æfensteorra

Old English

FWOTD – 27 September 2017

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ēbanþsternǭ. Cognate with Old Saxon āƀandsterro, Old High German ābantsterno, Old Norse aptanstjarna. Equivalent to ǣfen (“evening”) +‎ steorra (“star”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæː.fenˌste͜or.rɑ/, [ˈæː.venˌste͜orˠ.rˠɑ]

Noun

ǣfensteorra m

1. the evening star, i.e. Venus as seen in the early evening
   • Bede, Leechdoms, III, 242:

     Sēo niht hæfþ seofon dǣlas […] Ōðer is wesperum, þæt is ǣfen, þonne sē ǣfensteorra betweox þǣre repsunge ætīewþ […]

     The night has seven parts […] Second is vesperum (i.e., evening), when the evening star appears amid the interval […]

Declension

Declension of æfensteorra (weak)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	ǣfensteorra	ǣfensteorran
accusative	ǣfensteorran	ǣfensteorran
genitive	ǣfensteorran	ǣfensteorrena
dative	ǣfensteorran	ǣfensteorrum

Descendants

• Middle English: euensterre