Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

wén

  • noun [ feminine ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
wén, e; f.
Wright's OE grammar
§122; §390; §562;
supposition, opinion, thought, idea
Show examples

  • Hí fleóð swá hrædlíce swá is wén ðætte hí fleógen

    longe fugiunt quasi putes eos volare,

      Nar. 37, 15.

  • Ðú (

    Joseph

    ) fæder cweden woruldcund bi wéne (cf. Jesus erat, . . . ut putabatur, filius
      Joseph, Lk. 3, 23), Exon. Th. 13, 33; Cri. 212.

  • Woeno

    opiniones,

      Mt. Kmbl. Lind. 24, 6: Mk. Skt. Lind. 13, 7.
hope, expectation
Show examples

  • Hié cwǽdon ðæt heó ríce ágan woldan . . . Him seó wén geleáh,

      Cd. Th. 4, 5; Gen. 49: 87, 10; Gen. 1446: Andr. Kmbl. 2150; An. 1076: Beo. Th. 4636; B. 2323.

  • Ðæs ic wén hæbbe

    as I hope,

      772; B. 383.

  • Wéna mé ðíne (

    the unsatisfied hopes of seeing thee

    ) seóce gedydon, ðíne seldcymas,
      Exon. Th. 380, 25; Rä. 1, 13.

  • Sibbe oflyste, wynnum and wénum,

      464, 4; Hö. 82.

  • Wénum hopefully, expectantly, 380, 17; Rä. 1, 9. II a. with gen. of what is hoped for or expected :-- On ðam is godcundnesse wén ðe manna ingehygd wát

    divinity may be expected in him who knows men's hearts,

      Blickl. Homl. 179, 25: Exon. Th. 302, 21; Fä. 39.

  • Wistfylle wén,

      Beo. Th. 1472; B. 734.

  • Is leódum wén orleghwíle,

      5813; B. 2910: Exon. Th. 384, 16; Rä. 4, 28.

  • Mé ðæs wén nǽfre forbirsteþ, ðe ic gefeán hæbbe,

      236, 1; Ph. 567.

  • Him wæs béga wén,

      Beo. Th. 3751; B. 1873.

  • Weán on wénum

    in expectation of misery,

      Cd. Th. 63, 4; Gen. 1027: 191, 11; Exod. 213: 163, 18; Gen. 2700: Andr. Kmbl. 2176; An. 1089.

  • Ðín on wénum,

      Exon. Th. 474, 12; Bo. 28.

  • Béga on wénum, endedógores and eftcymes,

      Beo. Th. 5783; B. 2895.
likelihood, probability, chance
Show examples

  • Nú is wén micel ðæt heó mec eft wille gehýnan

    there is now a great probability that she will again humiliate me,

      Exon. Th. 280, 21; Jul. 632.

  • Is mé on wéne geþúht ðæt ðé untrymnes bysgade

    it seems to me in all likelihood that sickness has troubled you,

      163, 6; Gú. 989.

  • Wén ic talige, gif ð æt gegangéþ, ðæt se gár nimeþ ealdor ðínne

    I reckon there is likelihood, if that comes to pass, that the spear will carry off thy prince, Beo. Th. 3695; B. 1845. III a. in phrases such as wén is (ðæt) = perhaps, perchance, may be, probably :-- Wénunge, wén is forsitan, i. forsan, fortasse,

      Wrt. Voc. ii. 150, 24.

  • Gyf gé mé cúþon, wén is ðæt gé cúþon mínne fæder

    si me sciretis, forsitan et patrem meum sciretis,

      Jn. Skt. 8, 19: Ps. Th. 123, 2, 3.

  • Gif ðú wistes, ðú uoen is (woen is mára, Rush.) gif ðú gegiuuedes

    si scires, tu forsitan petisses,

      Jn. Skt. Lind. 4, 10.

  • Cum mid ús, ðý læs wén is hí ús eft genimon

    come with us, lest haply they take us again,

      Blickl. Homl. 239, 9.

  • Ðý læs wén sié ðæt hine God gefreólsige,

      243, 19: 247, 2.

  • Wén is ðæt ic gefyrenode

    perhaps I have sinned,

      235, 32: 239, 29: Homl. Th. i. 92, 30.

  • Ne biþ his lof ná ðý læsse, ac is wén ðæt hit sié ðý máre

    his praise will not be the less, but may be the greater,

      Bt. 40, 3; Fox 238, 11.

  • Him bið forboden ðæt hé offrige, forðæm hit is wén ðæt se ne mæge óðerra monna scylda of áðueán,

      Past. 11; Swt. 73, 17.

  • Hit is þéh wén ðæt feala manna þence hwylcum edleáne hé onfó æt Drihtne,

      Blickl. Homl. 41, 14.

  • Hwæðer hyt wén sig ðæt ðú sig se ylca Hǽlend ðe Satan úre ealdor ymbe spæc? (

    perhaps thou art that Jesus of whom Satan spoke,

    Gospel of Nicodemus
      17, 12), Nicod. 28; Thw. 16, 35.

  • Mára woen is quanto magis, Mt. Kmbl. Lind. 7, 11: 12, 12: Lk. Skt. Rush. 11, 13 (Mára woen, Lind.). Mára woen

    alio quin,

      Mk. Skt. Lind. Rush. 2, 22.

  • Nys hit nǽfre sóþ ðæt wé gelýfan sceolon ðám cempon . . ., ac ys bet wén ðæt (more likely) his cnyhtas cómon and heom feoh geáfon (

    perhaps his disciples gave them money,

    Gospel of Nicodemus
      10, 29), Nicod. 19; Thw. 9, 13.

  • Hú mæg ic hit gefaran? ac má wén is ðæt ðú onsende ðínne engel

    how can I do the journey? but more likely thou mayst send thine angel,

      Blickl. Homl. 231, 23.

  • Nimðe wén wǽre

    ni forsan,

      Wrt. Voc. ii. 93, 3.

  • Cómon hí tó Eald-Seaxna mǽgþe gif wén wǽre ðæt hí ðǽr ǽnige ðurh heora láre Criste begitan mihte (

    si forte aliquos ibidem praedicando Christo adquirere possent

    ),
      Bd. 5, 10; S. 624, 13.
Etymology
[Of þine kume nis na wene (expectation), Laym. 28141. Hit bið a muchele wæne it is very doubtful, 13503. Wen iss þatt (probably) he wass forrdredd, Orm. 7152. Efter monnes wene as men suppose, A. R. 390, note e. Goth. wéns spes: O. Sax. 0. L. Ger. wán hope: O. Frs. wén opinion: O. H. Ger. wán opinio, existimatio, aestimatio, suspicio, spes: Icel. ván hope, expectation.]
Similar entries
v. next word.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “wén.” 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/35062.

Checked: 0
Full form

Word-wheel

  • wén, n.

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.