gewinn

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gewinn

1. singular imperative of gewinnen

gewinn

1. alternative form of iwin

• ġewin

From Proto-West Germanic *gawinn, derived from *gawinnan, from Proto-Germanic *gawinnaną. Cognate with Old Saxon giwin, Old High German giwin (modern German Gewinn (“gain”)).

• IPA^(key): /jeˈwinn/, [jeˈwin]

ġewinn n

1. war

   Ġewinn is hell, and hell nǣfre ne went.

   War is hell, and hell never changes.

   Ǣlċ mann mid ēagum on his hēafde wisse þæt ġewinn tōweard wæs.

   Everyone with eyes in his head knew that war was coming.

2. battle
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans

     On þām ġewinne, ⁊ on moneġum oþrum æfter þǣm, Hannibal ġecȳþde þone nīþ ⁊ þone hete þe hē beforan his fæder ġeswōr, þā hē nigonwintre cniht wæs, þæt hē næfre ne wurde Rōmana frēond.

     In that battle, and in many others after that, Hannibal proved the hatred and hostility that he swore before his father when he was a nine-year-old boy, that he would never become a friend of the Romans.

3. warfare
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Saint Sebastian, Martyr"

     ...ac hi þurhwunodon swa þeah on þam gewinne oð deað.

     ...but they nevertheless continued in that warfare till death.

4. conflict, struggle
5. (Anglian) labour, toil
6. gain, profit

• In the Early West Saxon of King Alfred, ġewinn was used for "war" and ġefeoht for "battle," while in the Late West Saxon of Ælfric ġefeoht was the word for both "battle" and "war."

Strong a-stem:

• Middle English: iwin, ȝewin

• gūþfana (“war banner”)
• winnan (“to wage war”)