# theow

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A bondman or bondwoman; a slave.

## Etymology
From Middle English theu, thewe (“servant; one bound in service to another, serf; disciple or servant of God; created being; servant of the devil; (figuratively) servant to sin, wealth, etc.”) [and other forms], from Old English þēow, þēo (“servant; slave”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *þeu (“slave”), from Proto-Germanic *þewaz, *þegwaz (“servant; slave”), from Proto-Indo-European *tekwos (“runner”), from Proto-Indo-European *tekʷ- (“to run; to flow”).
Cognates
* Dutch dienen (“to serve”)
* German dienen (“to serve”)
* Gothic 𐌸𐌹𐌿𐍃 (þius, “bondman, slave; servant”)
* Old English þegn (“servant; minister; vassal”)
* Old High German dio (“unfree”), diu (“servant”)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/theow