run English · revision 2004

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=before 1121 (rennen)|origins=gem-pro *renwanan}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /rʌn/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The modern verb merges two related verbs, in both of which the first two sounds were often transposed.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) The intransitive one is [[inh|enm|rinnen]] or [[m|enm|irnen]], [[inh|ang|rinnan]] or [[m|ang|irnan|t=to run, flow]] (past tense [[m|ang|ran]], past participle [[m|ang|runnen]]),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[gem-pro|*renwanan]],^(Barnhart 1988) cognate with [[osx|rinnan]], [[goh|rinnan]] (modern [[de|rinnen|t=to flow, run]]) and [[got|𐍂𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽|tr=rinnan]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) The transitive one is [[m|enm|rennen]] or [[m|enm|ernen]], [[m|ang|ærnan|t=to ride, run to, reach]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[m|gem-pro|*rannjanan]], a causative of the same root, cognate with [[m|osx|rennian]] and [[m|goh|rennen]].^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) Both were reinforced by [[non|rinna]] and [[m|non|renna|t=to cause to run]], and Barnhart thinks the Middle English forms are mainly due to Norse influence, since they first appear in texts where it is strong.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) The vowel -u- of the present tense, rare before the 16th century, was levelled from the old past plural and past participle [[m|enm|runnen]].^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002)^(COED 2004) Watkins derives the root from [[ine-pro|*rei-|t=to run, flow]], but this is doubted, and Hoad and the SOED call it of unknown origin.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To move swiftly on foot, to hurry, and of things, to move along a course (Old English).^(Etymonline) Barnhart's earliest Middle English forms are ''rennen'' (before 1121) and ''rinnen'' and ''irnen'' (before 1200).^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Of streams, “to flow”, is late Old English, and “to flee, retreat” is from about 1200.^(Etymonline) The form ''run'' itself appears about 1325, in ''Cursor Mundi''.^(Barnhart 1988) The noun, from the verb, meant a spell of running in Chaucer (about 1390), and was spelled ''run'' only from 1450.^(Barnhart 1988) The Old English noun ''ryne'' “a flowing, a watercourse” lies behind the sense “small stream” (1580s), found mainly in northern English dialect and American English,^(Etymonline) as in ''Bull Run''.^(AHD) A ''run'' became a unit of scoring in cricket in 1746 and in baseball in 1856.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) A run on a bank is from the 1690s,^(Etymonline) “a continuous stretch” from the 1670s and ''a run of luck'' by 1714.^(Etymonline) A run of fish moving upstream is by 1820,^(Etymonline) and a run of playing cards from 1870.^(Etymonline) ''Run-of-the-mill'' refers to a mill's output before it has been sorted,^(Cresswell 2021) and ''run foul of'' and feelings ''running high'' are nautical phrases of the late 16th century.^(Cresswell 2021) Compounds include ''runaway'' (1547), ''runner-up'' (1842), ''running mate'' (1868, first of horses) and ''rundown'' (1908 in baseball, 1945 as “a summary”).^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * late Old English – of streams, to flow.^(Etymonline)

+ * before 1121 – ''rennen''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * before 1200 – ''rinnen'', ''irnen''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1200 – to flee.^(Etymonline)

+ * c. 1325 – ''runnen'' (''Cursor Mundi'').^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1390 – noun, a run (Chaucer).^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1547 – ''runaway''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1580s – ''run'', a small stream.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1640s – ''run for it''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1670s – a continuous stretch.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1690s – a run on a bank.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1746 – a run in cricket.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1842 – ''runner-up''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1856 – a run in baseball.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1870 – a run of playing cards.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To move on foot faster than walking, with both feet off the ground at each stride.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To [[flee]].^(AHD)

+ # To move or go quickly.^(AHD)

+ # Of a liquid, to [[flow]].^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)

+ # To travel over on foot at a running pace: ''run a mile''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To compete in a race, or stand as a candidate in an election.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To do by running: ''run errands''.^(AHD)

+ # To cause to move quickly.^(AHD)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A pace faster than a walk; an act of running.^(AHD)

+ # The distance covered, or the time taken, in running.^(AHD)

+ # A quick trip: ''a run to the shops''.^(AHD)

+ # A race, or a campaign for public office.^(AHD)

+ # A point scored in baseball or cricket.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # A migration of fish, especially upstream to spawn.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # A continuous series or stretch: ''a run of luck''.^(Etymonline)

+ # A sudden rush of demands, as on a bank.^(Etymonline)

+ # A small, fast stream.^(Etymonline)^(AHD)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Melted: ''run butter''.^(AHD)

+ # Exhausted from running.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[runless]]

+ * [[runnable]]

+ * [[runnability]]

+ * [[also-ran]]

+ * [[hit-and-run]]

+ * [[overrun]]

+ * [[runaround]]

+ * [[runaway]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[rennet]]

+ * [[runnel]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In the eastern United States run for a small, fast stream is typical of Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and southern Pennsylvania, while in New York State such a stream is often a kill, a Dutch borrowing.^(AHD)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}