chesen

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old English ċēosan,[1] from Proto-West Germanic *keusan, from Proto-Germanic *keusaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵews-.

The usual variant with /eː/ shows the regular development of the Old English diphthong, while the rarer variant with /oː/ (the source of the modern form) is from a variant pronunciation in which the stress was shifted to the diphthong's second element. Compare shoten, which has similar variation between /eː/ and /oː/ after a palatal consonant.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈt͡ʃeːzən/, (especially Northwest Midland) /ˈt͡ʃoːzən/[2]

Verb

chesen

  1. To choose; to select:
    1. To elect; to choose for an office.
    2. To choose to do.
  2. To prefer; to desire.
  3. To pick up; to acquire:
    1. To adopt (an orphan)
    2. To pick out; to distinguish.
  4. To travel; to go.

Usage notes

  • Weak forms of this verb are sometimes found in northern Middle English (compare Early Modern choosed).

Conjugation

Conjugation of chesen (strong class 2)
infinitive (to) chesen, chese
present tense past tense
1st-person singular chese chees, chas
2nd-person singular chesest chose1
3rd-person singular cheseth chees, chas
subjunctive singular chese chose2
imperative singular —
plural3 chesen, chese chosen, chose
imperative plural cheseth, chese —
participles chesynge, chesende (y)chosen, (y)chose, (y)coren, (y)core

1 Later replaced by the 1st-/3rd-person singular or cheesest, chasest.
2 Later replaced by the indicative.
3 Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

  • English: choose
  • Middle Scots: ches, chese, chuis

References

  1. ^ “chẹ̄sen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 5 September 2018.
  2. ^ McIntosh, Angus; Samuels, M[ichael] L.; Benskin, Michael (2013) [1986], Michael Benskin, Margaret Laing, editors, eLALME: A Linguistic Atlas of Late Medieval English‎[1], Edinburgh: Angus McIntosh Centre for Historical Linguistics; revised 2024 November.
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