Definitions
A noble retainer or landholder in Anglo-Saxon England or Scotland.
Word origin
From Middle English theyn, thein, þein, from Old English þæġn, þeġen, þeġn, from Proto-West Germanic *þegn (“man, warrior”), from Proto-Germanic *þegnaz (“man, warrior”), from Proto-Indo-European *teḱ- (“to give birth”); akin to Dutch degen, German Degen, Old Norse þegn and Ancient Greek τέκνον (téknon, “child”).
Used in a sentence
“Sonnes, Kinsmen, Thanes, / And you whose places are the nearest, know, / We will establish our Estate vpon / Our eldest, Malcolme, whom we name hereafter, / The Prince of Cumberland: […]”
“The little island of Iona became the refuge of the sons and some thanes of Athelfrith, banished by Edwin.”
“Never need you fear for a single thane of your sept or nation, young warriors or old.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Old noble”5 letters
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