belæfan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *bilaibijan, from Proto-Germanic *bilaibijaną. Equivalent to be- +‎ lǣfan.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /beˈlæː.fɑn/, [beˈlæː.vɑn]

Verb

belǣfan

  1. to be left; remain
    • Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church
      Þæt eahtoðe wīte wæs, þæt gærstapan oferēodon eall þæt land swilċe swā næfre ǣrðan nǣron, ne eft næfre ne ġewurðað; and hī forgnogon swā hwæt swā sē hagol belǣfde, oððe on trēowum oððe on ōðrum wæstmum.
      The eight plague was that locusts overran the entire land as they never had before, and never wood again; they gnawed up anything that the hail had left behind, either on trees or on other plants.

Conjugation

Descendants

  • Middle English: beleven, bleven