hæþ

See also: hæð

Old English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *haiþi. Cognate with Middle Dutch hede (Dutch hei), Old High German heida (German Heide), Old Norse heiðr, Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌸𐌹 (haiþi).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /xæːθ/, [hæːθ]

Noun

hǣþ m or n

  1. wasteland, wilderness, heath

Usage notes

  • This noun is neuter in southwest Mercian, Kentish, and West Saxon (though in the latter two dialects hǣþfeld is usual), but generally masculine elsewhere.[1]

Declension

Strong a-stem:

singular plural
nominative hǣþ hǣþ, hǣþas
accusative hǣþ hǣþ, hǣþas
genitive hǣþes hǣþa
dative hǣþe hǣþum

Descendants

  • Middle English: heth, heeth, heþ, heath, hethe, hetthe, heþe, heyth, hoth (Late Middle English)
    • English: heath
    • ⇒ Middle Scots: haithehene

References

  1. ^ Kitson, Peter (1990), “On old English nouns of more than one gender”, in English Studies, volume 71, number 3, Taylor & Francis, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 195.
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