sellen

Asturian

Verb

sellen

1. third-person plural present indicative/subjunctive of sellar

Middle English

Alternative forms

• cellyn, sel, selle, sellyn, sillen, sille, sulle, sullen, syllen
• sellenn, seollen, sullan (Early Middle English)
• zelle (Kent)

Etymology

Inherited from Old English sellan, from Proto-West Germanic *salljan, from Proto-Germanic *saljaną (“to give”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛlən/, /ˈsilən/
• (Southern, SW Midland) IPA^(key): /ˈzylən/, /ˈzulən/

Verb

sellen (third-person singular simple present selleth, present participle sellynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative solde, past participle sold)

1. To grant; to confer or bestow:
   1. To gift; to give or confer a present.
   2. To serve or administer; to give comestibles.
   3. To sacrifice or hand over (one's life)
2. To sell; to make a sale or transaction:
   • c. 1275, Judas (Roud 2964, Child Ballad 23, Trinity College MS. B.14.39)‎^[1], folio 34, recto, lines 29-30; republished at Cambridge: Wren Digital Library (Trinity College), 2019 May 29:

     Wou ſitte ye poſtles. a[n]t wi nule ye ete. / ic am ibouſt a[n]t iſold. to day foꝛ oure mete.

     "How are you, apostles? Why won't you eat? / I was bought and sold today for our food."

   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎^[2], published c. 1410, Apocalips 13:17, page 122v, column 1; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:

     þat no man mai bie eiþ[ir] ſille .· but þei han þe caracter eiþ[ir] þe name of þe beeſte · eiþ[ir] þe nou[m]bꝛe of his name

     […] so nobody could buy or sell [anything] unless they had the mark, the name of the Beast, or the number denoting his name.

   1. To market; to put up for sale.
   2. To sell into slavery; to enslave for money.
3. (usually negative) To give up in exchange (outside of an explicit transaction).
   1. (religion) To sell one's soul; to consign one's soul to Hell.
   2. (figuratively) To weaken, adulterate or lose (in exchange)
4. To betray; to give up or hand over (usually a person)
   • c. 1275, Judas (Roud 2964, Child Ballad 23, Trinity College MS. B.14.39)‎^[3], folio 34, recto, lines 22-23; republished at Cambridge: Wren Digital Library (Trinity College), 2019 May 29:

     I nul ſulle my louerd foꝛ noneſ cunneſ eiſte. / bote hit be foꝛ þe þritti platen. þat he me bitaiſte.

     "I won't betray my Lord for any kind of good, / except for the thirty pieces that he left me."

5. To get revenge (for a transgression or wrong).

Conjugation

Conjugation of sellen (weak irregular/in -de)

infinitive	(to) sellen, selle
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	selle	solde, selde
2nd-person singular	sellest	soldest, seldest
3rd-person singular	selleth, selth	solde, selde
subjunctive singular	selle
imperative singular		—
plural1	sellen, selle	solden, solde, selden, selde
imperative plural	selleth, selle	—
participles	sellynge, sellende	sold, seld, ysold, yseld

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

Derived terms

• sellere

Descendants

• English: sell
  • → Dutch: sellen
• Scots: sell

References

• “sellen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Old High German

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-West Germanic *salljan, from Proto-Germanic *saljaną. Compare Old Saxon sellian, Old Dutch sellen, Old English sellan, Old Norse selja, Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (saljan).

Verb

sellen

1. to give, to hand over
2. to betray

Conjugation

Conjugation of sellen (weak class 1)

infinitive	sellen
indicative	present	past
1st person singular	sellu	salta
2nd person singular	selis, selist	saltōs, seltōst
3rd person singular	selit	salta
1st person plural	sellem, sellemēs	saltum, saltumēs
2nd person plural	sellet	saltut
3rd person plural	sellent	saltun
subjunctive	present	past
1st person singular	selle	salti
2nd person singular	sellēs, sellēst	saltīs, saltīst
3rd person singular	selle	salti
1st person plural	sellēm, sellēn, sellemēs	saltīm, saltīn, saltīmēs
2nd person plural	sellēt	saltīt
3rd person plural	sellēn	saltīn
imperative	present
singular	seli
plural	sellet
participle	present	past
	sellenti	gisalt

Descendants

• Middle High German: sellen
  • German: sellen (obsolete)

Spanish

Verb

sellen

1. inflection of sellar:
   1. third-person plural present subjunctive
   2. third-person plural imperative