ean, v.
Forms: 1 éanian, 4 enen, enye(n, 5 enyn, 6 eane, eyne, 7– ean. (pa. pple. 4 eindyd.)
[OE. éanian = Du. dial. oonen of same meaning; Prof. Sievers considers the OTeut. type to be *aunôjan, f. *aw-jâ ewe.
The current identification with OE. éacnian to bring forth does not account for the specialized sense, and the supposed loss of the c lacks analogy.]
trans. Of ewes: To bring forth lambs, to yean. Also intr. See yean.
| a 1000 Lamb. Ps. lxxvii[i]. 70 (Bosw.) He ᵹenam hine of eowedum sceapa, fram eaniᵹendum he ᵹenam hine. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) IV. 451 An hoyffer..enyed a lomb. 1398 ― Barth. De P.R. xviii. iv. (1495) 757 Lambes whyche ben eindyd in spryngyng tyme. 1440 Promp. Parv. 140 Enyn, feto. 1555 Eden Decades W. Ind. (Arb.) 329 A lambe newly eyned. 1580 North Plutarch 582 An Ewe that had eaned a Lamb. c 1640 J. Smyth Lives Berkeleys (1883) I. 243 Eaned and nursed up such a couple of twins as the kingdome..could not parralell. 1750 W. Ellis Mod. Husbandm. IV. i. 115 (E.D.S.) When the ewe has lately eaned. 1864 in Webster. 1965 Times 18 Feb. 14/6 The..ewes who were due to ean..were driven down..to the fold. |
Hence ˈeaned ppl. a., born (of lambs); ˈeaning vbl. n., the action of bearing lambs; also attrib., as in eaning-mood, eaning-time; ˈeanling, a young lamb.
| 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. i. iii. 80 All the eanelings which were streakt and pied. 1599 Broughton's Lett. vii. 24 Your selfe-conceiuing phantasie, being euer in the eaning mood. 1661 Lovell Hist. Anim. & Min. 88 Salt is to be given to them after eaning. 1637 B. Jonson Sad Sheph. i. iv. (1640) 134 And both [ewes and rams] do feed, As either promised to increase your breed At eaning-time. 1639 G. Daniel Ecclus. xlvi. 47 When he the Ean-ling offer'd. a 1648 ― Eclog. v. 57 Dire, as y Smiting Haile to new-ean'd Lambs. |