theow

T1H4E1O1W4

noun

A bondsman or -woman; a slave, especially in an Anglo-Saxon context.

Similar
theowmanthrall
OriginOld English þēow, þēo ← Proto-West Germanic *þeu ← Proto-Germanic *þewaz, *þegwaz →
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Meanings

nountheow (plural theows)

plural theows

  1. historicalA bondsman or -woman; a slave, especially in an Anglo-Saxon context.

    Synonyms: theowman, thrall

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA bondsman or -woman; a slave, especially in an Anglo-Saxon context.

Similar
theowmanthrall
Also see
theowman

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*tekʷ-“to run; to flow”
  2. Proto-Indo-European*tekwos“runner”
  3. Proto-Germanic*þewaz, *þegwaz“servant; slave”
  4. Proto-West Germanic*þeu“slave”
  5. Old Englishþēow, þēo“servant; slave”
  6. Englishtheow

Revived from Old English þēow, þēo (“servant; slave”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *þeu (“slave”), from Proto-Germanic *þewaz, *þegwaz (“servant; slave”), from Proto-Indo-European *tekwos (“runner”), from Proto-Indo-European *tekʷ- (“to run; to flow”). Cognates * Dutch dienen (“to serve”) * German dienen (“to serve”) * Gothic 𐌸𐌹𐌿𐍃 (þius, “bondsman, slave; servant”) * Old English þegn (“servant; minister; vassal”) * Old High German dio (“unfree”), diu (“servant”)

More words from Old English, Proto-West Germanic, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

tohew
Cite this entry
APA

theow. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/theow

MLA

“theow.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/theow. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “theow,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/theow.

Source: theow on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.