wernen

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *wernen, from Proto-West Germanic *warnijan.

Verb

wernen

1. to refuse
2. to prevent

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Further reading

• “wernen (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “wernen”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

Alternative forms

• warn, warne, werne, worne, wurne
• wærnen, wearne, wearnen, weorne (Early Middle English)

Etymology

Inherited from Old English wyrnan, weornan, wiernan (“to refuse, deny, withhold”), from Proto-West Germanic *warnijan. Doublet of garnysshen and warnysshen; also compare warnen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɛrnən/, /ˈwɛːrnən/, /ˈwarnən/
• (dialectal) IPA^(key): /ˈwurnən/, /ˈwoːrnən/

Verb

wernen

1. To deny or refuse; to reject a request or demand:
   • 1387–1400, [Geoffrey] Chaucer, “The Prologe of the Tale of the Wẏf of Bathe”, in The Tales of Caunt́bury (Hengwrt Chaucer; Peniarth Manuscript 392D), Aberystwyth, Ceredigion: National Library of Wales, published [c. 1400–1410], →OCLC, folio 62, recto, lines 333-334:

     He is to greet a nygard / that wil werne / A man to lighte a candle / at his lanterne

     He is so much of a miser that he'll stop / a man from lighting a candle in his lantern.

   1. To refuse to relinquish or surrender something.
   2. To close off; to prevent from passing or entering.
2. To prevent or disallow (from happening):
   1. To challenge or obstruct; to be an impediment.
   2. To resist; to refuse to concede.

Conjugation

Conjugation of wernen (weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) wernen, werne
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	werne	werned
2nd-person singular	wernest	wernedest
3rd-person singular	werneth	werned
subjunctive singular	werne
imperative singular		—
plural1	wernen, werne	werneden, wernede
imperative plural	werneth, werne	—
participles	wernynge, wernende	werned, ywerned

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

References

• “wernen, v.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.