|
HANG,
to suspend; to be suspended. (E.) In Mod. E. two verbs have
been mixed together. The orig. verb is intransitive, with the
pt. t. hung, pp. hung; whence the derived transitive verb,
pt. t. and pp. hanged. [So also in the case of lie, lay,
sit, set, fall, fell, the intrans. is the orig. form.] The infin.
mood follows the form of the A.S. trans. rather than of the intransitive verb,
on which account the unoriginal form will be first considered here. A.
Trans. and weak verb, pt. t. and pp. hanged. 'Born to be hanged;'
Temp. i. 1. 35. But the pt. t. is generally turned into hung,
as in 'hung their eyelids down;' 1 Hen. IV, iii. 2. 81. M.E. hangien,
hongien; also hangen, hongen. 'Honged hym after' =
he hanged himself afterwards; P. Plowman, B. i. 68; pp. hanged, id. B.
prol. 176.—A.S. hangian,
hongian, Grein, ii. 14.; the pt. t. hangode occurs in Beowulf, ed.
Grein, 2085. + Icel. hengja, to hang up (weak verb). + G. hängen
(weak verb). These are the causal forms of the strong verb
following. B. M.E. hangen, pt. t. heng (sometimes
hing), pp. hongen.
'And theron heng a broche of gold ful schene;' Chaucer, C. T. 160.
'By unces henge his lokkes that he hadde;' id. 679. The infin.
hangen is conformed to the causal and Icel. forms, the A.S. infin. being always
contracted.—A.S.
hón, to hang, intr. (contr. from hahan or hanhan); pt. t.
héng, pp. hangen;
Grein, ii. 95. + Icel. hanga, to hang, intr.; pt. t. hékk (for
héng), pp. hanginn. + Goth. hahan, pt. t. haihah (formed by reduplication), pp.
hahans. +
G. hangen, pt. t. hieng, hing, pp. gehangen. C. All these verbs are
from a European base HANH (Fick, iii. 58), corresponding to a root KANK, whence
Lat. cunctari, to hesitate, delay, and Skt. çank, to hesitate, be in
uncertainty, doubt, fear. And again, KANK is a nasalised form of
✔KAK, whence Gk.
ὀκνεῖν, to linger, be anxious, fear, standing for an older
form
κοκνεῖν. 'We must assume an Indo-European root
kak, nasalised kank, and refer
ὄκνος to
κόκνος;' Curtius, ii. 375. The orig. sense
of ✔KAK seems to be 'to be in doubt,' 'be anxious,' 'be suspended in
mind,' or simply 'to waver.' ¶ The Du.
hangen, Dan. hænge, Swed. hänga, are forms common to both trans. and intrans. senses.
Der. hang-er, (1) one who hangs, (2) a suspended sword, orig. part of a sword-belt
whence the sword was suspended, Hamlet, v. 2. 157; hanger-on, hang-ing;
hang-ings,
Tam. Shrew, ii. 351; hang-man, Meas. iv. 2. 18; hang-dog, Pope, Donne Versified,
Sat. iv. 267; also hank, q.v.; hank-er, q.v.
[†]
ADDENDA
There is a slight mistake
here. It is a remarkable fact that, contrary to the usual rule, the
A.S. hangian, though a weak verb, is intransitive; whilst hón,
the strong form, is transitive. It is due to some confusion;
for such is not the case in the cognate tongues. The Icel. hengja,
G. hängen, are weak,
but transitive; whilst Icel. hanga, G. hangen, are strong, but
intransitive. I have given the general Teutonic use correctly; the
A.S. use is exceptional.
|
