Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

singan

  • verb [ strong ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
singan, p. sang, song, pl. sungon ; pp. sungen
Wright's OE grammar
§7; §59; §96; §111; §249; §289; §317; §498;
To sing.
used absolutely ;
of persons,
to sing, recite, relate musically or
in verse
Show examples

  • Singan modulare, singe

    modulabor,

      Wrt. Voc. ii. 57, 2, 3.

  • Ic Gode singe

    gaudebo Deo,

      Ps. Th. 74, 8.

  • Ic Drihtne singe

    cantabo Domino,

      103, 31.
  • Hwæt is ðis folc ðe ðus hlúde singeþ ? Blickl. Homl. 149, 30.

  • Ðǽr habbaþ englas eádigne dreám, sanctas singaþ,

      Cd. Th. 286, 20 ; Sat. 355.

  • Scop hwílum sang on Heorote,

      Beo. Th. 997 ; B. 496.

  • Sin*-*gende heáp

    chorus,

      Wrt. Voc. i. 28, 27.

  • Hé geseah Matheus ǽnne sitton singende,

      Blickl. Homl. 237, 23.
to compose verse, narrate
Show examples

  • On ðé ic singge

    in te decantatio mea,

      Ps. Th. 70, 5.

  • Song hé be middan*-*geardes gesceape and be fruman moncynnes,

      Bd. 4, 24 ; S. 598, 9 ; Exon. Th. 44, 33 ; Cri. 712.

  • Be ðam Moyses sang,

      Elen. Kmbl. 674 ; El. 337.

  • Swá se wítega sang,

      Menol. Fox 119 ; Men. 59.

  • Wítgan sungon be Godes bearne,

      Elen. Kmbl. 1119 ; El. 561.
of other living creatures
Show examples

  • Se fugel singeþ,

      Exon. Th. 206, 9 ; Ph. 124 : Salm. Kmbl. 539 ; Sal. 269.

  • Fugelas singaþ, gylleþ grǽghama,

      Fins. Th. 9 ; Fin. 5.

  • Se hana sóna hlúdswége sang

    immediately the cock crew,

      Homl. Th. ii. 248, 33 : Shrn. 30, 29.

  • Sang se wanna fugel,

      Cd. Th. 119, 22 ; Gen. 1983.

  • Mǽw singende,

      Exon. Th. 307, 11 ; Seef. 22.
of inanimate resonant objects
Show examples

  • Ic þurh múþ sprece, wrencum singe,

      Exon. Th. 390, 15 ; Rä. 9, 2.

  • Wiht is wrætlíc, singeþ þurh sídan,

      483, 13 ; Rä. 69, 2.

  • Se hearpere gedéþ, ðæt hearpan strengas náwuht ungelíce ðæm sone ne singaþ ðe hé wilnaþ,

      Past. 23 ; Swt. 175, 8.

  • In ðæm dæge singaþ ða býman,

      Wulfst. 183, 10.

  • Syngaþ,

      L. E. I. prm. ; Th. ii. 396, 8.

  • Hringíren scír song in searwum,

      Beo. Th. 651 ; B. 323.

  • Ic seah sellíc þing singan,

      Exon. Th. 413, 10 ; Rä. 32, 3.
with a cognate accusative, or followed by the words used or by a clause ;
of persons
to sing a song, recite a poem, prayer, formula, etc. ,
read aloud
Show examples
  • Wé singaþ on his lof: 'Hǽl ús on ðǽm héhstan,' Blickl. Homl. 81, 27.

  • Heáhgealdor ðæt snotre men singaþ

    a charm that wise men recite,

      Ps. Th. 57, 4.

  • Hí singaþ Metude lof,

      Exon. Th. 239, 7 ; Ph. 617.

  • Ðegnas singaþ, ðæt ðú sié hlǽfdige,

      18, 14 ; Cri. 283.

  • Ða lióþ ðe ic song,

      Bt. 2 ; Fox 4, 7.

