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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

earthen en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈɜː(ɹ)θən/ (UK)
  • /ˈɝθən/ (US)
  • /ˈɜː(ɹ)ðən/ (UK)

Etymology

From Middle English erthen, urthen, from Old English eorþen, yrþen, ierþen (“made of earth”), from Proto-Germanic *irþīnaz. Cognate with Dutch aarden (“earthen”), German irden (“earthen”). By surface analysis, earth + -en (“made of”).

Meanings

  1. Made of earth or mud.
    • But transects have also been utilised in a large variety of arenas, including surveying the contents of Amerindian earthen mounds[.] 2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 4:
    • 1826, James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans A hundred earthen dwellings stood on the margin of the lake […]
  2. (especially, of pottery) Made of clay.
    • But, leſt theſe Reaſons ſhould be eſteemed conjectural, I ſhall farther prove, and confirm my Opinion from Martinius, who, in the Place before quoted, ſpeaks in the following Manner: "It is not without Reaſon, that the City Gnihing [translating 宜興 /宜兴 (Yíxīng)] receives that Name, which, in their Language, ſignifies the Glory of the Earth; and which was beſtowed upon it, becauſe in it are made the earthen Veſſels, uſed in diluting, and drinking their Tea. 1746, Simon Pauli, quoting Martinius, translated by Dr. James, A Treatise on Tobacco, Tea, Coffee, and Chocolate, London: T. Osborne, →OCLC, pages 149–150:
    • 1589, Richard Hakluyt, The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of The English Nation ... the Godfathers and Godmothers follow into the midst of the Church, where there is a small table ready set, and on it an earthen pot ful of warme water, […]
  3. (archaic) Earthly.
    • Will they be yours when one by one these earthen / Delights and comforts and all beauties wane? / Will they be found laid up above, illumined? 1903, Maria Lydia Winkler, From Glory to Glory; Or, The Christian's Glorious Ministry, page 228:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
more earthen Degree=Cmp lexicographic
most earthen Degree=Sup lexicographic

Deriveds

earthen mound · earthenwork · earthenware

Translations (29)

la fictilis (made of clay) · la terreus (made of earth or mud) · bg пръстен (made of earth or mud) · cy priddin (made of earth or mud) · ru гли́няный (made of clay) · de irden (made of clay) · cy pridd (made of earth or mud) · gl de arxila (made of clay) · ar فَخَرِيّ (made of clay) · cy o bridd (made of earth or mud) · ar تُرَابِيّ (made of earth or mud) · ar طِينِيّ (made of clay) · cs hliněný (made of clay) · grc χοϊκός (made of earth or mud) · ga cré (made of clay) · hy հողեղեն (made of earth or mud) · ota طوپراق (made of clay) · ota طوپراق (made of earth or mud) · got 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (made of earth or mud) · de irdisch (made of earth or mud) · ga criaga (made of clay) · got 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (made of clay) · fi savi- (made of clay) · eo tera (made of earth or mud) · nl kleien (made of clay) · ru земляно́й (made of earth or mud) · nl aarden (made of earth or mud) · ar خَزَفِيّ (made of clay) · bg глинен (made of clay)

earthen en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈɜː(ɹ)θən/ (UK)
  • /ˈɝθən/ (US)
  • /ˈɜː(ɹ)ðən/ (UK)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁er-der. Proto-Germanic *erþō Proto-West Germanic *erþu Old English eorþe Middle English erthe English earth English -en English earthen From earth + -en (“to make like”).

Meanings

  1. (transitive) to provide or add soil to
    • Their inter-tillage operations, earthening-up of some crops and tillage in orchard/gardens or plantation crops, are stated below, under special cropping system in different situations. 2017, N.R. Das, Tillage and Crop Production, 2nd Ed., page 104:
  2. (transitive) to make earthly or earthlike
    • It deadens,—or earthens—the spirit in both directions. 1919, The Improvement Era, volume 23, page 191:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
earthens Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
earthening Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
earthened Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
earthened Tense=Past lexicographic