mætan
Old English edit
Etymology edit
From an earlier sense meaning "to paint, sculpt, design," from Proto-West Germanic *maitijan (“to cut”), from Proto-Germanic *maitaną. Doublet of mētan (“to paint, sculpt, design”).
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
mǣtan
- (impersonal) to dream (+dative or accusative of person)
- Þonne hē slǣpþ, þonne mǣt hine be þē ānre.
- When he sleeps, he only dreams about you.
- late 10th century, Ælfric, the Old English Hexateuch, Genesis 42:9
- Þā ġemunde Iosep þāra swefna þe hine æt sumum ċierre ǣr mǣtte.
- Then Joseph remembered the dreams that he'd had at some point before.
Usage notes edit
Following verbs were subjunctive: Mē mǣtte þæt iċ wǣre ġīet on mīnum ealdan hūse ("I dreamed that I was [lit. were] still in my old house").
Conjugation edit
Conjugation of mǣtan (weak class 1)
| infinitive | mǣtan | mǣtenne |
|---|---|---|
| indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
| first person singular | — | — |
| second person singular | — | — |
| third person singular | mǣteþ, mǣtt, mǣt | mǣtte |
| plural | — | — |
| subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
| singular | mǣte | mǣtte |
| plural | — | — |
| imperative | ||
| singular | — | |
| plural | — | |
| participle | present | past |
| mǣtende | (ġe)mǣted | |