hean

English

Alternative forms

• hene

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hiːn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːn

Etymology 1

From Middle English hene, from Old English hēan (“lowly, despised, poor, mean, bare, abject”), from Proto-Germanic *hauniz (“low, lowly”), from Proto-Indo-European *kaw- (“to degrade, humiliate”).

Cognate with German höhn (“jeering, demeaning, bad”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌽𐍃 (hauns, “contemptible, base, humble”), Dutch hoon (“scorn, insult”), Latvian kauns (“shame, disgrace, dishonour”), Ancient Greek καυνός (kaunós, “bad”).

Adjective

hean (comparative more hean, superlative most hean)

1. (obsolete) Mean; abject; poor; humble; lowly.

Derived terms

• heanling

Etymology 2

From Middle English henen, from Old English hīenan (“to fell, prostrate, overcome, weaken, crush, afflict, injure, oppress, abase, humble, insult, accuse, condemn”), from Proto-West Germanic *haunijan, from Proto-Germanic *haunijaną (“to humiliate”), from Proto-Indo-European *kaw- (“to degrade, humiliate”).

Cognate with North Frisian huynjen (“to wound, abuse, hurt”), German höhnen (“to mock, jeer, scoff”) Swedish hån (“heckle, mocking”).

Verb

hean (third-person singular simple present heans, present participle heaning, simple past and past participle heaned)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To treat with contumely; insult; humiliate; debase; lower.

Anagrams

• Haen, Hane

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hauniz, whence also the Old High German noun hōna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xæ͜ɑːn/, [hæ͜ɑːn]

Adjective

hēan

1. low, mean, abject, humble
2. poor, miserable
   • 10th century, The Wanderer:

     siþþan ġeāra iū · goldwine mīn(n)e
     hrusan heolstre biwrāh, · ond iċ hēan þonan
     wōd winterċeariġ · ofer waþema ġebind,

     since once, long ago, covered my goldfriend(s)
     with darkness of earth, and poor I thereupon
     traveled sad as winter over binding of waves,

3. humiliated; despicable

Declension

Declension of hēan — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	hēan	hēan	hēan
Accusative	hēanne	hēane	hēan
Genitive	hēanes	hēanre	hēanes
Dative	hēanum	hēanre	hēanum
Instrumental	hēane	hēanre	hēane
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	hēane	hēana, hēane	hēan
Accusative	hēane	hēana, hēane	hēan
Genitive	hēanra	hēanra	hēanra
Dative	hēanum	hēanum	hēanum
Instrumental	hēanum	hēanum	hēanum

Declension of hēan — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	hēana	hēane	hēane
Accusative	hēanan	hēanan	hēane
Genitive	hēanan	hēanan	hēanan
Dative	hēanan	hēanan	hēanan
Instrumental	hēanan	hēanan	hēanan
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	hēanan	hēanan	hēanan
Accusative	hēanan	hēanan	hēanan
Genitive	hēanra, hēanena	hēanra, hēanena	hēanra, hēanena
Dative	hēanum	hēanum	hēanum
Instrumental	hēanum	hēanum	hēanum

Descendants

• Middle English: hene
  • English: hean