thane

noun

ˈthān How to pronounce thane (audio)
1
: a free retainer of an Anglo-Saxon lord
especially : one resembling a feudal baron by holding lands of and performing military service for the king
2
: a Scottish feudal lord
thaneship
ˈthān-ˌship How to pronounce thane (audio)
noun

Examples of thane in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Rather than wait to share the witches’ paltering pronouncements with Lady M (Indira Varma) in person, the thane of Glamis chooses to send word to his wife in advance of his return from battle. — Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024 Sam Gold, the director of a revival of Macbeth, performed the role of a Scottish thane on Thursday after the actor who played that role tested positive for Covid, the New York Times reported. — Lisa Kim, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Middle English theyn, thayn (early Scots thayne, thane) "man, servant, noble holding land in exchange for service, retainer," going back to Old English þegn, þegen "servant, attendant, retainer, warrior, thane," going back to Germanic *þegna- (whence also Old Saxon thegan, degan "boy, servant, man, follower of a nobleman, warrior," Old High German, "young man, warrior, hero, member of a lord's retinue," Old Norse þegn "man, freeman, retainer, subject"), of uncertain origin

Note: The traditional etymology for this Germanic word sees it as cognate with Greek téknon "child, young of an animal" (see dystocia), thereby assuming that the meaning "boy" or "youth" is primary. The comparison has been rejected recently on the grounds that a proto-form *tek-no- would yield either *þehna- or *þekka- in Germanic (depending on the position of the accent), not *þegna-. Guus Kroonen (Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Brill, 2013) suggests a derivation from Germanic *þegjan- "to request, entreat," though it would require the sense "man owing his status to a superior, retainer" to be primary and the senses "boy, youth, man" to be secondary—a progression not usually found with semantically similar words.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of thane was before the 12th century

Rhymes for thane

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Browse Nearby Words

thanatotic
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Cite this Entry

“Thane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thane. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

thane

noun
ˈthān How to pronounce thane (audio)
1
: a man in England during the Middle Ages who received lands from the king in return for military service
2
: a lord in Scotland during the Middle Ages

Geographical Definition

Thane

geographical name

Tha·​ne ˈtä-nə How to pronounce Thane (audio)
town in the state of Maharashtra, western India, north-northeast of Mumbai population 1,841,500

More from Merriam-Webster on thane

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about thane

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