seien

See also: séien

Catalan

Verb

seien

1. third-person plural imperfect indicative form of seure

---

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzaɪ̯ən/
• Hyphenation: sei‧en
• Homophone: seihen

Verb

seien

1. First-person plural subjunctive I of sein.
2. Third-person plural subjunctive I of sein.
   • 1788: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Egmont

     "Im Namen des Königs, und kraft besonderer von Seiner Majestät uns übertragenen Gewalt, alle seine Unterthanen, wes Standes sie seien, zugleich die Ritter des goldnen Vließes zu richten, erkennen wir—"

     "In the King's name, and invested by his Majesty with authority to judge all his subjects of whatever rank [they be, not excepting the knights of the Golden Fleece, we declare—"

Anagrams

• eines, Eisen, niese, seine

---

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English secgan (“say”), from Proto-Germanic *sagjaną.

Alternative forms

• saien, sain, saine, san, sæin, sæcgen, sæcgene, sæcgæn, sæcgan, sægen, sægenne, sæggen, sæggene, sayen, secgan, secgæn, secgon, secgen, secgene, secgenne, secȝende, sæcgenne, segen, seggen, seggon, seggane, segcean, seȝȝen, seggen, sein, seine, seigen, seiȝen, seiȝn, seuggen, seyen, sien, sigen, sucgen, sugen, suggen, ziggen, ziggene

Verb

seien

1. To say, that is:
   1. To declare, to state in speech (and, by extension, in writing)
   2. To answer, to reply
   3. To call, to name or define
   4. To describe; to narrate
   5. To mean, to intend to say
   6. To teach or direct
   7. (ecclesiastical) To recite, to sing
   8. (law) To affirm, to assert
   9. (law) To plead
2. (interjection) Say!

Derived terms

• durren seien
• man seieth
• nombren and seien
• seien afore or biforen
• seien alas
• seien and holden
• seien and singen
• seien as to berken
• seien aye
• seien ayen
• seien bodeword
• seien chek or chek-mat
• seien despit
• seien lofword of
• seien nai
• seien of, on, unto, upon
• seien ouen talent
• seien saue
• seien soth
• to seien
• withseien

 

Descendants

• English: say
• Scots: say, sa

Etymology 2

From Old English sǣgan.

Alternative forms

• seȝen

Verb

seien

1. To fall down, to sink
2. To go to
3. (of time) To pass, to go by

Derived terms

• seien aslepe
• seien doun
• seien of lif

 

---

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

seien m

1. definite singular of sei

---

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

seien

1. definite singular of sei