Wean vs. Ween

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Grammarist

Wean and ween are two words that are pronounced in the same fashion but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the definitions of wean and ween, where these two words came from and some examples of their use in sentences.

Wean means to acclimate an animal or child to accepting food other than its mother’s milk. Wean is also used figuratively to mean to acclimate someone to do without something that they have become dependent on. Wean is a transitive verb, which is a verb that takes an object. Related words are weans, weaned, weaning. The word wean is derived from the Old German word wanjan.

Ween means to imagine, think or suppose. Ween is an archaic word and is rarely seen except in older prose and poetry. It is an intransitive verb, which is a verb that does not take an object. Related words are weens, weened, weening. The word ween is derived from the Dutch word wanen.

Examples

Weaning during breeding season might be easier to facilitate if utilizing a synchronization protocol where calves have been already sorted off from cows. (The Capital Journal)

China’s gas consumption growth has been quickening since the start of this year after a nearly three-year lull, according to analysts, thanks to stronger demand from industrial and power sectors under a government push to wean them off their coal addiction. (Reuters)

The underlying logic is that citizens are somehow irrationally obsessed with the use of cash. and, hence, the enlightened officials in government are duty-bound to wean them off it, even if it requires administering cruel shocks like demonetisation. (The Hindu)

This year at the OSU Eastern Research Station, we looked at employing two different weaning pro-tools and compared that to the traditional way of weaning calves. (The Stillwater News Press)

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