þencan
Old English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną.
Cognate with Old Frisian thenka, Old Saxon thenkian, Old Dutch thenken, Old High German denken, Old Norse þekkja, Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (þagkjan). All ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈθen.t͡ʃɑn/
Verb
þenċan
- to think
- Iċ þenċe, for þȳ iċ eom.
- I think, therefore I am.
- Ne magon wē þenċan þæt wē seċġan ne magon.
- We cannot think what we cannot say.
- Betere is þæt man þenċe tō swīðe þonne tō lȳt.
- It's better to think too much than too little.
Usage notes
This word refers primarily to thinking as in having thoughts. For thinking as in having an opinion, wēnan was most often used.
Conjugation
Conjugation of þenċan (weak, class 1)
| infinitive | þenċan | þenċenne |
|---|---|---|
| indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
| first person singular | þenċe | þōhte |
| second person singular | þenċest, þencst | þōhtest |
| third person singular | þenċeþ, þencþ | þōhte |
| plural | þenċaþ | þōhton |
| subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
| singular | þenċe | þōhte |
| plural | þenċen | þōhten |
| imperative | ||
| singular | þenċ | |
| plural | þenċaþ | |
| participle | present | past |
| þenċende | (ġe)þōht | |