Old English þegn "military follower, one who holds lands in exchange for military service," also "vassal, retainer, attendant," from Proto-Germanic *thegnas (cognates: Old Saxon thegan "follower, warrior, boy," Old Norse þegn "thane, freeman," Old High German thegan, German Degen "thane, warrior, hero"), from PIE *tek-no- (cognates: Sanskrit takman "descendant, child," Greek teknon "child"), from root *tek- "to beget, give birth to" (cognates: Greek tekos "child, the young of animals," tokos "childbirth, offspring, produce of money, interest"). Also used in Old English for "disciple of Christ." Specific sense of "man who ranks between an earl and a freeman" is late 15c.
The modern spelling is from Scottish, where early 13c. it came to mean "chief of a clan, king's baron," and it has predominated in English probably due to the influence of "Macbeth;" normal orthographic changes from Old English ðegn would have produced Modern English *thain. Some historians now use thegn to distinguish Anglo-Saxon thanes from Scottish thanes.
双语例句
1. There lived a great thane, or lord, called Macbeth.
有一个显赫的爵士, 或称贵族, 名叫麦克白.
来自辞典例句
2. They were empowered by the King to confer upon Macbeth the dignity of thane of Cawdor.
他们奉国王的命令封麦克白作考特爵士.
来自辞典例句
3. Macbeth had entertained a jealousy of Macduff, the thane of Fife.
麦克白对麦克德夫 —— 伐夫地区的大乡绅一直心存妒意.
来自互联网
4. Gordon: It is worse thane - mail spam.
莫莉: 是啊,垃圾邮件是够烦人的.
来自互联网
5. We have thane up some more flexible practice In foreign trade. this will benefit us both.
