hyen

English

Etymology

From French hyène.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhaɪən/

Noun

hyen (plural hyens)

1. (obsolete) A hyena.
   • c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

     I will laugh like a hyen.

   • 1900, Edwin Markham, The Man with the Hoe, and Other Poems (poem), The Toilers:

     Their blind feet drift in the darkness, and no one is leading;
     Their toil is the pasture, where hyens and harpies are feeding

References

• “hyen”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Heyn

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English hīgian, from Proto-Germanic *hīgōną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhiːən/, /ˈhɛi̯ən/

Verb

hyen (third-person singular simple present hyeth, present participle hyende, hyynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle hyed)

1. to hie (travel at great speed or with great haste)
2. to do with haste or speedily; to do when needed
3. to do with care or fervour; to make a earnest attempt
4. to make fast; to hurry or expedite someone (including oneself)
5. (figurative) to disappear; to pass away

Conjugation

infinitive	(to) hyen, hye
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	hye	hyed
2nd-person singular	hyest	hyedest
3rd-person singular	hyeth	hyed
subjunctive singular	hye
imperative singular		—
plural1	hyen, hye	hyeden, hyede
imperative plural	hyeth, hye	—
participles	hyynge, hyende	hyed, yhyed

Conjugation of hyen (weak in -ed)

¹Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Alternative forms

• hy, hye, hyȝ, hyȝe, hyȝen, hyȝye, hyȝhen, hygh, hyghe, hyghen, heye, he, heȝe, heȝen, heyȝ, heyȝe, heyȝen, heygh, hien, hi, hie, hiȝ, hiȝe, hiȝen, hiȝie, hiȝhen, high, highe, highen, heie, heiȝ, heiȝe, heiȝen, heigh, hihe, hihen, hihi, hihin, hihȝen, heeȝen

Derived terms

• hye

Descendants

• English: hie
• Scots: hie

References

• “hīen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Noun

hyen (plural hyenen)

1. Alternative form of hyne (“household”)

Etymology 3

Adverb

hyen

1. Alternative form of henne (“hence”)

Etymology 4

Verb

hyen (third-person singular simple present hyeth, present participle hyende, hyynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle hyed)

1. Alternative form of heien (“to lift up”)