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Anglo-Saxon

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hú

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Wright's OE grammar
§130; §166; §266;
Add:
in direct questions.
qualifying a verb.
in what way?
Show examples

  • Hú mæg þis þus geweorþan?,

      Bl. H. 7, 21.

  • Hú mæg ic andsware ǽnige findan?, Cri. 183. (a α) with ellipsis of the rest of the sentence,

    how

    (would it be) if . . . :-- Hú þonne gyf þú ne meaht?,
      Solil. H. 40, 1: 6: 39, 20.
with what reason?
Show examples

  • Hú (

    quo modo

    ) miht þú secgan þínum bréþer, 'Læt . . . ?,'
      Lk. 6, 42.

  • Hú (húmeta,

      W. S.) cweþestú . . .?, Mt. R. L. 7, 4.

  • Hú þearf mannes sunu máran treówe?,

      Exod. 425.
with what meaning?, to what effect?
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  • Hwæt is gewriten on þǽre ǽ? hú rǽtst þú?,

      Lk. 10, 26.
with intensive addition
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  • Sé ðe eáran worhte, hú sé oferhleóður ǽfre wurde?

    qui plantavit aurem, non audiet?,

      Ps. Th. 93, 9.
used interjectionally to introduce a question,
what?, why?
Show examples

  • Ðú, Capharnaum, hú wið in heofonum ðú ðec áhefes?

    tu, Capharnaum, numquid usque in caelum exaltaberis?,

      Mt. L. 11, 23.

  • Hú ! onsuæræstú suǽ ðǽm biscobi? sic respondis pontifici?, Jn. L. 18, 22. (2 a) mostly with negative questions :-- Hú nys seó sáwl sélre þonne mete?

    nonne anima plus est quam esca?,

      Mt. 6, 26: Lk. 17, 17.

  • Hú lá ! ne wurpe wé þrý cnihtas intó þám fýre?,

      Hml. Th. ii. 20, 12.

  • Lá hú ne gewídmǽrsude?

    nonne percrebruit?,

      An. Ox. 2374.

  • Hú ne nú [God] sécð þás?

    nonne Deus requiret ista?,

      Ps. Rdr. 43, 22: 38, 8.
qualifying adj. or adv.
Show examples

  • Hú fela hláfa (monigo (feola, R.) hláfas, L.) hæbbe gé?

    quot panes habetis?,

      Mt. 15, 34.

  • Hú lange beó ic mid eów? hú lange forbere ic eów?

    quousque ero vobiscum? usque quo patior vos?,

      Mt. 17, 17.

  • Wilt þú hú lange edwít þolian feóndum?

    usque quo improperabit inimicus?, Ps. Th. 73, 10. (3 a) with the case of a noun used adverbially :-- Hú gerádes (qua mente )

    mæg se biscep brúcan ðǽre hirdelican áre?,
      Past. 133, 3.
in direct exclamations
Show examples

  • Hú beorht

    O! preclara,

      An. Ox. 1266.

  • Hú (hú swíðe,

      R., L.) beó ic geþreád, Lk. 12, 50.

  • Efne hú glædlic bið and gód swylce

    ecce quam bonum et quam jucundum,

      Ps. Th. 132, 1: Bt. 16, 2; F. 52, 3.

  • Hú þǽr wæs unefen racu unc gemǽne,

      Cri. 1460.
in dependent questions and exclamations,
qualifying a verb
in dependence on verbs of ordering, telling, asking, hearing, remembering, thinking, knowing, caring, trying
Show examples

  • Ic cýðe and wrítan háte hú mín willa is,

      C. D. i. 310, 3: 316, 3.

  • Hí rehton him hú (

    qualiter

    ) hit gedón wæs,
      Mk. 5, 16.

  • Hwanon hé cymð and hú hé byð and tó hwan hé gewyrð wé ámearkodon,

      Angl. viii. 312, 47.

  • Se godspellere sǽde hú Drihten cwæþ tó Petre,

      Bl. H. 23, 12: 15, 3.

