Yeve

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An obsolete past participle of the verb give, meaning having handed something over to another person
2. Archaic form of the past participle of give, used in older English to mean bestowed or offered
3. Old past participle of give, once used in literary English for something that has been granted or presented

Etymology: Old English formed its past participle from the verb "giefan", "to give", as "gifen". In Middle English, the old prefix "ge-" weakened to "y-", so "gifen" became "yiven" and then "yeven", a form that could be spelled several ways. The Norse-influenced "given" gradually displaced it as the standard participle. The "y-" prefix also survives in other Middle English participles such as "yclept" (called) and "yclad" (clothed). Later poets, Spenser above all, revived these archaic forms deliberately to give their verse an old-fashioned sound.

Synonyms: give, grant, bestow

Antonyms: take, withhold