† afillv.

Etymology: Cognate with or formed similarly to Old Frisian urfulla to fulfil, Old Dutch irfullen to fill up, to fulfil (Middle Dutch ervollen ), Old Saxon afullian to fill (Middle Low German ervüllen to fill up, to fulfil), Old High German irfullen to fill up, to fulfil (Middle High German ervüllan , German erfüllen , now only in sense ‘to fulfil’), Gothic usfulljan to fulfil < the Germanic base of or- prefix (compare a- prefix¹) + the Germanic base of fill v.The Old English (West Saxon) form afiellan (for expected afyllan ) shows an inverted spelling (after the development of ie to y ); see R. M. Hogg Gram. Old Eng. (1992) I. §5.166. The form afellan apparently shows Kentish unrounding and lowering of y to e (see A. Campbell Old Eng. Gram. (1959) §288). In Middle English attested only in past participle forms, which could alternatively be interpreted as showing variants of ifilled , ifulled , etc., past participles of fill v.; compare a- prefix². Compare also (apparently with double prefixation) Old English agefyllan to fill up (one isolated attestation; < a- prefix¹ + Old English gefyllan : see fill v.):lOE Canterbury Psalter lxxx. 11 Dilata os tuum et ego adimplebo illud : gebrede mud þin & ic ægefille [MS æge fille] þęt.However, double prefixation is unlikely when both prefixes are normally unstressed (as here), and it is possible that the scribe may simply have intended to give alternative glosses (æ or ge ) for the prefix, i.e. read æfille or gefille , respectively 1st singular present indicative forms of Old English afyllan afill v. and gefyllan (see fill v.).