wesan

From Proto-Germanic *wesaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes-.

wesan

1. to be

• Middle Dutch: wēsen
  • Dutch: wezen

• “wesan”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

• wosa, ƿesan

From Proto-Germanic *wesaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes-. The simple present forms originate from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (“to be”), which had no infinitive or past tense in Proto-Germanic, but had already formed a single paradigm with *wesaną supplying the infinitive and past tense.

• IPA^(key): /ˈwesɑn/, [ˈwezɑn]

wesan

1. (West Saxon) to be, exist

The verb “to be” in Old English was suppletive, and used forms from at least three different roots. There were two distinct present stems, for which wesan and bēon were the two infinitive forms. The present bēon was used to express permanent truths (the “gnomic present”), while wesan was used for the present participle and the preterite. They both shared the same past tense forms.

• sēon

• ætwesan (“to be present”)
• forewesan (“to be before”)
• gewesan (“to be together”)
• wist (“being”)

• Middle English: been (partly)
  • English: be (present am, art, are, is, past was, were, wert)
  • Scots: be (partly)

From Proto-Germanic *wōsijaną.

• IPA^(key): /ˈweːsɑn/, [ˈweːzɑn]

wēsan

1. to soak; to macerate; to dye
2. to ooze

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

• sīn (less common infinitive, but spreading)

From Proto-Germanic *wesaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes-.

wesan

1. to be, exist

• German: sein (all forms); Wesen

• sīn (rare infinitive)

From Proto-Germanic *wesaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes-. The forms in b- derive from Proto-Germanic *beuną (“to be, exist, become”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to grow, become, appear”).

wesan

1. to be

• Middle Low German: wēsen
  • Low German: wesen

    German Low German: wesen, ween

From English white sand.

wesan

1. sand

• nambis