hean
English
Alternative forms
- hene
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /hiːn/
Etymology 1
From Middle English hene, from Old English hēan (“lowly, despised, poor, mean, bare, abject”), from Proto-Germanic *hauniz (“low, lowly”), from Proto-Indo-European *kaw- (“to degrade, humiliate”). Cognate with German höhn (“jeering, demeaning, bad”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌽𐍃 (hauns, “contemptible, base, humble”), Dutch hoon (“scorn, insult”), Latvian kauns (“shame, disgrace, dishonour”), Ancient Greek καυνός (kaunós, “bad”).
Adjective
hean (comparative more hean, superlative most hean)
- (obsolete) Mean; abject; poor; humble; lowly.
Derived terms
- heanling
Etymology 2
From Middle English henen, from Old English hīenan (“to fell, prostrate, overcome, weaken, crush, afflict, injure, oppress, abase, humble, insult, accuse, condemn”), from Proto-Germanic *haunijaną (“to humiliate”), from Proto-Indo-European *kaw- (“to degrade, humiliate”). Cognate with North Frisian huynjen (“to wound, abuse, hurt”), German höhnen (“to mock, jeer, scoff”) Swedish hån (“heckle, mocking”).
Verb
hean (third-person singular simple present heans, present participle heaning, simple past and past participle heaned)
- (transitive, obsolete) To treat with contumely; insult; humiliate; debase; lower.
Anagrams
- Haen, Hane
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *hauniz, whence also the Old High German noun hōna.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈhæːɑn/
Adjective
hēan
- low, mean, abject, humble
- poor, miserable
- humiliated; despicable
Declension
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | hēan | hēan | hēan |
| Accusative | hēanne | hēane | hēan |
| Genitive | hēanes | hēanre | hēanes |
| Dative | hēanum | hēanre | hēanum |
| Instrumental | hēane | hēanre | hēane |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | hēane | hēana, -e | hēan |
| Accusative | hēane | hēana, -e | hēan |
| Genitive | hēanra | hēanra | hēanra |
| Dative | hēanum | hēanum | hēanum |
| Instrumental | hēanum | hēanum | hēanum |
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | hēana | hēane | hēane |
| Accusative | hēanan | hēanan | hēane |
| Genitive | hēanan | hēanan | hēanan |
| Dative | hēanan | hēanan | hēanan |
| Instrumental | hēanan | hēanan | hēanan |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | hēanan | hēanan | hēanan |
| Accusative | hēanan | hēanan | hēanan |
| Genitive | hēanra, hēanena | hēanra, hēanena | hēanra, hēanena |
| Dative | hēanum | hēanum | hēanum |
| Instrumental | hēanum | hēanum | hēanum |
Descendants
- Middle English: hene
- English: hean