v.
Pe pres. 3 sg. gayneʒ; Cl pres. pl. gaynes; Pat pres. 3 sg. gayneʒ, past 3 sg. gayned; WA pres. 3 sg. gaynes, pres. pl. gayn
‘to profit, be of use; suit' (Modern English )
PGmc Ancestor
*gagnjan-
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
gegna ‘to meet, pay, discharge, be fitting, signify’
(ONP gegna (vb.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
Far gegna, Icel gegna, Norw gjegna, Dan gjenne, Sw dial gena
OE Cognate
gȳnan ‘to drive’
Phonological and morphological markers
absence of palatalization of */ɡ/
Summary category
A1*
Widespread across England from early ME; MnE dial Sc. obsc.
Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus
Gaw 584, 1829; Pe 343; Cl 1608; Pat 164, 348; WA 181, 2746