spinnen
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈspɪnə(n)/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: spin‧nen
- Rhymes: -ɪnən
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch spinnen, from Old Dutch *spinnan, from Proto-West Germanic *spinnan, from Proto-Germanic *spinnaną.
Inflection
| Conjugation of spinnen (strong class 3a) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | spinnen | |||
| past singular | spon | |||
| past participle | gesponnen | |||
| infinitive | spinnen | |||
| gerund | spinnen n | |||
| present tense | past tense | |||
| 1st person singular | spin | spon | ||
| 2nd person sing. (jij) | spint | spon | ||
| 2nd person sing. (u) | spint | spon | ||
| 2nd person sing. (gij) | spint | spont | ||
| 3rd person singular | spint | spon | ||
| plural | spinnen | sponnen | ||
| subjunctive sing.1 | spinne | sponne | ||
| subjunctive plur.1 | spinnen | sponnen | ||
| imperative sing. | spin | |||
| imperative plur.1 | spint | |||
| participles | spinnend | gesponnen | ||
| 1) Archaic. | ||||
Derived terms
- aanspinnen
- bespinnen
- verspinnen
Inflection
| Conjugation of spinnen (weak) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | spinnen | |||
| past singular | spinde | |||
| past participle | gespind | |||
| infinitive | spinnen | |||
| gerund | spinnen n | |||
| present tense | past tense | |||
| 1st person singular | spin | spinde | ||
| 2nd person sing. (jij) | spint | spinde | ||
| 2nd person sing. (u) | spint | spinde | ||
| 2nd person sing. (gij) | spint | spinde | ||
| 3rd person singular | spint | spinde | ||
| plural | spinnen | spinden | ||
| subjunctive sing.1 | spinne | spinde | ||
| subjunctive plur.1 | spinnen | spinden | ||
| imperative sing. | spin | |||
| imperative plur.1 | spint | |||
| participles | spinnend | gespind | ||
| 1) Archaic. | ||||
German
Etymology
From Middle High German spinnen, from Old High German spinnan, from Proto-West Germanic *spinnan.
Compare Low German spinnen, Dutch spinnen, English spin, Danish spinde, Swedish spinna, Gothic 𐍃𐍀𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 (spinnan).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈʃpɪnən/
Audio (file) Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɪnən
Verb
spinnen (class 3 strong or weak, third-person singular present spinnt, past tense spann or (also) sponn or (colloquial) spinnte, past participle gesponnen or (colloquial) gespinnt, past subjunctive spänne or spönne, auxiliary haben)
- (transitive or intransitive) to spin (a thread, a web, a cocoon, etc.)
- 1910, Karl May, Mein Leben und Streben:
- Die Mutter meiner Mutter scheuerte für die Leute und spann Watte.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- (transitive, figuratively) to develop, extend (a thought, story, etc.)
- (transitive, thus especially) to exaggerate (an event), to fabricate (something untrue)
- (intransitive, informal) to act or talk strangely, foolishly, (of a machine also) to malfunction
- (intransitive, informal) to be crazy, to freak out
- (intransitive, regional, of a cat) to purr
- Synonym: (the normal word) schnurren
Usage notes
- The verb is generally strong. The prescribed preterite is spann, but sponn (which avoids the homonymy with spannen) is widely attestable in edited sources.
- The weak forms spinnte, gespinnt are heard alternatively in the informal senses “be crazy, act strangely”. (The preterite spinnte is rarely met with also in other senses.)
Conjugation
| infinitive | spinnen | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| present participle | spinnend | ||||
| past participle | gesponnen gespinnt1 | ||||
| auxiliary | haben | ||||
| indicative | subjunctive | ||||
| singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
| present | ich spinne | wir spinnen | i | ich spinne | wir spinnen |
| du spinnst | ihr spinnt | du spinnest | ihr spinnet | ||
| er spinnt | sie spinnen | er spinne | sie spinnen | ||
| preterite | ich spann ich sponn ich spinnte1 |
wir spannen wir sponnen wir spinnten1 |
ii | ich spänne2 ich spönne2 |
wir spännen2 wir spönnen2 |
| du spannst du sponnst du spinntest1 |
ihr spannt ihr sponnt ihr spinntet1 |
du spännest2 du spännst2 du spönnest2 du spönnst2 |
ihr spännet2 ihr spännt2 ihr spönnet2 ihr spönnt2 | ||
| er spann er sponn er spinnte1 |
sie spannen sie sponnen sie spinnten1 |
er spänne2 er spönne2 |
sie spännen2 sie spönnen2 | ||
| imperative | spinn (du) spinne (du) |
spinnt (ihr) | |||
1Colloquial.
2Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
1Colloquial.
Derived terms
- ausspinnen
- einspinnen
- herumspinnen, rumspinnen
- umspinnen
- verspinnen
- Spinnrad
- Spinnerei
Middle Dutch
Inflection
| Strong class 3 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | spinnen | |
| 3rd sg. past | span | |
| 3rd pl. past | sponnen | |
| Past participle | gesponnen | |
| Infinitive | spinnen | |
| In genitive | spinnens | |
| In dative | spinnene | |
| Indicative | Present | Past |
| 1st singular | spinne | span |
| 2nd singular | spins, spinnes | spons, sponnes |
| 3rd singular | spint, spinnet | span |
| 1st plural | spinnen | sponnen |
| 2nd plural | spint, spinnet | spont, sponnet |
| 3rd plural | spinnen | sponnen |
| Subjunctive | Present | Past |
| 1st singular | spinne | sponne |
| 2nd singular | spins, spinnes | sponnes |
| 3rd singular | spinne | sponne |
| 1st plural | spinnen | sponnen |
| 2nd plural | spint, spinnet | sponnet |
| 3rd plural | spinnen | sponnen |
| Imperative | Present | |
| Singular | spin, spinne | |
| Plural | spint, spinnet | |
| Present | Past | |
| Participle | spinnende | gesponnen |
Further reading
- “spinnen”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “spinnen (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I
Middle English
Etymology
From Old English spinnan.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈspinən/
Verb
spinnen
- To spin or convert fibre into yarn.
- 1381 June 12, John Ball, Sermon at Blackheath:
- Whan Adam dalf, and Eve span; / Wo was thanne a gentilman?
- When Adam delved and Eve spun; / Who was a nobleman then?
- To make fabric or fabric garments out of fibre.
- To make a spiderweb or cobweb.
- To go in a hurry; to sprint.
- To select or decide a individual's fate.
- (rare) To flow forth with haste.
Conjugation
| infinitive | (to) spinnen, spinne | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| present tense | past tense | ||
| 1st-person singular | spinne | span | |
| 2nd-person singular | spinnest | spunne, spanne, span | |
| 3rd-person singular | spinneth | span | |
| subjunctive singular | spinne | spunne1, spanne1 | |
| imperative singular | — | ||
| plural2 | spinnen, spinne | spunnen, spunne, spannen, spanne | |
| imperative plural | spinneth, spinne | — | |
| participles | spinnynge, spinnende | spunnen, spunne | |
1Replaced by the indicative in later Middle English.
2Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.
Derived terms
References
- “spinnen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-25.