thegn

[theyn] /θeɪn/
noun
1.
thane.
Origin
1840-50; < Old English: thane
British Dictionary definitions for thegn

thane

/θeɪn/
noun
1.
(in Anglo-Saxon England) a member of an aristocratic class, ranking below an ealdorman, whose status was hereditary and who held land from the king or from another nobleman in return for certain services
2.
(in medieval Scotland)
  1. a person of rank, often the chief of a clan, holding land from the king
  2. a lesser noble who was a Crown official holding authority over an area of land
Derived Forms
thanage (ˈθeɪnɪdʒ) noun
Word Origin
Old English thegn; related to Old Saxon, Old High German thegan thane

thegn

/θeɪn/
noun
1.
a variant spelling of thane
Word Origin and History for thegn
n.

"military tenant of an Anglo-Saxon king," a modern revival first attested 1848; see thane.

Encyclopedia Article for thegn

thane

in English history before the Norman Conquest (1066), a free retainer or lord, corresponding in its various grades to the post-Conquest baron and knight. The word is extant only once in the laws before the time of King Aethelstan (d. 939).

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