þegn

See also: thegn and þeġn

Icelandic

Etymology

Inherited from Old Norse þegn, from Proto-Germanic *þegnaz. Cognate with English thane, German Degen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θɛkn/
• Rhymes: -ɛkn

Noun

þegn m (genitive singular þegns, nominative plural þegnar)

1. servant, subject
2. thane

Declension

Declension of þegn (masculine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	þegn	þegninn	þegnar	þegnarnir
accusative	þegn	þegninn	þegna	þegnana
dative	þegni	þegninum	þegnum	þegnunum
genitive	þegns	þegnsins	þegna	þegnanna

Middle English

Noun

þegn

1. (Early Middle English) Alternative form of theyn

Old English

Alternative forms

• þæġn, þēn

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-West Germanic *þegn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θejn/

Noun

þeġn m

1. servant
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, Lives of Saints

     Iob, sē ēadiġa and sē ānrǣda godes þeġn, wæs swa fulfremed on eallum gōdnyssum þæt god sylf cwæþ bē him þæt his ġelīċa nǣre þā on þām līfe ofer eorþan.

     Job, the prosperous and unwavering servant of god, was so perfect in all his good deeds that God Himself said that there was no one like him living on Earth.

2. (poetic) man, warrior, hero
3. officer
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Saint Sebastian, Martyr"

     Þa wurdon hi ealle þurh þæt wundor ablicgede and þæs þægnes gebedda ðe þa gebroþra heold wæs for six gearum for swiðlicre untrumnysse...

     Then they were all astonished at that miracle; and the wife of the officer, who had charge of the brothers, for six years, through a severe sickness...

Declension

Declension of þeġn (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	þeġn	þeġnas
accusative	þeġn	þeġnas
genitive	þeġnes	þeġna
dative	þeġne	þeġnum

Derived terms

• aldorðæġn
• forþþeġn
• maguþeġn
• meteþeġn
• þeġnung

 

Descendants

• Middle English: theyn, dain, thain, thayn, thein, þen, þein, þeyn, ðæin, þægen, þægn, þegen, þegn, þeȝn, þeign (Early Middle English)
  • English: thane
  • Scots: thane
  • → Irish: taen

Old Norse

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Germanic *þegnaz.

Noun

þegn m

1. thane, franklin, freeman, man
2. a good (liberal) man
3. liegeman, subject

Declension

  Declension of þegn (strong a-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	þegn	þegninn	þegnar	þegnarnir
accusative	þegn	þegninn	þegna	þegnana
dative	þegni	þegninum	þegnum	þegnunum
genitive	þegns	þegnsins	þegna	þegnanna

Derived terms

• þegngildi
• þegnskapr
• þegnskylda

 

Descendants

• Icelandic: þegn
• Old Swedish: þæghn, þiæghn
  • Swedish: tegn, tägn

References

• þegn in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, G. T. Zoëga, Clarendon Press, 1910, at Internet Archive.