hlence

Old English

A man wearing chainmail

Alternative forms

• hlenċa m

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *hlanki, from Proto-Germanic *hlankiz, from earlier *hlankaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kleng-, *klenk- (“to bend; wind; twist”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxlen.t͡ʃɑ/, [ˈl̥en.t͡ʃɑ]

Noun

hlenċe f

1. a coat of mail, chain mail

Usage notes

• It is not certain whether the nominative form is hlenċe f or hlenċa m, as the word is only attested in the oblique forms as hlenċan.

Declension

Weak:

	singular	plural
nominative	hlenċe	hlenċan
accusative	hlenċan	hlenċan
genitive	hlenċan	hlenċena
dative	hlenċan	hlenċum

Related terms

• hlanc

Descendants

• Middle English: linke, lenke (merged with Old Norse *hlenkr, hlekkr)
  • English: link (see there for further descendants)
  • Scots: link