cwen

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Old English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From earlier cwœ̄n*kwœ̄ni*kwōni*kwą̄ni, from Proto-West Germanic *kwāni (woman, wife), from Proto-Germanic *kwēniz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn. Cognate with Old Saxon quān, Old Norse kvæn, Gothic 𐌵𐌴𐌽𐍃 (qēns). The Indo-European root is also the source of Ancient Greek γυνή (gunḗ), Proto-Slavic *žena, and Old Irish ben.

Pronunciation

Noun

cwēn f

  1. queen (a ruling female monarch or a king's wife)
    Engla cwēn
    The queen of England
  2. princess (a king's daughter)
  3. woman
  4. wife

Declension

Synonyms

  • cyninge (rare word for queen)
  • friþuwebbe (figurative/kenning, literally peace-weaver)
  • hlǣfdīġe (noble woman, lady, queen)
  • wīf (the usual word for woman/wife)

Derived terms

  • cwene (woman, wife)

Descendants