Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Old Norse spān-nȳr (new chips; fresh shavings),[1] with influence from neue.[2]

Adjective

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span-neue

  1. brand new
    • c. 1300, Havelok the Dane:
      Þe cok bigan of him to rewe, And bouthe him cloþes, al spannewe.
      The cook began to pity him, and bought him brand new clothes.

Descendants

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  • English: span-new
  • Scots: spang-new

References

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  1. ^ span-new, adj.”, in OED Online  , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
  2. ^ span-neue adj.”, in Middle English Compendium[1], 2023 December, retrieved 2024-03-26