Meaning
4 senses(dated)To expect, hope or wish.
(Northern England, Scotland, rare)To weep or cry.
The boy's mother weened day and night.
(archaic)To suppose, imagine; to think, believe.
(obsolete)To lament.
Origin
From Middle English wenen, from Old English wēnan, from Proto-Germanic *wēnijaną. CognateFrom Middle English wenen, from Old English wēnan, from Proto-Germanic *wēnijaną. Cognate with Dutch wanen, German wähnen.
From Middle English weinen (“to wail, lament”), from Old English wānian (“to bewail, lament”), from Proto-Germanic *wainōną (“to cry, lament, grieve”). Cognate with Dutch wenen (“to weep, cry”), German weinen (“to weep, cry”), Icelandic veina (“to wail, cry out”), West Frisian weine (“to weep, cry”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
weens, weening, weened, weenedWord family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle