eastre

• ēastrun, ēastron, ēastru, ēoster, ēster, ēastor, ēastro

Apparently named from the dawn goddess Ēastre, from Proto-West Germanic *austrā, from Proto-Germanic *Austrǭ, from a suffixed form of Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- (“dawn”). Cognate with Old Frisian āsteron, Old High German ōstarūn (German Ostern).

• IPA^(key): /ˈæ͜ɑːs.tre/

ēastre f

1. Easter
   • The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

     An. DCCCC.LXXVII Hēr wæs þæt myċċle ġemōt æt Kyrtlingtūne ofer Ēastron, ⁊ þǣr forðferde Sidemann bisċeop, on hrǣdlīċan dēaþe on II Kƚ. Mai. Sē wæs Defnasċire bisċeop ⁊ hē wilnode þæt his līcræst sċeolde bēon æt Cridiantūne æt his bisċeopstōle.

     Year 977 In this year there was a great assembly after Easter at Kirtlington. There passed away Bishop Sideman, with a sudden death on the calends of March. He was bishop of Devonshire, and he desired that his tomb should be at his palace in Crediton.

• Often used in the plural, with no change in meaning.

• The oblique cases often show -on instead of -an. This could be from the original Germanic ending, -ōn, which became -an in all other n-stems.

Weak n-stem:

• ēasterlīċ
• ēastermōnaþ
• ēastertīd

• Middle English: Eestour, Ester, Yestre
  • English: Easter
    • → Chickasaw: Iista'
  • Scots: Easter

• Boehler, Maria. (1967) Die altenglischen Frauennamen, page 67
• Ed. Henry Sweet (1885) The oldest English texts, volume 34, pages 158-159, 611