answeren

Middle English

Alternative forms

• ansswer, ansuerie, answaren, answer, answere, answerye, onsware, onswere, ounsweren, unswere
• andswaren, andswerien, andsweriȝen, anndswerenn, ondswerie, onswerie, onswerien (Early Middle English)

Etymology

From Old English andswerian (from Proto-Germanic *andaswarjaną) and Old English andswarian (from Proto-Germanic *andaswarōną); equivalent to and- +‎ swaren or answere +‎ -en (infinitival suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈan(d)ˌswɛːrən/, /ˈan(d)ˌswæːrən/, /ˈan(d)ˌswaːrən/

Verb

answeren (third-person singular simple present answereth, present participle answerende, answerynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle answered)

1. To answer or respond; to offer a response:
   1. (especially law) To provide an explanation; to justify or refute.
   2. (religion) To explain oneself at the Last Judgement.
   3. (rare) To respond to a request for assistance.
   4. (rare) To provide one's choice as a response.
2. To be responsible for (a task, another person):
   1. (religion) To be liable for; to suffer for.
   2. (rare) To be required to appear.
3. To match or correspond to (in number or nature)
4. (rare, of crops) To net; to provide sustenance.
5. (rare) To pay a tariff or fee on goods.

Conjugation

Conjugation of answeren (weak in -ed/-de)

infinitive	(to) answeren, answere
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	answere	answered, answerde
2nd-person singular	answerest	answeredest, answerdest
3rd-person singular	answereth	answered, answerde
subjunctive singular	answere
imperative singular		—
plural1	answeren, answere	answereden, answerede, answerden, answerde
imperative plural	answereth, answere	—
participles	answerynge, answerende	answered, answerd, yanswered, yanswerd

¹Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Derived terms

• mysansweren

Descendants

• English: answer
• Scots: answer

References

• “answēren, -ien, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-12-05.