maymen

Middle English

Alternative forms

• mahaymen, maheyme, mayme, mayn, mayne, maynyn
• maynhe (Northern)

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman mahaimer, alteration of Old French mahaignier, mehaignier after Frankish *hammjan (“to restrict”); thus equivalent to maym (“injury”) +‎ -en (infinitival suffix). Forms with /n/, /ɲ/ continue the unaltered Old French form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmæi̯mən/, /ˈmæi̯nən/, (possibly) /maˈæi̯mən/, /mæi̯ˈæi̯mən/
• (Northern) IPA^(key): /ˈmæi̯ɲə/, /ˈmaɲə/, /ˈmɛɲə/

Verb

maymen (third-person singular simple present maymeth, present participle maymende, maymynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle maymed)

1. To maim; to physically injure as to impair.
2. (figuratively) To ruin or destroy.

Conjugation

Conjugation of maymen (weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) maymen, mayme
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	mayme	maymed
2nd-person singular	maymest	maymedest
3rd-person singular	maymeth	maymed
subjunctive singular	mayme
imperative singular		—
plural1	maymen, mayme	maymeden, maymede
imperative plural	maymeth, mayme	—
participles	maymynge, maymende	maymed, ymaymed

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

Descendants

• English: maim
• Middle Scots: mainȝie, menȝe
  • Scots: meingyie (obsolete)

References

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