Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

theow

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
the-ow
IPA
11
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A bondman or bondwoman; a slave.

Etymology

From Middle English theu, thewe (“servant; one bound in service to another, serf; disciple or servant of God; created being; servant of the devil; (figuratively) servant to sin, wealth, etc.”) [and other forms], 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, “bondman, slave; servant”) * Old English þegn (“servant; minister; vassal”) * Old High German dio (“unfree”), diu (“servant”)

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *tekʷ-, theu, þēow, *þeu, *þewaz, *tekwos

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Synonyms

Questions

What does theow mean?
A bondman or bondwoman; a slave.
Where does theow come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce theow

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “theow”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “theow”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “theow” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.