thwaite

thwaite · noun¹

1. Old Norse · derived fromþveit“paddock”
2. Middle English · inherited from*thwait
3. English todaythwaite

Inherited from Middle English *thwait, a borrowing from Old Norse þveit (“paddock”). Compare Old Norse þveita (“to hurl”) (see whittle), Danish døjt (“¹⁄₁₆₀ of the gulden”, dialectal: “a small coin”), German Deut, Dutch duit. Cognate with Old English þwītan (“to thwite; cut; cut off”). Doublet of doit, and possibly of twat.

Thwaite · proper noun²

1. Old Norse · derived fromþveit“paddock”
2. English todayThwaite

Habitational surname from any of several small villages in England, ultimately from Old Norse þveit (“paddock”).

Words from the same roots