From Middle English wene, from Old English wēn, wēna (“hope, weening, expectation”), from Proto-West Germanic *wāni, from Proto-Germanic *wēniz, *wēnǭ (“hope, expectation”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to strive, love, want, reach, win”). Cognate with Dutch waan (“delusion”), Afrikaans waan (“delusion”), German Wahn (“illusion, false hope”).
From Middle English wenen, from Old English wēnan, from Proto-Germanic *wēnijaną. Cognate with Dutch wanen, German wähnen.
Meanings
(archaic) To suppose, imagine; to think, believe.
Wise men in old time would ween themselves fools; Fools now in new time will ween themselves wise. 1562, John Heywood, The proverbs, epigrams, and miscellanies of John Heywood:
And right as Arthur was on horseback there came a damosel from Morgan le Fay, and brought unto Sir Arthur a sword like unto Excalibur, and the scabbard, and said unto Arthur, Morgan le Fay sendeth here your sword for great love. And he thanked her, and weened it had been so, but she was false, for the sword and the scabbard were counterfeit, and brittle, and false.
… for I ween he will no longer suffer him to abide among the adulterous and wicked Generation of this World. 1677, Thomas Mall, A cloud of witnesses:
But neither heat, nor frost, nor thunder,
Shall wholly do away, I ween,
The marks of that which once hath been. 1816, S[amuel] T[aylor] Coleridge, “(please specify the page)”, in Christabel: Kubla Khan, a Vision: The Pains of Sleep, London: […] John Murray, […], by William Bulmer and Co. […], →OCLC:
Yet humble second shall be first, I ween 1884, W.S. Gilbert, Princess Ida:
And that junior partnership, I ween, Was the only ship that I ever had seen. 1879, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan, composer, “When I was a lad”, in H.M.S. Pinafore; […], San Francisco: Bacon & Company, […], →OCLC:
Then sayde Peter unto hym: Perissh thou and thy money togedder. For thou wenest that the gyfte of god maye be obteyned with money? 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts:
And when they will fight they will shock them together in a plump; that if there be 20000 men, men shall not ween that there be scant 10000. 1481, Author unknown (pseudonym Sir John Mandeville), The travels of Sir John Mandeville
Little ween the snug card-players in the cabin of the responsibilities of the sleepless man on the bridge. 1888–1891, Herman Melville, “[Billy Budd, Foretopman.] Chapter XVIII.”, in Billy Budd and Other Stories, London: John Lehmann, published 1951, →OCLC:
Klapaucius too, I ween,
Will turn the deepest green
To hear such flawless verse from Trurl’s machine. 1974, Stanisław Lem, translated by Michael Kandel, The Cyberiad:
From Middle English weinen (“to wail, lament”), from Old English wānian (“to bewail, lament”), from Proto-Germanic *wainōną (“to cry, lament, grieve”). Cognate with Dutch wenen (“to weep, cry”), German weinen (“to weep, cry”), Icelandic veina (“to wail, cry out”), West Frisian weine (“to weep, cry”).
Meanings
(Northern-England, Scotland, rare) To weep or cry.