gniden

Middle English

Alternative forms

• gnyde

Etymology

From Old English gnīdan (“to rub, grind together, crumble”), from Proto-West Germanic *gnīdan, from Proto-Germanic *gnīdaną (“to rub, crush”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰneydʰ-, *gʰneyd- (“to gnaw, chew, scratch, rub”); compare gnodden.

Cognate with Danish gnide (“to rub”), Swedish gnida (“to rub, scrape”), Icelandic gníða (“to rub”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡniːdən/

Verb

gniden (third-person singular simple present gnideth, present participle gnidynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative *gnod, past participle gniden) (rare)

1. To grind by rubbing together.
2. To rub; to smear.
3. To crush; to crumble.

Conjugation

Conjugation of gniden (strong class 1)

infinitive	(to) gniden, gnide
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	gnide	*gnod
2nd-person singular	gnidest	*gnode1, gnide1
3rd-person singular	gnideth	*gnod
subjunctive singular	gnide	*gnode2, gnide2
imperative singular		—
plural3	gniden, gnide	*gnoden, *gnode, gniden, gnide
imperative plural	gnideth, gnide	—
participles	gnidynge, gnidende	gniden, gnide, ygniden, ygnide

¹ Later replaced by the 1st-/3rd-person singular or *gnodest.
² Later replaced by the indicative.
³ Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Synonyms

• gnodden (all senses)

References

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

Swedish

Adjective

gniden (comparative mer gniden, superlative mest gniden)

1. stingy, cheap

   Synonyms: gnidig, snål

Declension

Inflection of gniden

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	gniden	gnidnare	gnidnast
neuter singular	gnidet	gnidnare	gnidnast
plural	gnidna	gnidnare	gnidnast
masculine plural2	gnidne	gnidnare	gnidnast
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	gnidne	gnidnare	gnidnaste
all	gnidna	gnidnare	gnidnaste

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

References

• gniden in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• gniden in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• gniden in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)