thane
/θeɪn/ noun, proper noun
Forms thanes thegn thayn thein theine Thana
- noun (historical) A rank of nobility in pre-Norman England, roughly equivalent to baron.
- proper noun A large city and district of Maharashtra, India, part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Etymology
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”).
Transliteration of Marathi ठाणे (ṭhāṇe). Doublet of thana.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A dignitary under the Anglo-Saxons and Danes in England. Of these there were two orders, the king's thanes, who attended the kings in their courts and held lands immediately of them, and the ordinary thanes, who were lords of manors and who had particular jurisdiction within their limits. After the Conquest, this title was disused, and baron took its place.
Etymology [OE. thein, Þein, AS. Þegen, Þegn; akin to OHG. degan a follower, warrior, boy, MHG. degen a hero, G. degen hero, soldier, Icel. Þegn a thane, a freeman; probably akin to Gr. Þius servant, AS. Þeón, G. dienen to serve.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “thane”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details