  • Seó cwén ongan fricggan . . . hú on worulde ǽr wítgan sungon be Godes bearne,

      El. 561.

  • Wurdon hí blíðe syððan hí gehýrdon hú seó hálige spræc,

      Jud. 160.

  • Geþencað hú hé spræc wið eów

    recordamini qualiter locutus est uobis,

      Lk. 24, 6.

  • Úton geþencan hú (hwæt,

    v. l.

    ) Iacób cwæð,
      Ll. Th. i. 196, 1: An. 639: 962.

  • Geðóhte huu wæs ł wére ðiós groeteng

    cogitabat qualis esset ista salutatio,

      Lk. L. R. 1, 29.

  • Tó gewitane hú gedón mann hé wæs,

      Chr. 1086; P. 219, 16.

  • God ána wát hú his gecynde bið,

      Ph. 356.

  • Men ne cúðon hú áfæstnod wæs feldhúsa mǽst,

      Exod. 85.

  • Nú is undyrne hú þá wihte hátne sindon,

      Rä. 43, 16.

  • Ꝥ gé ne sorgige . . . hú gé eówic gearwige (

    quid induamini

    ),
      Mt. R. 6, 25.

  • Hé cunnode hú hié cweðan woldon,

      Dan. 531: Jud. 259.

  • On sefan sécan hú . . .,

      El. 474.

  • Sirwan hú . . ., Sat. 499. (a α) where the verb on which the clause depends is not expressed :-- Hú man sceal gyldan twelfhyndes man, Ll. Th. i. 174, 12: 178, 1 (

    a form like Hér cýð might be supplied )

    . (a β) where the verb on which the clause depends has an object, to which the clause is in apposition :-- Árece ús þæt gerýne, hú þú eácnunge onfénge,
      Cri. 75.

  • Þisses fugles gecynd fela gelíces bi Crístes þegnum beácnað, hú hí beorhtne gefeán healdað,

      Ph. 389.

  • Wyrd ne cúðe freóndrǽdenne, hú heó from hogde,

      Jul. 34.

  • Hú magon wé swá dýgle áhicgan on sefan þínne, hú þé swefnede,

      Dan. 131.

  • Bið wundra má þonne hit ǽnig mæge áþencan, hú þæt gestun and se storm brecað bráde gesceaft,

      Cri. 991.

  • Feorh ne bemurndan . . . hú þæs gástes síð æfter swyltcwale geseted wurde,

      An. 155.
  • ¶ the object a pronoun :-- Hycgað his ealle hú gé hí beswícen, Gen. 433.

  • Ne mæg ic þæt gehicgan, hú ic in þǽm becwóm,

      Sat. 179.

  • Þæs gíman nele waldend, hú . . .,

      Cri. 1570. (a γ)
    where the verb on which the clause depends has an object to which the clause is not in apposition :-- Englas beweardiað þananforð manna gehwylcne, hú hé gelǽste . . ., Wlfst. 144, 19.

  • Gewát neósian húses, hú hit Hring Déne gebún hæfdon,

      B. 116.
  • Wæs þæs wyrmes wíg wíde gesýne . . . hú se gúðsceaða Geáta leóde hýnde, 2318: 2948.
in dependence on nouns of meaning akin to the verbs mentioned in
Show examples

  • Ðis is seó gerǽdnyss hú mon ðæt hundred haldan sceal,

      Ll. Th. i. 258, 2.

  • Tó béhðe, hú hyre æt beaduwe gespeów,

      Jud. 175.

  • Þá ealdan race, hú þú yfle gehogdes,

      Cri. 1398.

  • Þæt is fyrn sægen, hú hé weorna feala wítu geþolode,

      An. 1492.
  • (b α) independence on adjectives :---
with weakened meaning, nearly with the force of
that, introducing indirect statements.
after verbs as in (1 a)
Show examples

  • Hig rehton . . . hú hig hine oncneówan on hláfes brice,

      Lk. 24, 35.

