Thain
/θeɪn/noun
An archaic or Scottish variant of thane, meaning a nobleman or important landholder in Anglo-Saxon or medieval Scotland.
Did you know?Shakespeare’s Macbeth is repeatedly called a thane, while Scottish sources also preserve the variant form thain.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*þegnō
“A servant, retainer, or follower”
Old English
OE
þegn
“A military retainer or noble servant of a king”
Old Norse
ON
þegn
“A free man or warrior in a ruler’s service”
Middle English
ME
thein
“A thane or feudal nobleman”
Middle Scots
Scots
thain
“A nobleman or landholder, especially in Scotland”
Modern English
English
thain
“An archaic or Scottish form of thane”