eacan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *aukaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg-. Cognate with Old Frisian āka, Old Saxon ōkian, Old Norse auka, Gothic 𐌰𐌿𐌺𐌰𐌽 (aukan), Latin augeō, and Ancient Greek αὐξάνω (auxánō).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæ͜ɑː.kɑn/

Verb

ēacan (intransitive)

1. to increase or enlarge
   • 10th century, Exeter Book Riddle 5‎^[1]:

     …ac mē eċġa dolg ēacen weorðað þurh dēaðsleġe dagum and nihtum.

     …but for me wounds of edges become widened through deathblows by days and nights.

2. to conceive, become pregnant

Usage notes

• The transitive equivalent is īeċan.

Conjugation

Conjugation of ēacan (strong class 7)

infinitive	ēacan	ēacenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	ēace	ēoc
second person singular	īecst	ēoce
third person singular	īecþ	ēoc
plural	ēacaþ	ēocon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	ēace	ēoce
plural	ēacen	ēocen
imperative
singular	ēac
plural	ēacaþ
participle	present	past
	ēacende	(ġe)ēacen

Derived terms

• ēaca
• ēacen
• ēacnan
• īeċan

Related terms

• ēac

Descendants

• English: eke
• Scots: eik