Etymology Dictionary

YEAN, EAN,  to bring forth young.  (E.)   The new-yean’d lamb;' Beaum. and Fletcher, Faithful Shepherdess, iii. I.   Spelt ean in Shak. Merch. Ven. i. 3. 88; M. E. enen; 'Enyn, or brynge forthe kyndelyngys, Feto;' Prompt. Parv. p. 140.   The difference between ean and yean is easily explained; in the latter, the prefixed y represents the very common A. S. prefix ge-, readily added to any verb without affecting the sense; see Y-, prefix.—A. S. eánian, to ean; ge-eánian, to yean; of which the only clear trace appears to be in the expression ge-eáne eówa = the ewes great with young, Gen. xxxiii. 13.    There can be little doubt that ge-eáne is here a contracted form of ge-eácne or ge-eácene, where ge- is a mere prefix, -e is the pl. ending, and eácen signifies 'pregnant;' Grein, i. 251.   Hence the verb ge-eácnian, to be pregnant, Luke, i. 24, which would be contracted to ge-eánian, as above.   β. Moreover, eácen is the pp. of the lost strong verb eácan*, to increase, augment; the weak derivative of which was A. S. écan = mod. E. eke.   The strong form appears in Icel. auka (pt. t. jók, pp. aukinn), and in Goth. aukan (pt. t. aiauk, pp. aukans), to increase.   From Teut. base AUK = ✔WAG, to be vigorous, grow; Fick, iii. 6, i. 763.   See Eke (1).   Thus the orig. sense of yean was merely 'to be pregnant.'   Der. yean-ling, a new-born lamb; with double dimin. suffix -l-ing.