Hean vs Wean - What's the difference?
hean | wean |
To cease giving milk to an offspring; to accustom and reconcile (a child or young animal) to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder.
* Bible, Genesis xxi. 8
To cause to quit something to which one is addicted or habituated.
* Jonathan Swift
To cease to depend on the mother for nourishment.
To cease to depend.
(Scotland) A small child.
* 2008 , (James Kelman), Kieron Smith, Boy , Penguin 2009, p. 92:
* Elizabeth Browning
As verbs the difference between hean and wean
is that hean is to treat with contumely; insult; humiliate; debase; lower while wean is to cease giving milk to an offspring; to accustom and reconcile (a child or young animal) to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder.As an adjective hean
is mean; abject; poor; humble; lowly.As a noun wean is
a small child.hean
English
Alternative forms
* (l)Etymology 1
From (etyl) hene, from (etyl) .Derived terms
* (l)Etymology 2
From (etyl) henen, from (etyl) .wean
English
Etymology 1
(etyl) wenian.Verb
(en verb)- The cow has weaned her calf.
- Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned .
- He managed to wean himself off heroin.
- The troubles of age were intended to wean us gradually from our fondness of life.
- The kittens are finally weaning .
- She is weaning from her addiction to tobacco.
Etymology 2
.Noun
(en noun)- Pigs, cows and sheep and wee ducks, that was what he bought and it was just for weans and wee lasses. I said it to my maw.
- Oh it is not weans' it is children. Oh Kieron, it is children and girls, do not say ' weans and lasses.
- I, being but a yearling wean .