clymben

== Middle English == === Alternative forms === climbe, climben, clymbe climme (Kent); clembe, clemben, cleme, clemen (Southern, Southwest Midland) clym, clyme, klymbe (especially Northern, Northwest Midland); climbenn (Ormulum) === Etymology === Inherited from Old English climban, from Proto-West Germanic *klimban, from Proto-Germanic *klimbaną. Forms with /i/ are probably attributable to expected failure of lengthening before /mb/ in many dialects, though in others it likely represents influence from verbs that lacked the conditions for lengthening (e.g. swynken) or the Old English second- and third-person singular present indicatives climbst, climbþ. Conversely, Southwest Midland forms with /ɛ/, /eː/ possibly represent conflation with an Old English *clemban, from Proto-West Germanic *klambijan, from Proto-Germanic *klambijaną, a causative formed from *klimbaną; alternatively, they may represent a dialectal development of Old English /i/ before /mb/ (compare modern dialectal cheem (“to chime”) with chymben). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈkliːm(b)ən/ IPA(key): /ˈklim(b)ən/ (especially Northern) IPA(key): /ˈkleːm(b)ən/, /ˈklɛm(b)ən/ (especially Southern, Southwest Midland) === Verb === clymben (third-person singular simple present clymbeth, present participle clymbynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative clomb, past participle clomben) To climb or scale (travel vertically or diagonally up a surface): (figurative) To ascend towards God. (figurative) To rise in societal position. (figurative) To set a goal; to aim. (figurative, rare) To surmount; to prevail. To soar or move upwards: (rare) To extend or reach upwards. ==== Conjugation ==== ==== Derived terms ==== clymbere clymbynge ==== Descendants ==== English: climb Middle Scots: clim, clym Scots: clim ==== References ==== “clī̆mben, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 10 June 2018.