theow

English

Etymology

From Middle English theu, thewe (“servant; one bound in service to another, serf; disciple or servant of God; created being; servant of the devil; (figuratively) servant to sin, wealth, etc.”) [and other forms],[1] from Old English þēow, þēo (“servant; slave”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *þeu (“slave”), from Proto-Germanic *þewaz, *þegwaz (“servant; slave”), from Proto-Indo-European *tekwos (“runner”), from Proto-Indo-European *tekʷ- (“to run; to flow”).[2]

cognates

Dutch dienen (“to serve”)
German dienen (“to serve”)
Gothic 𐌸𐌹𐌿𐍃 (þius, “bondman, slave; servant”)
Old English þegn (“servant; minister; vassal”)
Old High German dio (“unfree”), diu (“servant”)

Noun

theow (plural theows)

(historical) A bondman or bondwoman; a slave.
Synonym: thrall

References

“theu, n.(3)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Compare “theow | thew, n. and adj.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2021.

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.