cyne-

Middle English

Prefix

cyne-

(Early Middle English) alternative form of kine-

Old English

Alternative forms

cyn-, cine-, kyne-, kyn-
cyni- — early

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *kuni,^[1]^[2] from Proto-Germanic *kunją (“kin, family, clan”) or perhaps in some cases from Proto-Germanic *kuniz,^[3] both from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈky.ne/

Prefix

cyne-

royal, of a king
‎cyne- + ‎boren (“born”) → ‎cyneboren (“of royal birth”)

‎cyne- + ‎botl (“dwelling”) → ‎cynebotl (“royal palace”)

‎cyne- + ‎cynn (“family”) → ‎cynecynn (“royal family”)

‎cyne- + ‎ġierd (“staff”) → ‎cyneġierd (“sceptre”)

‎cyne- + ‎helm (“helmet”) → ‎cynehelm (“crown”)

‎cyne- + ‎hof (“hall”) → ‎cynehof (“king's court”)

‎cyne- + ‎rīċe (“realm”) → ‎cynerīċe (“kingdom”)

‎cyne- + ‎setl (“seat”) → ‎cynesetl (“throne”)
alternative form of cynn- (in given names)

Usage notes

As the first element of given names used interchangeably with and later broadly replaced (in both new and historic names) the cognate cynn. Compare the names of sisters-in-law Cynnburug and Cyneswiþa.

Derived terms

Old English terms prefixed with cyne-

Related terms

Descendants

Middle English: kine-, coin-, ken-, kene-, kin-, kym-, kyne-, cune-, cyne- (Early Middle English)
- (English: kindom)
- (Scots: kinrick)

References

^ Ringe, Donald, Taylor, Ann (2014) The Development of Old English (A Linguistic History of English; 2), Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 129: “The usual WGmc word for ‘king’ is OE cyning, OF kening, OS, OHG kuning < PWGmc *kuning, originally ‘leader of the clan (*kuni)’; ON konungr is clearly the same word, though its phonological shape is divergent. The OE word cynedōm, which we translate as ‘kingdom’, must originally have meant ‘jurisdiction over the clan’; it preserves in cyne- the fossilized nom.-acc. sg. *kuni, otherwise levelled out in favor of *kunʲnʲ- > cynn (see 3.1.2).”
^ Vladimir Orel (2003) “*kunja-burenaz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 224: “ON kyn-borinn 'of noble kin', OE cyne-boren 'of royal birth'”
^ Vladimir Orel (2003) “*kuniz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 224: “ON konr 'nobleman', OE cyne-helm 'crown, diadem'”

[1] Ringe, Donald, Taylor, Ann (2014) The Development of Old English (A Linguistic History of English; 2), Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 129: “The usual WGmc word for ‘king’ is OE cyning, OF kening, OS, OHG kuning < PWGmc *kuning, originally ‘leader of the clan (*kuni)’; ON konungr is clearly the same word, though its phonological shape is divergent. The OE word cynedōm, which we translate as ‘kingdom’, must originally have meant ‘jurisdiction over the clan’; it preserves in cyne- the fossilized nom.-acc. sg. *kuni, otherwise levelled out in favor of *kunʲnʲ- > cynn (see 3.1.2).”

[2] Vladimir Orel (2003) “*kunja-burenaz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 224: “ON kyn-borinn 'of noble kin', OE cyne-boren 'of royal birth'”

[3] Vladimir Orel (2003) “*kuniz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 224: “ON konr 'nobleman', OE cyne-helm 'crown, diadem'”

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