esne

[ez-nee, -ne]

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noun

(in Anglo-Saxon England) a member of the lowest class; laborer.

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Origin of esne

before 950; < Old English; cognate with Old High German asni, Gothic asneis day laborer, harvester, akin to asans harvest

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

serf liege slave dependent thrall beneficiary peasant subordinate varlet tenant subject helot liegeman bondman esne

Examples from the Web for esne

Historical Examples

Then to Esne to return the visit of my amiable friend, the governor; him of the flowers.
The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton
Mrs. Russell Barrington

Word Origin and History for esne

n.

Old English esne "domestic slave," from Proto-Germanic *asnjoz- "harvestman" (cf. Gothic asneis), from *asanoz- "harvest" (see earn).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper