Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

on-ginnan

  • verb [ strong ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
on-ginnan, p. -gan[n]; pl. -gunnon; pp. -gunnen.
Wright's OE grammar
§259; §498;
to begin, set about, set to work
Show examples

  • Ic onginne inchoo, Ælfc. Gr. 24; Som. 25, 39: incipio, 28, 6; Som. 32, 42:

    ineo,

      37; Som. 39, 1.

  • Wæs ongunnen

    ordiretur,

      Hpt. Gl. 494, 11.
where the action begun is given by the verb in the infin. or in the gerund.
Show examples

  • Ic onginne tó wearmigenne

    calesco,

      35; Som. 38, 4.

  • Hé onginþ

    (incipiet)

    tó álýsenne his folc of þeówte,
      Jud. 13, 5.

  • Ðá ongan ic ða bóc wendan on Englisc,

      Past. pref.; Swt. 7, 17.

  • Ðú ðe ongunne (

    coepisti

    ) ætýwan ðíne mǽrþe,
      Deut. 3, 24.

  • Se ongan ǽrest onclypian Drihtnes naman,

      Gen. 4, 26.

  • Ongan se Hǽlend bodian,

      Mt. Kmbl. 4, 17.

  • Ðá ongan hine langian on his cýþþe,

      Blickl. Homl. 113, 14.

  • Ongan se Hǽlend him andswarigende tó cweþan,

      Mk. Skt. 13, 5.

  • Hí ongunnon ða eár pluccigean,

      2, 23.
where a case follows
Show examples

  • Se mon ðe gód onginneþ and ðonne áblinneþ. . . Se ðe gód onginneþ and on ðon þurhwunaþ,

      Blickl. Homl. 21, 34-36.

  • Freme ðæt ðú ongunne,

      189, 3.

  • Raðe ðæs hié óðer ongunnon wið Macedonie

    cui Macedonicum bellum continuo successit,

      Ors. 4, 11; Swt. 202, 32.

  • Ongin ðæt ðú onginnest,

      Blickl. Homl. 187, 22.

  • Ðæt fæsten ongunnen wæs instepes ðæs ðe hé of íæm fulwihte ástág,

      35, 5.
where the verb is used intransitively
Show examples

  • Ðá six onginnaþ of ðam stæfe e, and geendiaþ on him sylfum; x ána onginþ on ðam stæfe i,

      Ælfc. Gr. 2; Som. 2, 57-58
to attempt, endeavour (with infin.)
Show examples

  • Ic onginne conabor, Wrt. Voc. ii. 24, 77:

    nitar,

      60, 3.

  • Ðæt ic geseó ða mé onginnaþ dón ða werrestan tintrega

    that I may see those who are trying to inflict on me the worst tortures,

      Blickl. Homl. 229, 24.

  • Hiene Hannibal áspón ðæt hé ðæt gewin leng[ne] ongan

    Hannibal induced him to carry on the struggle longer,

      Ors. 4, 11; Swt. 204, 31.

  • Se náht freomlíces ongan on ðære cynewísan

    nihil omnino in re militari ausus est,

      Bd. 1, 3; S. 475., 20.

  • Ðá ongunnon

    (tentabant)

    ða scypmenn ða ancras upp teón,
      3, 15; S. 541, 40.

  • Óþ hé ongite ðæt hé mǽge ábiddan æt Gode ðæt hé ongiene (-ginne, MSS. Cot.)

    until he finds that he can obtain by prayer from God what he endeavours to get,

      Past. 10; Swt. 61, 22.

  • Ðæt ic dorste ðisweorc ongynnan

    ut hoc opus adgredi auderem,

      Bd. pref. ; S. 472, 12.

  • Hé wolde onginnan hím óleccan,

      Bt. 35, 6; Fox 168, 13.
to act strenuously
Show examples
  • Hí on ðam gewinne werlíce ongunnon. Homl. Th. ii. 502, 5.
  • Onginnaþ werlíce, i. 188, 31.

  • Onginnaþ esnlíce

    viriliter agite,

      Deut. 31, 6.
to make an attempt upon, to attack
Show examples

  • Gramhýdige mé mid unrihte oft onginnaþ

    injusti insurrexerunt in me,

      Ps. Th. 85, 13.

  • Donne ús mánfulle menn onginnaþ

    (insurgerent),

      123, 2.

  • Ðonne yfle unmǽgas onginnaþ, mécum gemétaþ, swá gé mé dydon,

      Vald. 2, 23.

  • Mé strange ongunnon

    irruerunt in me fortes,

      Ps. Th. 58, 3 : 61, 3.
  • Gif hí sceoldon eofor onginnan. Exon. Th. 344, 20 ; Gn. Ex. 176.
Etymology
[O. H. Ger. in-ginnan inchoare, incipere, conari, moliri, niti.]
Linked entries
v.  á-ginnan an-ginnan be-ginnan.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “on-ginnan.” 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/24585.

Checked: 0
Full form

Word-wheel

  • on-ginnan, 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.