Word of the Day
Esne (EZ-nee)
Laborer
Common clues: Anglo-Saxon laborer
Crossword puzzle frequency: 2 times a year
Old English designation for a member of the lowest class: serf
"Pardon him!" exclaimed Cedric; "I will both pardon and reward him.---Kneel down, Gurth."---The swineherd was in an instant at his master's feet---"theow and esne art thou no longer," said Cedric touching him with a wand; "folkfree and sacless art thou in town and from town, in the forest as in the field. A hide of land I give to thee in my steads of Walbrugham, from me and mine to thee and thine aye and for ever; and God's malison on his head who this gainsays!"
- from chapter 32 of Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
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