dilegian

Old English

Alternative forms

• diligian, dilgian, dielgian

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *diligōn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdi.le.ɡi.ɑn/, [ˈdi.le.ɣi.ɑn]

Verb

dilegian

1. to blot out, wipe off, erase
   • c. 897, Alfred the Great, translation of Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care

     Sē wrītere, ġif hē ne dilegaþ þæt hē ǣr wrāt, þēah hē nǣfre mā nāwiht ne wrīte, þæt biþ þēah unġedilegod þæt hē ǣr wrāt.

     If a writer doesn't erase what he wrote before, it stays unerased even if he never writes anything again.

2. to destroy

Conjugation

Conjugation of dilegian (weak class 2)

infinitive	dilegian	dilegienne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	dilegiġe	dilegode
second person singular	dilegast	dilegodest
third person singular	dilegaþ	dilegode
plural	dilegiaþ	dilegodon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	dilegiġe	dilegode
plural	dilegiġen	dilegoden
imperative
singular	dilega
plural	dilegiaþ
participle	present	past
	dilegiende	(ġe)dilegod

Derived terms

• ādilegian
• ġedilegian
• fordilegian

Descendants

• Middle English: dilȝhen, dillȝhenn, diliȝen