theow

See also: þeow

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

Noun

theow (plural theows)

  1. (historical) A bondman or bondwoman; a slave.
    Synonyms: theowman, thrall

References

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