vervahen

Middle High German

Alternative forms

  • vervān

Etymology

Inherited from Old High German firfāhan. By surface analysis, ver- +‎ vāhen.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (before 13th CE) /vərˈvaːhən/, /fərˈfaːhən/

Verb

vervāhen (class 7 strong, third-person singular present vervāhet or vervæhet, past tense vervienc, past participle vervangen, past subjunctive vervienge, auxiliary hān)

  1. to catch
  2. (reflexive) to be or get caught, to be or get entangled (as in a net, trap, etc.)
    Dô sich mîn herze het vervangen.
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  3. (reflexive) to commit oneself, to obligate oneself
  4. to understand
    Got iuch an site wende die man iu vervâhe baʒ.
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  5. to manage, to bring off
  6. to work, to function, to be successful
    • 13th c., Neidhart von Reuental, Meie dīn liechter schīn:
      Lieben wân, dën ich hân,
      gein dër lieben wolgetân,
      dër ist immer unverlân
      unde enkan noch niht vervân.
      Sol diu guote mich vergân,
      sanfter wære ich tôt.
      Madness of love, which I have,
      For the most beautiful of all,
      I never give up,
      Even if it does not work.
      If the beauty scorned me,
      I’d rather be dead.

Conjugation

Descendants

  • German: verfangen

References

  • Benecke, Georg Friedrich; Müller, Wilhelm; Zarncke, Friedrich (1863), “vervāhen”, in Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch: mit Benutzung des Nachlasses von Benecke, Stuttgart: S. Hirzel
  • "vervāhen" in Köbler, Gerhard, Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch (3rd edition 2014)