þeowian

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθe͜oː.wi.ɑn/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *þewāną (“to enslave”). Cognate with Old Norse þjá (“to enslave”), Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌸𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌽 (anaþiwan, “to subjugate, make subservient”).

Verb

þēowian

1. to serve (as a servant, slave, or devotee)

   fram ċildhāde Gode þēowian

   to serve God since childhood

2. 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	þēowienne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	þēowiġe	þēowode
second person singular	þēowast	þēowodest
third person singular	þēowaþ	þēowode
plural	þēowiaþ	þēowodon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	þēowiġe	þēowode
plural	þēowiġen	þēowoden
imperative
singular	þēowa
plural	þēowiaþ
participle	present	past
	þēowiende	(ġe)þēowod

Etymology 2

See þēowan (“to press”).

Alternative forms

• þīwian, þȳwian

Verb

þēowian

1. Synonym of þēowan (“to press”)

Conjugation

Conjugation of þēowian (weak class 2)

infinitive	þēowian	þēowienne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	þēowiġe	þēowode
second person singular	þēowast	þēowodest
third person singular	þēowaþ	þēowode
plural	þēowiaþ	þēowodon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	þēowiġe	þēowode
plural	þēowiġen	þēowoden
imperative
singular	þēowa
plural	þēowiaþ
participle	present	past
	þēowiende	(ġe)þēowod

Derived terms

• ġeþēowian

References

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