Past tense of the archaic verb 'hain,' meaning to hold back, restrain, or save something.
From Middle English 'hainen,' possibly from Old Norse 'haina' or related to Old English 'hean.' The word carried meanings of preserving or keeping something protected or restrained.
This rare past tense verb reminds us that English had lots of different ways to express the idea of 'keeping' or 'holding'—but most fell away as the language consolidated its vocabulary.
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