hærfest

Old English

Etymology

Apparently borrowed into West Saxon from Mercian; the expected West Saxon form would be *hierfest. From Proto-West Germanic *harbist. A North Germanic variant *harbustaz was the source of Old Norse haust (Swedish höst, Icelandic haust).

Cognates:

Cognate with Old Frisian herfst (West Frisian hjerst), Old Saxon hervist (Low German harvst), Dutch herfst, Old High German herbist (German Herbst). The Indo-European root is also the source of Ancient Greek καρπός (karpós, “fruit”), Latin carpō (“pick, pluck”), Middle Irish corrán (“sickle”), Lithuanian kirpti (“cut”), Old Church Slavonic чрьпати (črĭpati) (Russian серп (serp, “sickle”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxær.fest/, [ˈhærˠ.vest]

Noun

hærfest m

1. harvest
2. autumn, fall

Declension

Declension of hærfest (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	hærfest	hærfestas
accusative	hærfest	hærfestas
genitive	hærfestes	hærfesta
dative	hærfeste	hærfestum

Derived terms

• hærfestlīċ
• hærfesttīd

Descendants

• Middle English: hervest, harvest, ervest, herfest
  • English: harvest
  • Scots: hairst, harvest
  • Yola: hearesth, harrest

See also

Seasons in Old English · tīde (layout · text) · category
lencten (“spring”)	sumor (“summer”)	hærfest (“autumn”)	winter (“winter”)