Ran
/ræn/noun
The simple past tense of the verb “run,” meaning moved swiftly on foot or operated during a past time.
Did you know?“Ran” preserves an ancient Germanic vowel-change pattern called ablaut, the same kind of internal vowel alternation seen in “sing–sang–sung.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reiH-
“To flow or run; a reconstructed root associated with movement like flowing water.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*rinnaną
“To run or flow.”
Old English
Old English
rinnan; rann
“To run; “rann” was the past-tense form.”
Middle English
Middle English
ran
“Past tense of “rennen” or “runnen,” increasingly resembling the modern form.”
Modern English
English
ran
“The standard simple past tense of “run.””