hern
Corner, nook.
Noun dialectal
- Corner, nook.
- A recess beside a wide chimney-fireside.
- A corner of angular piece of land; a nook of land projecting into another district, parish, or field.
Origin
From Middle English herne, hyrne, from Old English hyrne (“corner”), from Proto-Germanic *hurnijō, *hurnijǭ (“projecting point, corner, angle”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- (“horn”). Doublet of hirn. Further related to horn.
Forms
Noun dialectal, poetic
- Heron.
- Now for Swans & Ducks, and such like Birds of the Water, it is obvious to take notice how well they are fitted for that manner of life. For those that swim, their Feet are framed for it like a pair of Oars, their Claws...
Origin
Dialectal variant of heron.
Forms
Pronoun
- Hers; her own.
Origin
From Middle English hiren, hirne, from the same source as her. The -n was added (especially in the speech of the Midlands and Southern England, starting in the 1300s) by analogy with mine and thine. (Compare ourn.) Displaced in standard speech by the -s form, hers, which see for more. Cognate with West Flemish heurn (“hern”).