crincgan – Old English verb conjugation

Infinitive

crinċġan

crinċġenne

Participles

Present	crinċġende
Past	(ġe)crungen

Indicative

Subjunctive

Imperative

Singular	crinċġ
Plural	crinċġaþ

Etymology

1. Possibly just an alternative spelling of the strong verb cringan, with ⟨ncg⟩ for ⟨ng⟩ [ŋɡ]. Although the digraph ⟨cg⟩ was most frequently seen as a spelling of the palatal affricate [d͡ʒ] in Old English, there are also clear examples of it being used for the geminate velar plosive [ɡɡ], as in docga. It may have sometimes been used for [ɡ] after a nasal because this was the only context aside from gemination where the plosive [ɡ] was used in Early Old English (the letter ⟨g⟩ in most contexts represented either a velar fricative [ɣ], as in dagas, or a palatal glide [j], as in dæġes). Compare the occasional use of ⟨cg⟩ in forms ending in the suffix -ung, such as ⟨becnuncge⟩, which would not be expected to have developed [d͡ʒ].
2. Alternatively, if ⟨ncg⟩ here represented an alternative pronunciation with [nd͡ʒ], this may have developed by blending of the original strong verb Old English cringan and the original weak causative counterpart *crenġan, *crenċġan, from Proto-Germanic *kringaną and *krangijaną respectively. Compare Old Frisian krenza, krinza (“to harm”). See: Old English 'cringan', Proto-Germanic '*kringaną'.

Sample Sentences

Cognates

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