fæderrice

Old English

Etymology

fæder +‎ rīċe

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfæ.derˌriː.t͡ʃe/

Noun

fæderrīċe n

1. a doubtful word of vague meaning; see below

Usage notes

• Since fæder was usually indeclinable in the singular, it is quite possible this was actually two separate words forming the phrase “father's kingdom,” with no idiomatic meaning. That would be much more straightforward than “paternal kingdom,” the usual translation given by modern academics who believe this to be a compound word. See fæderland, which is similar.

Declension

Declension of fæderrice (strong ja-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	fæderrīċe	fæderrīċu
accusative	fæderrīċe	fæderrīċu
genitive	fæderrīċes	fæderrīċa
dative	fæderrīċe	fæderrīċum

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “fæderrice”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.