) to have rabies

Conjugation

Conjugation of wēdan (weak class 1)

infinitive	wēdan	wēdenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	wēde	wēdde
second person singular	wēdest, wētst	wēddest
third person singular	wēdeþ, wētt, wēt	wēdde
plural	wēdaþ	wēddon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	wēde	wēdde
plural	wēden	wēdden
imperative
singular	wēd
plural	wēdaþ
participle	present	past
	wēdende	(ġe)wēded