Definitions For Hast

Verb

{{en-archaic second-person singular of, have, lang=en}} : {{ux, en, Thou hast lovely eyes!}} : {{ux, en, Thou hast left me alone.}} : {{ux, en, Thou hast made me endless... -Ravindranath Thakur, Song Offerings, Poem 1}}

Usage notes

Hast is the original second-person singular present tense of to have and is now largely archaic, having been superseded by have. It is still however found in poetry and older works, being used both as a main verb and an auxiliary verb, and is occasionally still heard in certain regional dialects, especially in the north of England. It is perhaps most familiar to modern ears through its extensive use in the {{w, Book of Common Prayer}} of 1662 and the Authorised Version of the Bible, and in other liturgical texts derived from, or influenced by, them. It corresponds to the familiar second-person singular present tense of to have in some other European languages.

Related terms

hadst hath has have

Alternative forms

havest {{qualifier, obsolete}}

Etymology

From Middle English hast, havest, second-person present singular form of haven, from {{inh, en, ang, hæfst}}, hafast, second-person present singular form of habban, hafian, from {{inh, en, gem-pro, *habaisi}}, second-person present singular form of *habjaną; equivalent to {{af, en, have, -est}}.. Compare German and West Frisian hast.