thane
thane definition
thane (t̸hān)
noun
- in early England, a member of a class of freemen who held land of the king or a lord in return for military services
- in early Scotland, a person of rank, often a clan chief, who held land of the king
Etymology: ME thayne < OE thegen, akin to ON thegn < IE base *tek-, to engender, beget > Sans takman-, child: basic sense “freeborn man”
Related Forms:
- thanage than′·age (-ij) noun
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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