biernan

Old English

Alternative forms

• byrnan, birnan, beornan

Etymology

Metathesis of earlier *brinnan, from Proto-West Germanic *brinnan, from Proto-Germanic *brinnaną. Cognate with Old Saxon brinnan, Old Dutch brinnan, Old High German brinnan, Old Norse brinna, Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 (brinnan).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbi͜yr.nɑn/, [ˈbi͜yrˠ.nɑn]

Verb

biernan (West Saxon)

1. (intransitive) to burn
   • c. 900, translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans

     Man ġeseah swelċe sē heofon burne.

     It looked like the sky was on fire.

   • translation of "Alexander the Great's Letter to Aristotle"

     Þā fȳr fēollon on þā eorðan swelċe biernende þæċele, and eall sē feld barn.

     The fires fell to the earth like a flaming torch, and the whole field burned.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "The Nativity of the Lord"

     Hé wearð ða afylled mid graman, and hét onǽlén þone ófen swiðe ðearle, and hét gebindan ða cnihtas handum and fotum, and awurpan into ðam byrnendum ófne.

     He was filled with anger, and commanded the oven to be heated very intensely, and commanded the youths to be bound hands and feet, and cast into the burning oven.

   • Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Manuscript A, year 1066

     Hēr forþfērde Ēadward cyning, and Hereweald eorl fēng tō þām rīċe and hēold hit fēowertiġ wucena and ǣnne dæġ, and hēr cōm Willelm and ġewann Engla land, and hēr on þissum ġēare barn Cristes ċiriċe, and hēr ætīewde comēta þȳ nigontēoðan dæġe ēastermōnaþes.

     This year, King Edward died • Harold Godwinson took the throne and held it for 281 days • William the Conqueror came and conquered England • Canterbury Cathedral burned down • a comet appeared on April 19th.

Conjugation

Conjugation of biernan (strong class 3)

infinitive	biernan	biernenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	bierne	barn, born, bearn
second person singular	biernst	burne
third person singular	biernþ	barn, born, bearn
plural	biernaþ	burnon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	bierne	burne
plural	biernen	burnen
imperative
singular	biern
plural	biernaþ
participle	present	past
	biernende	(ġe)burnen

Derived terms

• bærnan
• forbiernan

Descendants

• Middle English: bernen, bern, berne, birnen, brennen
  • English: burn
  • Scots: bern, brenn, bren, brend