hean

• hene

• IPA^(key): /hiːn/

From Middle English hene, from Old English hēan (“lowly, despised, poor, mean, bare, abject”), from Proto-Germanic *hauniz (“low, lowly”), from Proto-Indo-European *kaw- (“to degrade, humiliate”). Cognate with German höhn (“jeering, demeaning, bad”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌽𐍃 (hauns, “contemptible, base, humble”), Dutch hoon (“scorn, insult”), Latvian kauns (“shame, disgrace, dishonour”), Ancient Greek καυνός (kaunós, “bad”).

hean (comparative more hean, superlative most hean)

1. (obsolete) Mean; abject; poor; humble; lowly.

• heanling

From Middle English henen, from Old English hīenan (“to fell, prostrate, overcome, weaken, crush, afflict, injure, oppress, abase, humble, insult, accuse, condemn”), from Proto-Germanic *haunijaną (“to humiliate”), from Proto-Indo-European *kaw- (“to degrade, humiliate”). Cognate with North Frisian huynjen (“to wound, abuse, hurt”), German höhnen (“to mock, jeer, scoff”) Swedish hån (“heckle, mocking”).

hean (third-person singular simple present heans, present participle heaning, simple past and past participle heaned)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To treat with contumely; insult; humiliate; debase; lower.

• Haen, Hane

From Proto-Germanic *hauniz, whence also the Old High German noun hōna.

• IPA^(key): /ˈhæːɑn/

hēan

1. low, mean, abject, humble
2. poor, miserable
3. humiliated; despicable

• Middle English: hene
  • English: hean