v. (wk.)
Gaw past, pp. happed; Pat pp. happed
‘to cover; to wrap, clasp, fasten’ (Modern English hap)
PGmc Ancestor
(1) *haf-; (2) *hasp-; (3) *haft-
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
(2) cp. hespa 'fastening'; (3) hefta, hepta 'to bind, fetter, hold back, restrain'
(ONP (3) haft (sb.), hefta (vb.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
(1) Dan happe, hjappe, Sw happe, hjappe; (3) Far hefta, Icel hefta, Norw hefta, Dan hefte, Sw häfta
OE Cognate
(2) hæpse (n.) 'hasp, fastening'; (3) hæftan ‘to bind, fetter; arrest, detain, imprison; condemn’
Phonological and morphological markers
Summary category
DD1c
The overwhelming majority of MED's small number of citations (from the late 14c. onwards) are in N and E texts, with sense (1) (‘to cover over, attach by wrapping, embrace’) attested mainly in alliterative verse.
Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus
Gaw 655, 864, 1224; Cl 626; Pat 450
Gaw 1224 happe is printed haue by Madden; on the sense here see PS 1223–4n.
MED happen (v.2) , OED3 hap (v.2) , HTOED , EDD hap (v.2 and sb. 2) Dance happe; (1) Nielsen happe, Hellquist hjappe, de Vries and de Tollenaere happen, Kluge-Seebold Happen, Kroonen *happ/bōn- (1), AND haper, FEW happ-, DEAF haper (v.), OED3 hap v.3 ; (2) de Vries hespa (1), Mag hespa (1), Orel *xasp(j)ōn, AEW hæsp, hæpse, Lloyd and Lühr haspil, Kluge-Seebold Haspe; (3) de Vries hapt; hepta, hefta, Mag. haft; hefta, Bj-L. hefte, Heid. hafta-, Seebold haf-ja-, Orel *xaftan ~ *xaftaz; *xaftjanan, AEW hæft (1); hæftan