feþe

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfeː.θe/, [ˈfeː.ðe]

Noun

feþe n

1. the ability to walk or go on foot
2. motion, movement, walking
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans

     ...for þon hit is nǣdrena ġecynd þæt heora mǣġen ⁊ hiera fēþe bið on heora ribbum swā ōþerra crēopendra wyrma bið on heora fōtum.

     ...for it is the class of snakes whose movement is on their ribs, just as the motion of other creeping reptiles is with their feet.

Derived terms

• fēþelēas (“unable to walk”)
• fēþemann (“infantry”)

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “féðe”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.