afindan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *uʀfinþan. Cognate with Old High German irfindan. Equivalent to ā- +‎ findan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑːˈfin.dɑn/

Verb

āfindan

1. to find
2. to find out, discover
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Invention of the Holy Cross"

     Hēo becōm tō þǣre stōwe and āfand þrēo rōde. Ān wæs þæs Hǣlendes, and þā ōðra þāra þēofa. Þā nysse hēo ġewiss hwelcu wǣre Cristes rōd.

     She came to the place and discovered three crosses. One was Jesus', and the others belonged to the thieves. But she didn't know for sure which cross was Christ's.

3. to feel, experience

Usage notes

• Early Old English exclusively uses onfindan where āfindan is found in Late West Saxon, at least for senses 2 and 3.

Conjugation

Conjugation of āfindan (strong, class III)

infinitive	āfindan	āfindenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	āfinde	āfand
second person singular	āfinst, āfintst	āfunde
third person singular	āfint	āfand
plural	āfindaþ	āfundon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	āfinde	āfunde
plural	āfinden	āfunden
imperative
singular	āfind
plural	āfindaþ
participle	present	past
	āfindende	āfunden

Related terms

• āfandian