DictionaryRoot: habban
Old English
habban
have or hold
Forms
- habban
- have — The modern form reflects changes in the consonant and endings.
- had — The past form contracted in later English.
Origin
An inherited Germanic possession verb.
Note
Its later use to build verb phrases developed from the older possession or holding sense.
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verb
have
Forms perfect tenses with a past participle.
Etymology
The possession verb developed constructions describing a completed result in one’s keeping. These became the grammatical perfect, linking a past action with a later reference point.