Formal classification of verbs in Germanic languages according to their pattern of conjugation. This distinction, first suggested J.Grimm, refers to the ability of strong verbs to form the preterite (past tense) stem ‘on its own’ by...

n. In certain languages, notably the Germanic languages (including English), a verb which inflects by internal vowel change, rather than by affixation: sing, sang, sung; write, wrote, written. Cf. weak...

n. In English and other Germanic languages, a verb which forms its past tense and past participle by vowel change: sing/sang/sung; write/wrote/written. Cf. weak...

In the Germanic languages, strong verbs are those which mark their past tenses by means of ablaut. In English, these are verbs like sing, sang, sung. The term "strong verb" is a translation of German "starkes Verb", which was coined by the linguist...