Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/þegnaz

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Etymology

Often compared with Ancient Greek τέκνον (téknon, “child”). Kroonen instead sees a derivation from *þigjaną (“to request, beg”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθeɣ.nɑz/

Noun

*þegnaz m

1. retainer, servant

Inflection

masculine a-stemDeclension of *þegnaz (masculine a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*þegnaz	*þegnōz, *þegnōs
vocative	*þegn	*þegnōz, *þegnōs
accusative	*þegną	*þegnanz
genitive	*þegnas, *þignis	*þegnǫ̂
dative	*þignai	*þegnamaz
instrumental	*þegnō	*þegnamiz

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *þegn
  • Old English: þeġn, þægn
    • Middle English: theyn, dain, thain, thayn, thein, þen, þein, þeyn; ðæin, þægen, þægn, þegen, þegn, þeȝn, þeign
      • English: thane
      • Scots: thane
      • → Irish: taen
    • → Medieval Latin: thainus
  • Old Saxon: thegan
  • Old Dutch: *thegen (in derivatives and compounds)
    • Middle Dutch: dēgen
      • Dutch: degen
  • Old High German: degan
    • Middle High German: dëgen
      • German: Degen
• Old Norse: þegn
  • Icelandic: þegn
  • Old Swedish: þæghn, þiæghn
    • Swedish: tegn, tägn

Further reading

• Kroonen, Guus (2013) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN