Middle English Dictionary Entry
theinen v.
Entry Info
| Forms | theinen v. Also þeine, þeiniȝen, þenige(n, þenian, -iæen, þenin, þæinen; sg.3 þegneð, þeneð, -aþ, -æð & (error) þenad; pl. þenigeð, þeniað, -iæð, -iþ; sbj. þenigen, (error) wenien; ppl. þening, -inȝ, (infl.) þenigendan; p. þenede, -ode; pl. þeineden, þenedon, -an, þenoden; ppl. iþeinet, geðened, ȝeþenod. |
| Etymology | OE þegnian, þēnigan, -ian, LOE þeignian. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) To minister, be of service;—chiefly with dat.: minister (to sb.); provide for the needs or take care (of sb.); minister (to sb.) spiritually; also, with acc.: take care of (sb.), provide for the needs of; ben iþeinet;—also impers. [quot. a1150(OE), last, 2nd occurrence]; (b) to be an attendant or a servant; serve in the kitchen;—chiefly with dat.: serve food and drink (to sb.), wait (on sb.); be an attendant or a servant (to sb.); also, with impers. verb: ben iþeinet; þening men, serving men, attendants; þening susteres, serving nuns, those who serve in the refectory; (c) to serve God, live in obedience to God's will;—chiefly with dat.: be of service (to Christ or God), be obedient; also, with acc.: serve (God); obey (one's father); ppl. iþeinet, served.
Associated quotations
a
- a1150(OE) Vsp.D.Hom.(Vsp D.14)43/2 : Þeh heo sunderlice Johannes gemene betæht wære..heo ealle mid mycelre arwurðnysse & lufe hire þenedan.
- a1150(OE) Vsp.D.Hom.(Vsp D.14)48/30 : Swyðe god þenung is & herigendlic þæt æghwa Godes þearfen þenige & swyðer þan æwfæstan Godes þeowen.
- a1150(OE) Vsp.D.Hom.(Vsp D.14)60/9 : God afandeð ælces mannes heorte, & se þe underfohð hine mid goden wille, se byð geðened wiðinnen þurh gyfe þæs Halgen Gastes.
- a1150(OE) Vsp.D.Hom.(Vsp D.14)62/38-63/2 : Eallen Godes þearfen man sceal mid weldæden þenigen, ac þeh swyðest þan eadmedan & liðen, þe mid heora lifes þeawen Cristes bebodan geðwærieð, for þan him byð geðenod mid his þearfone þenunge.
- a1150(c1125) Vsp.D.Hom.Elucid.(Vsp D.14)141/24 : Hwu þegneð he him?
- c1175(OE) Bod.Hom.Dom.Quadr.(Bod 343)46/19 : Crist sylf fæste feowertiȝ daȝæ & feowertiȝ nihtæ þurh ðet he ofercom þone wiðerwinnæn & him sone englæs þenoden.
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)104/28 : Englæs beoð..isende to þeiniȝen allæ þam monnum.
- a1225(OE) Lamb.Hom.VA (Lamb 487)109 : Vnwurðe bið þe on elde þet him oðer men wenien [Vsp.D.Hom.VA 12/8: þenigen] þe on his ȝuheðe nule his eldian hersumian.
- a1225 Wint.Ben.Rule (Cld D.3)81/5 : Hiȝ mid hyre oferflowennesse ne ȝedrefen þa ȝe-swustre, þe heom þeniað.
- a1225 Wint.Ben.Rule (Cld D.3)81/8 : Sy þam untruman ȝeswustre synderlice an hus ȝeset & to þan anum bæteht; se þenestre, þenad [read: þe þenað] þam seoce, sy carful, God lufiende & ondredende.
- a1275(?c1150) Prov.Alf.(Trin-C B.14.39)112/370 : Ȝif þu frend bi-ȝete..loke þat þu him þeine mid alle kennes þiues.
b
- a1150(OE) Vsp.D.Hom.(Vsp D.14)48/20 : God wæs Marthen þenunge þa heo þan Ælmihtigen þenode.
- a1150(OE) Vsp.D.Hom.(Vsp D.14)49/11 : Beo þan life cwæð se Hælend þæt he deð his halgen sitten & he sylf farende heom þeneð.
- a1150(OE) Vsp.D.Hom.(Vsp D.14)123/14 : Se were wæs swyðe mære..& his bearn ferden & þenede ælc oðren [OE oðrum] mid his goden.
- a1150(c1125) Vsp.D.Hom.Fest.Virg.(Vsp D.14)15/9 : La, drihten, nis þe na gemynde þæt min suster lætt me anen þenigen?
- a1225 Wint.Ben.Rule (Cld D.3)77/22 : Be kicenan þenynȝswustren [L coquine].
- a1225 Wint.Ben.Rule (Cld D.3)81/16 : Habbe þeo abbodesse mycelene ȝeomene þæt þa untruman fram þare hordestre & þam þeningmannum ne syn forȝemeleasode.
- a1225 Wint.Ben.Rule (Cld D.3)107/22 : Ðere ricre manna eiȝe & hoȝa ȝemyneȝað þæt heomen sylfum weordlice sy ȝeþenod & wyrðmynt ȝenoh ȝeboden.
- a1225 Wint.Ben.Rule (Cld D.3)107/28 : To ȝeares face twa ȝeswustre into gyste kicenan ȝan, & þa syn swilce þe wel þenian cunnen.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)12274 : Þer weoren a þusen cnihtes bald..þat þeineden þan kingen..Þas beorn þa sunde from kuchene to þan kinge.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)12287 : A þusend hire eode biuoren, riche men and wel icoren, to þæinen þere quene and þan þat mid hire weoren.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)15367 : Brien wenden binne..Þe king him gon to þeinen mid alle his here-cnihten, þæ quene bar to drinken.
c
- a1150(OE) Vsp.D.Hom.(Vsp D.14)48/24 : Martha..geceas geswync, ac hire is þæt ætbroden, for þan þe Crist heo gebrohte to ecere reste on his rice, swa swa he behet eallen þe him þenigendan.
- a1150(OE) Vsp.D.Hom.(Vsp D.14)66/3 : For þan þe we habben sculen ure modes clænnysse on ure heorte, symle we þe Criste þenigeð on his halgen þeowdome.
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)74/16 : Þe ðe me ðenaþ, him þonne arwurðað min Fæder.
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)76/14 : On moniȝe wisum men þeniæð Criste.
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)76/18 : Swa hwa swa deð his Drihtnes willan on eniȝe wisan, he þenæð him sylfum.
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)76/21 : We sceolon faran on his weȝas, þæt is, on rihtwisnesse & soðfestnessæ simle þeniæn.
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)104/24 : Ne eac him englæs ne þenedon, ȝif he nære soð God.
- a1225(?OE) Vsp.A.Hom.(Vsp A.22)239 : Þann cumþ all his underþiede him to-fore, þer he sit..mid al þan þe..lagelice her him þenið.
- a1225(c1200) Vices & V.(1) (Stw 34)63/7 : He ðeneð his fader mid muchele luue, imaingd mid dradnesse.
- a1225(c1200) Vices & V.(1) (Stw 34)73/10 : Lieue sune..þanne ðu cumst to godes huse him to ðenin, bie wel war, and ȝarke ðine saule aȝen maniȝes kennes fandinges.
- c1225(?c1200) St.Marg.(1) (Bod 34)54/9 : Igret iwurðe godd-feader & his sune iseinet, þe hali gast iheiet, þeos þreo in an, iþeinet of engles & of eorðmen wið-uten ende.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: "Þeine," in the quot. from the Trinity text of the Proverbs of Alfred, taken here, following Skeat and Arngart, under sense (a), has been plausibly interpreted by Margaret Laing as an instance of yeinen v. (q.v.), with substitution of þ for ȝ. See "Confusion 'wrs' Confounded: Litteral Substitution Sets in Early Middle English Writing Systems," Neuophilologische Mitteilungen 100:3 (1999), 267-8.