couren

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from either Middle Low German kûren (“to lie in wait; linger”) or a similar North Germanic word (e.g. Icelandic kúra (“to doze”));[1] according to Pokorny, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to curve, bend”), see also Proto-Germanic *kuddô (“shell, pod”).[2]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkuːrən/

Verb

couren (third-person singular simple present coureth, present participle courende, courynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle coured)

  1. To crouch, especially in fear; to cower.
  2. To hide or conceal oneself.

Conjugation

Conjugation of couren (weak in -ed)
infinitive (to) couren, coure
present tense past tense
1st-person singular coure coured
2nd-person singular courest couredest
3rd-person singular coureth coured
subjunctive singular coure
imperative singular —
plural1 couren, coure coureden, courede
imperative plural coureth, coure —
participles courynge, courende coured

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

Descendants

  • English: cower
  • Scots: cour, coor

References

  1. ^ “cǒuren, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) “393-98”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, pages 393-98
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