  • Gehérað . . . hú Drihten wolde cuman tó þǽre stówe þe hé on þrowian wolde,

      Bl. H. 15, 5.

  • Hí tó rǽde gerǽddon . . . hú hí God weorðodon,

      Ll. Th. i. 350, 7.

  • Geþencan wé hú Drihten cwæð, 'Eádige beóþ þá þe nú wépað',

      Bl. H. 25, 19.

  • Hé þóhte hú hé him strenglicran stól geworhte,

      Gen. 273.

  • Fyrd eall geseah hú þǽr hlifedon hálige seglas,

      Exod. 89. (a α). Cf. (1 a α) :-- Hú þá deófla on Brytisc sprǽcon, Guth. Gr. 135, 1, and often (cf. similar use of þæt v. þæt;
2). (a β). Cf. (1 a β)
Show examples

  • Gé on lóciað . . . fǽrwundra sum, hú ic sylfa slóh . . . gársecges deóp,

      Exod. 280.

  • Cýðan godspelles gife, hú se gásta helm . . . ácenned wearð,

      El. 176.
  • Gé wítgena láre onféngon, hú se líffruma in cildes hád cenned wurde, 335.

  • Ússa yrmða geþenc, hú wé hwearfiað heánlíce,

      Cri. 371.
Cf. (1 b)
Show examples

  • Þá angan Thomas his sprǽce, hú hé cóm tó Cantwarebyri, and hú se arƀ áxode hýrsumnesse, and hé hit forsóc,

      Chr. 1070; P. 206, 10. (b α). Cf. (1 b α) :--
    Wæs hé gemyndig, hú hé in yrmðum wunade, An. 163.
introducing a noun clause
Show examples

  • Bið þridde tácen, hú (cf. án is . . . þæt,

      1239, óðer is . . . þæt, 1244) . . .
    þæt gesǽlige weorud gesihð þæt fordóne þrowian, Cri. 1248.
  • Nis ǽnig wundor, hú seó unclǽne gecynd ondréde, 1016.

  • Þæt is wundres dǽl, hú mec seaxes ord and seó swíðre hond . . . geþýdan,

      Rä. 61, 12.

  • Hé hæfde him tó gamene . . . hú hé eorðcyningas yrmde,

      Met. 9, 47: Sat. 196: Exod. 244.
qualifying an adj. or adv.
Show examples

  • Gé ne geþenceað . . . hú fela (hú monige, R.

    quot

    ) wylegena gé námon,
      Mt. 16, 9.

  • Gemyne hú mycel yfel þé gelamp,

      Bl. H. 31, 13: 33, 25: Wand. 30.

  • Hú þú æþele eart,

      Hy. 3, 14: 18.
introducing a relative clause.
in what way
Show examples

  • Gefada embe lóca hú þú wylle, Hml. S. 3, 285. (v. lóc(a)

    in Dict.

    ) Ábídan miclan dómes, hú him metod scrífan wille,
      B. 979.
qualifying an adj. or adv.,
to what extent (in a correlative phrase)
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  • Á hú lenge swíðe,

      Ps. Srt. 37, 9.
with antecedent noun (or pronoun)
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  • Hé geworhte ánes fearres anlícnesse of áre tó ðon, þonne mon þá earman men oninnan dón wolde, hú se hlynn mǽst wǽre

    he made a bull's image of brass in the way, in which the sound would be greatest, when the wretched men were put inside,

      Ors. 1, 12; S. 54, 25.
with indef. adj. or adv.
Show examples

  • Ac elcra, elles hú

    sed secus, i. aliter,

      An. Ox. 3202.

  • Þú hit ná hú elles begitan ne miht,

      Bt. 32, 1; F. 114, 8.
  • VI. in phrases

    Gelíc ðám scipe ðe ðá ýða drífað út on sǽ swá hú swá se wind blǽwð,

      Hen. 46, 21.

  • Begite hé, swá hú swá hé mæge, septies cxx manna,

      Ll., Th. ii. 286, 25.
Similar entries
v. hú-meta.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “hú.” 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/53321.

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