Old English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Proto-West Germanic *þeudu.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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þēod f

  1. nation, people
    • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans
      ...on þǣm twām Ægyptum [sindon] fēower and twēntiġ þēoda.
      ...in the two Egypts, there are twenty-four peoples.
  2. language
    • 1000-1020, Wulfstan archbishop of York Homilies
      and hēo mihton sprecan on ǣghwylcere þēode ðe betwux heofonum and eorðan wǣre
      and they could speak in every language there was between heaven and earth
    Synonym: ġeþēode
  3. (poetic) (in compounds) arch-, main, great

Declension

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Strong ō-stem:

singular plural
nominative þēod þēoda, þēode
accusative þēode þēoda, þēode
genitive þēode þēoda
dative þēode þēodum

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Middle English: thede, þeode, þeod, þede, theode, thed
    • Scots: thede, theid