Old English · noun

mægþ

Normalised mǣġþ

Part of speech: noun, feminine
Declension: strong ō-stem
IPA: /mæːjθ/
Syllables: mæːjθ (1 syllable)
Modern English: family maegth kindred importunate ambition province tribe greed

mægþ1 · noun · feminine

Senses

family, kindred
tribe, nation, province

In ðā ilcan tīd wǣron in Ēastseaxna mǣġðe æfter Swiðhelme, bī þǣm wē ǣr beforan sǣġdon, tweġen cyningas Siġhere ⁊ Sebbe, þēah hē hēo Wulfhere Mercna cyninge underþēodde wǣren in hērnesse.

At this time there were two kings in the nation of the East-Saxons, Sighere and Sebbe, who came after Swithhelm, whom we have mentioned before, though they were subjects of Wulfhere, king of Mercia.
late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History

Declension · strong ō-stem

Declension of mægþ
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	mǣġþ	mǣġþa mǣġþe
Accusative	mǣġþe	mǣġþa mǣġþe
Genitive	mǣġþe	mǣġþa
Dative	mǣġþe	mǣġþum

mægþ2 · noun · feminine

Senses

importunate desire; ambition; greed
power, greatness

mægþ3 · noun · feminine · alternative form

Senses

alternative form of mæġeþ

Declension · consonant stem, irregular

Declension of mægþ
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	mæġþ	mæġþ
Accusative	mæġþ	mæġþ
Genitive	mæġþ	mæġþa
Dative	mæġþ	mæġþum

Etymology

From mǣġ (“a relative”) + -þ (suffix forming abstract nouns). Cognate with Old Norse mægð (“affinity by marriage”). Compare the formation of modern English kindred.

From Proto-Germanic *maigiþō (“shamelessness, wantonness, wickedness”), from *maigaz (“wicked, shameless”).

Alteration of earlier mæġeþ, with irregular syncope. See there for more.

Descendants

maegth

Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mægþ · CC BY-SA 4.0 licence · Attribution