Foughten

/ˈfɔːtən/ adjective

Definition

An archaic or dialectal past participle of 'fight,' meaning fought or engaged in battle.

Etymology

Archaic form from Old English 'feohtan.' The '-en' suffix was a common past participle ending in Germanic languages before English regularized to '-ed.' Persists in some dialects and older literature.

Kelly Says

Old English had dozens of irregular verbs with '-en' endings (like 'beaten' and 'written'), but 'foughten' lost out because 'fought' (from Old Norse influence) became the standard past tense!

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