Taken

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈteɪ.kn̩/

Definitions

1. To possess or obtain something while also experiencing a certain emotion or condition, in addition to being selected for a specific role or function
2. To hold or acquire an item, feel a specific sentiment or state, and to be designated for a unique purpose or task
3. To have something in one's possession or control ; to experience a particular emotion or feeling ; to be assigned or occupied for a particular role or function

Etymology: The past participle of "take" has a surprise in its ancestry: "taken" is not a regular "take-ed" form but an old strong participle that English inherited, and it came into the language from Old Norse rather than from the Old English that gave us most of our everyday vocabulary. Speakers of Old English had "tacen," a form already close to the modern shape, but the Scandinavian "tekinn," brought by Norse settlers, reinforced and eventually shaped the form we use now. The verb it belongs to comes from a Proto-Germanic root meaning to grasp or touch, a sense that survives in the idea of taking hold of something. The same participle ending appears in the Scandinavian languages, where Danish and Swedish "tagen" and Icelandic "tekin" are cognates of the English word, and Scots keeps "takin" and "tane" in its own forms. These relatives show how widely the strong participle was once shared across the Germanic languages.

Synonyms: seized, captured

Antonyms: given, released