biernan

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Old English

Alternative forms

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

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 downa comet appeared on April 19th.

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