thane Hear it!

thane Definition

thane (t̸hān)

noun

  1. in early England, a member of a class of freemen who held land of the king or a lord in return for military services
  2. 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”

thane Related Forms
than·age (-ij) noun
thane Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • English: At that time the English Thanes had a strong influence on the administration of the county and its courts and Sigeweard was no exception.

Browse dictionary entries near thane

  1. Thanatos
  2. thanatopsis
  3. thanatophobia
  4. thanatology
  5. thanato-
  6. than
  7. Thames
  8. thallus
  9. thallous
  10. thallophyte
  1. thank
  2. thank you
  3. thanked
  4. thankful
  5. thankfully
  6. thankfulness
  7. thanking
  8. thankless
  9. thanks
  10. thanksgiving