  • Heó 'Magnificaþ' sang,

      Blickl. Homl. 159, 1.

  • Crist sylf sang Pater Noster ǽrest,

      L. C. E. 22 ; Th. i. 372, 26.

  • Engla þreátas sigeleóþ sungon,

      Exon. Th. 181, 6 ; Gú. 1289.
  • 'Sing mé hwæthwegu.' Ðá andswarede hé : 'Ne con ic nán þing singan,'
      Bd. 4, 24 ; S. 597, 12.

  • Sing ðás gebedsealmas,

      Lchdm. iii. 12, 6.

  • Singan sangas

    cantare canticum,

      Ps. Th. 136, 4.

  • Ðá ongan hé singan ða fers and ða word ðe hé nǽfre ne gehýrde,

      Bd. 4, 24 ; S. 597, 17.

  • Leóþ singan

    dicere carmen,

      597, 31.

  • Cwide singan,

      Salm. Kmbl. 171 ; Sal. 85.
  • Singan Pater Noster, 333 ; Sal. 166.

  • Hé wæs ymen singende,

      Blickl. Homl. 147, 3.

  • On ðære hálgan cyricean biþ sungen ðæt hálige gerýne,

      77, 15.

  • Wæs se wítedóm beforan sungen,

      Elen. Kmbl. 2306 ; El. 1154.
to narrate in verse, write
Show examples

  • Se scop sang, ðæt má manna fægnodon . . .,

      Bt. 30, tit. ; Fox xvi. 4.

  • Sealmsceopas sungon and sægdon, ðæt se wolde cuman,

      Blickl. Homl. 105, 10.

  • For hwam wolde gé secgan oððe singan, ðæt ic gesǽllíc mon wǽre,

      Met. 2, 17.
of other living creatures
Show examples

  • Earn sang hildeleóþ,

      Judth. Thw. 24, 28 ; Jud. 211.

  • Wulfas sungon ǽfenleóþ,

      Cd. Th. 188, 7 ; Exod. 164.
of inanimate things
Show examples

  • Seó byrne sang gryreleóþa sum,

      Byrht. Th. 140, 7 ; By. 284.

  • Horn song fúslíc leóþ,

      Beo. Th. 2851 ; B. 1423.

  • Ealle hearpan strengashé grét mid ánre honda, ðý ðe hé wile ðæt hí ánne song singen,

      Past. 23 ; Swt. 175, 9.
where the subject of the song is the object of the verb, to sing about, recite or
compose a poem about something
Show examples

  • Ic ðíne strengðu singe,

      Ps. Th. 58, 16.

  • Ic mildheortnesse and dóm Drihtnes singe and secge,

      100, 1.
  • Cwæþ hé : 'Hwæt sceal ic singan ?' Cwæþ hé : 'Sing mé frumsceaft,' Bd. 4, 24 ; S. 597, 16.
Etymology
[Goth. siggwan to sing, read aloud : O. Sax. singan : O. Frs. singa : O. H. Ger. singan canere, cantare, decantare, psallere, modulari, edere, jubilare : Icel. syngva (-ja) to sing ; to ring (of metals, etc.), whistle (of the wind).]
Similar entries
v. á-, be-, ge-singan.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “singan.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/27810.

Checked: 0
Full form

Word-wheel

  • singan, v.

Copyright

All the data provided here are free for any purpose. If you use the data for academic purposes, we ask that you kindly cite us as your source. In case you need a large portion of the dictionary data or you need it in a specific format, let us know through the contact form, we are happy to do custom database dumps for researchers.

How to cite

You can cite the entries of the online version of the dictionary, or you can cite the scanned pages of the original paper editions.

  • To cite the online version of the dictionary, click the icon right under the entry.
  • To cite the scanned paper version of the dictionary, click the "show/hide this scanned page" link under the entry, check the scan and use the citation information right above it.