Meanings
plural liddens
- archaicdialectalA saying, song or story.
She kept up this lidden all through breakfast, and the meal was no sooner cleared away than she slipped on a shawl and stepped across to the churchyard to discuss the robbery.
1905, Arthur Quiller-Couch, “Frenchman's Creek”, in Shakespeare's Christmas and other stories
Origin
- Old Norsehljóð“sound, clap, roar, ringing, tone, tune”
- Old Englishhlȳd
- Old Englishlēoden
- Middle Englishleden
- Englishlidden
From earlier leaden, ledden, leden, from Middle English leden, liden, lyden, from Old English lēoden, lȳden (“speech, language”), related to Scots leid (“language”). See leid. Alternative etymology derives lidden from Old English hlȳd, hlȳden (“sound, noise, clamour, din”) or Old Norse hljóð (“sound, clap, roar, ringing, tone, tune”). Compare also Old English lēoþ (“song, tune, poem”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Old Norse
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with lidden
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
lidden. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lidden
“lidden.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lidden. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lidden,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lidden.
Source: lidden on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.