wharven
Middle English
Etymology
From a merging of Old English hweorfan (“to turn, change; move, go, come; wander about, roam, go about; turn back, return, turn from, depart; die; be converted”) and Old English hwearfan/hwierfan (“to turn, change, convert, return; wander, move, go, depart; exchange, barter; overturn, destroy”), from Proto-Germanic *hwerbaną (“turn”).
Verb
wharven (third-person singular simple present wharveth, present participle wharvinge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle warfte)
- to change; convert; transform; exchange; (the participle hwerefinde was used as an adjective meaning changeable)
- 1275, Layamon's Brut:
- Wið him warfte Brien al his iweden.
- 1275, Layamon's Brut:
- to turn away; turn, divert
- to move about; wander; (the participle wharrfedd was used as an adjective meaning confused)
- 1225, Trinity Homilies:
- Þis lage flemeð þe fule gost ut of þe child, and he wandrede wide, wernende longe, sechende him oðer stede on bileffulle manne.
- 1225, Trinity Homilies:
- to come about, happen
- to roll about, tumble, tussle; to roll together
- (when reflexive) to come together in battle