Heven

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling of heaven, meaning the sky or expanse above the earth ; the dwelling place of God and the blessed after death ; a condition of perfect bliss or delight
2. Old form of heaven referring to the visible sky overhead ; the realm of God and the righteous in the afterlife ; any situation of extreme joy and contentment
3. Archaic variant of heaven for the firmament above ; the holy abode of the divine and the saved ; an experience of overwhelming happiness and peace

Etymology: Before the spelling "heaven" became standard, English writers often wrote "heven," a form that appears throughout Middle English manuscripts. It descends from Old English "heofon" and "heofone," which were used for the sky, the dwelling of God, and the realm of the blessed. The spelling "heaven," with its "ea," came later, and the modern pronunciation drifted away from the one the older spelling recorded. Where the Old English word itself came from is uncertain. Its close relatives in other Germanic languages, such as the Old Norse "himinn," suggest a shared ancient root for "sky" or "heaven," but scholars have not agreed on a firm reconstruction of that root. "Heven" now survives mainly as an archaic or deliberately old-fashioned spelling, found in older texts, poetry, and some religious or period writing.