Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “theign” come from?

theign (Middle English) comes from Old English þæġn, from Proto-Germanic *þegn, from Proto-Germanic þegnaz, from Proto-Indo-European teḱ- — to sire, beget.

Ancestry of “theign”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishþæġn—
2Proto-Germanic*þegn—
3Proto-Germanicþegnazretainer, servant
4Proto-Indo-Europeanteḱ-to sire, beget

Words derived from “theign”

  • thane
  • thegn
  • thegnhood
  • thanedom
  • thanage
  • thaneship
  • thaneland
  • thanehood
  • thegndom
  • thane
Every word from Proto-Indo-European teḱ- →