Gan imp. of Gin. Began; commenced.
Note: ☞ Gan was formerly used with the infinitive to form compound imperfects, as did is now employed. Gan regularly denotes the singular; the plural is usually denoted by gunne or gonne.
This man gan fall (=\i.e., fell) in great suspicion.\= --Chaucer.
The little coines to their play gunne hie (=\i. e., hied).\= --Chaucer.
Note: Later writers use gan both for singular and plural.
Yet at her speech their rages gan relent. --Spenser.
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Gin v. i. [imp. & p. p. Gan Gon (gŏn), or Gun (gŭn); p. pr. & vb. n. Ginning.] To begin; -- often followed by an infinitive without to; as, gan tell. See Gan. [Obs. or Archaic] “He gan to pray.”
gan
See gin
[also: ganning, ganned]
gin
n 1: strong liquor flavored with juniper berries
2: a trap for birds or small mammals; often has a noose [syn: snare,
noose]
3: a machine that separates the seeds from raw cotton fibers
[syn: cotton gin]
4: a form of rummy in which a player can go out if the cards
remaining in their hand total less than 10 points [syn: gin
rummy, knock rummy]
v 1: separate the seeds from (cotton) with a cotton gin
2: trap with a snare; "gin game"
[also: ginning, ginned, gan]