hæfen

See also: Häfen

Old English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈxæ.fen/, [ˈhæ.ven]

Etymology 1

As this word is only attested beginning in the 11th century and displays /a/ even in Middle English dialects where Old English /æ/ develops into /ɛ/, it is likely borrowed from Old Norse hǫfn, though inheritance from Proto-West Germanic *habanu cannot be ruled out.[1][2]

Both potential etymons are from Proto-Germanic *habnō, *habanō, itself from Proto-Indo-European *kap-.

Alternative forms

Noun

hæfen f

  1. (Late Old English) (sheltered) inlet; harbour, port[3]
Declension

Strong ō-stem:

singular plural
nominative hæfen hæfena, hæfene
accusative hæfene hæfena, hæfene
genitive hæfene hæfena
dative hæfene hæfenum
Descendants
  • Middle English: havene
    • English: haven
    • Middle Scots: havin, havyn, hawin, heavin
  • Welsh: hafn, hafan
References
  1. ^ haven, n.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.
  2. ^ Dance, Richard, Pons-Sanz, Sara, Schorn, Brittany (2019) “hauen n.”, in The Gersum Project [1], University of Cambridge, University of Cardiff, and the University of Sheffield.
  3. ^ Angus Cameron, Ashley Crandell Amos, Antonette diPaolo Healey, editors (2018), “hæfen2, hæfene”, in Dictionary of Old English: A to Le , Toronto: University of Toronto, →OCLC.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Germanic *habīniz; equivalent to habban (to have) +‎ -en (abstract deverbal suffix).

Alternative forms

Noun

hæfen f

  1. Possession; ownership [with genitive]
  2. Property, possessions.
Declension

Strong ō-stem:

singular plural
nominative hæfen hæfena, hæfene
accusative hæfene hæfena, hæfene
genitive hæfene hæfena
dative hæfene hæfenum
Descendants
References