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Definition 2025

hean

hean

English

Alternative forms

Adjective

hean ‎(comparative more hean, superlative most hean)

  1. (obsolete) Mean; abject; poor; humble; lowly.
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle English henen, from Old English hīenan ‎(“to fell, prostrate, overcome, weaken, crush, afflict, injure, oppress, abase, humble, insult, accuse, condemn”), from Proto-Germanic *haunijaną ‎(“to humiliate”), from Proto-Indo-European *kau- ‎(“to degrade, humiliate”). Cognate with North Frisian huynjen ‎(“to wound, abuse, hurt”), German höhnen ‎(“to mock, jeer, scoff”) Swedish hån ‎(“heckle, mocking”).

Verb

hean ‎(third-person singular simple present heans, present participle heaning, simple past and past participle heaned)

  1. (transitive, obsolete) To treat with contumely; insult; humiliate; debase; lower.

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hauniz, whence also the Old High German noun hōna.

Adjective

hēan

  1. low, mean, abject, humble
  2. poor, miserable
  3. humiliated; despicable

Declension

Etymology

From Middle English hene, from Old English hēan ‎(“lowly, despised, poor, mean, bare, abject”), from Proto-Germanic *hauniz ‎(“low, lowly”), from Proto-Indo-European *kau- ‎(“to degrade, humiliate”). Cognate with German höhn ‎(“jeering, demeaning, bad”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌽𐍃 ‎(hauns, “contemptible, base, humble”), Dutch hoon ‎(“scorn, insult”), Latvian kauns ‎(“shame, disgrace, dishonour”), Ancient Greek καυνός ‎(kaunós, “bad”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈhæːɑn/

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