þeowian
Old English
Alternative forms
- þēoƿian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /θeːowiɑn/
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *þewāną (“to enslave”). Cognate with Old Norse þjá (“to enslave”), Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌸𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌽 (anaþiwan, “to subjugate, make subservient”).
Verb
þēowian
- to serve (as a servant, slave, or devotee)
- fram ċildhāde Gode þēowian
- to serve God since childhood
- to enslave, reduce to servants
Usage notes
- In the senses of serving another person, the person being served is placed in the dative case.
- hlāforde þēowian ― to serve a lord(hlāford is declined in its dative form hlāforde)
Conjugation
Conjugation of þēowian (weak class 2)
| infinitive | þēowian | tō þēowienne |
|---|---|---|
| indicative | present | past |
| 1st-person singular | þēowie þēowiġe | þēowode |
| 2nd-person singular | þēowast | þēowodest |
| 3rd-person singular | þēowaþ | þēowode |
| plural | þēowiaþ þēowiġaþ | þēowodon |
| subjunctive | present | past |
| singular | þēowie þēowiġe | þēowode |
| plural | þēowien þēowiġen | þēowoden |
| imperative | ||
| singular | þēowa | |
| plural | þēowiaþ þēowiġaþ | |
| participle | present | past |
| þēowiende þēowiġende | (ġe)þēowod | |
Further reading
- þēowian in Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary