þencan

Old English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *þankijan, from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną.

Cognate with Old Frisian thenka, Old Saxon thenkian, Old Dutch thenken, Old High German denken, Old Norse þekkja, Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (þagkjan). All ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think”).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈθen.t͡ʃɑn/

Verb

þenċan

  1. to think
    Iċ þenċe, for þȳ iċ eom.
    I think, therefore I am.
    Ne magon wē þenċan þæt wē seċġan ne magon.
    We cannot think what we cannot say.
    Betere is þæt man þenċe tō swīðe þonne tō lȳt.
    It's better to think too much than too little.

Usage notes

This word refers primarily to thinking as in having thoughts. For thinking as in having an opinion, wēnan was most often used.

Conjugation
Conjugation of þenċan (weak class 1)
infinitive þenċan þenċenne
indicative mood present tense past tense
first person singular þenċe þōhte
second person singular þenċest, þencst þōhtest
third person singular þenċeþ, þencþ þōhte
plural þenċaþ þōhton
subjunctive present tense past tense
singular þenċe þōhte
plural þenċen þōhten
imperative
singular þenċ
plural þenċaþ
participle present past
þenċende (ġe)þōht

Derived terms

Descendants
  • Middle English: thinken, thenchen, thenken, thynken, thinke, think
    • English: think
    • Scots: think, thynk
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