fæmne

Old English

Alternative forms

• fēmne

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *faimnijā (“girl”), related to (but not directly cognate with) Old Saxon fēmea, fēhmia, West Frisian faam, Icelandic feima (“maiden”). Unrelated to Latin fēmina (“female, woman”), and probably also to Latin famula (“female servant”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfæːm.ne/

Noun

fǣmne f

1. virgin
2. young woman

Usage notes

• Though this word is the normal Early West Saxon word for "virgin," the normal EWS word for "virginity" is not fǣmnhād but mæġeþhād.

Declension

Weak:

	singular	plural
nominative	fǣmne	fǣmnan
accusative	fǣmnan	fǣmnan
genitive	fǣmnan	fǣmnena
dative	fǣmnan	fǣmnum

Derived terms

• fǣmnhād (“virginity”)
• fǣmnlīċ (“virginal”)