gescead

Old English

Alternative forms

• ġesċād

Etymology

ge- +‎ sceadan (“to distinguish, separate, decide”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jeˈʃæ͜ɑːd/, /jeˈʃɑːd/

Noun

ġesċēad n

1. reason (a reason or the faculty of reason)
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "The Octaves and Circumcision of Our Lord"

     Nū onġinþ ūre ġerīm on þissum dæġe (æfter Rōmānisċre ġesetnesse) for nānum godcundlīcum ġesċeāde, ac for þām ealdan ġewunan.

     Our calendar begins on this day (following the Roman system) not for any religious reason, but because of tradition.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "The Octaves and Circumcision of Our Lord"

     Ġif ġē willaþ æfter menniscum ġesċeāde libban, þonne sind ġē gāstlīċe ymbsnidene.

     If you choose to live your life based on human reason, you are spiritually circumcised.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "THE ANNUNCIATION OF ST. MARY."

     Hwí wolde God beon acenned of beweddodan mædene? For micclum ġescēade, and ēac for nēode.

     Why would God be born of a wedded virgin? For a great reason, and also of necessity.

2. distinction

Declension

Declension of gescead (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	ġesċēad	ġesċēad
accusative	ġesċēad	ġesċēad
genitive	ġesċēades	ġesċēada
dative	ġesċēade	ġesċēadum

Derived terms

• ġesċēadwisnes
• ġesċēaden
• ġesċēadwīs
• rihtġesċēad
• tungolġesċēad
• unġesċēad

Descendants

• Middle English: sched, schode, schede (conflated with sċeāda)
  • English: shed (dialectal shode)
  • Scots: shed

Adjective

ġesċēad

1. reasonable
2. discreet
3. calculated, fixed

Declension

Declension of ġesċēad — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ġesċēad	ġesċēad	ġesċēad
Accusative	ġesċēadne	ġesċēade	ġesċēad
Genitive	ġesċēades	ġesċēadre	ġesċēades
Dative	ġesċēadum	ġesċēadre	ġesċēadum
Instrumental	ġesċēade	ġesċēadre	ġesċēade
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ġesċēade	ġesċēada, ġesċēade	ġesċēad
Accusative	ġesċēade	ġesċēada, ġesċēade	ġesċēad
Genitive	ġesċēadra	ġesċēadra	ġesċēadra
Dative	ġesċēadum	ġesċēadum	ġesċēadum
Instrumental	ġesċēadum	ġesċēadum	ġesċēadum

Declension of ġesċēad — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ġesċēada	ġesċēade	ġesċēade
Accusative	ġesċēadan	ġesċēadan	ġesċēade
Genitive	ġesċēadan	ġesċēadan	ġesċēadan
Dative	ġesċēadan	ġesċēadan	ġesċēadan
Instrumental	ġesċēadan	ġesċēadan	ġesċēadan
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ġesċēadan	ġesċēadan	ġesċēadan
Accusative	ġesċēadan	ġesċēadan	ġesċēadan
Genitive	ġesċēadra, ġesċēadena	ġesċēadra, ġesċēadena	ġesċēadra, ġesċēadena
Dative	ġesċēadum	ġesċēadum	ġesċēadum
Instrumental	ġesċēadum	ġesċēadum	ġesċēadum

Derived terms

• ġesċēadlīċ
• ġesċēadlīċe
• unġesċēad

References

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