thane
5
9.9
- noun
- /θeɪn/
- Archaic
- Outwardly seeming a most loyal thane and kinsman to his liege, Macbeth has already entertained thoughts of regicide in the previous scene and now in 1.4 greets the king.
- brave thane
Loading YouTube…
Watch on YouTubeMaybe these were those kind of men who were captured and killed by the the local Earl and his thanes.
- Maybe these were those kind of men who were captured and killed by the the local Earl and his thanes.
Examples
-
I have 14 brave thanes with me.
-
Friends, friends, kinsmen, thanes, Lords, good fellows all, eh!
-
Basically, the chief provided completely for the thane, and the thane served the chief.
Blog text (28) -
Give me a son, brave thane.
-
Do not fail me, Thane.
-
"Your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange tales."
Fiction book (1994) -
The thane of Fife had a wife.
-
Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor.
-
Thane abandoned our cause... for his own vengeful blood-lust.
-
In ancient Scotland, a thane was a man who held land and served a chief in exchange for protection.
Synonyms
6
9.9
A person in the Middle Ages who holds land from a lord and must fight for him
1
9.9
A person who holds land from a higher lord and gives it to a tenant
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word thane comes from the old English word þegn often written thegn, which meant 'servant' or 'helper'. A thane was a man who 'served' a lord and was given land for his service, so he was more important than a free man but not as high as an earl or noble.