Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

þearfa

  • adjective
Dictionary links
Grammar
þearfa, adj.
Wright's OE grammar
§401;
destitute of, needing (with gen.)
Show examples

  • Hrægles þearfa ic wreó mé wǽda leásne,

      Cd. Th. 53, 25; Gen. 866.
  • [Goth. þarba (with gen.).]
the word is generally used substantively,
a needy, poor person
Show examples

  • Ðearfa pauper, wædla

    egenus,

      Wrt. Voc. i. 74, 21.

  • Ðá sæt ðǽr sum þearfa æt ðæm burggeate,

      Blickl. Homl. 213, 32.

  • Ðá sæt ðǽr sum blind þearfa,

      15, 16.

  • Ná ðæt án ðæt hé wolde mann beón, ac eác swylce hé wolde beón þearfa for ús,

      Homl. Th. i. 140, 10.

  • Fela sind ðearfan þurh hafenleáste ... Sind óðre ðearfan on gáste ... on ðás wísan wæs Abraham ðearfa, and Dauid, se ðe hine sylfne geswutelode þearfan on gáste, þus cweðende: 'Ic eom wædla and þearfa.' Ða módigan rícan ne beóþ þearfan ne þurh hafenleáste ne on gáste,

      550, 2-11.

  • Nafa ðú nánes þearfan wedd mid ðé nihtlangne fyrst,

      Deut. 24, 12.

  • Gefyllan ðæs þearfan wambe,

      Blickl. Homl. 39, 29.

  • Mec mon biþeahte mid þearfan wǽdum (

    with the garments of a pauper

    ),
      Exon. Th. 87, 10; Cri. 1423.

  • Se biscop nǽre miltsiende nánum Godes þearfan,

      Blickl. Homl. 45, 2.

  • Ða gástlícan þearfan (ðaerfe, Lind.)

    pauperes spiritu,

      Mt. Kmbl. 5, 3.

  • Eádige sind gé þearfan on gáste,

      Lk. Skt. 6, 20.

  • Gener ðearfena

    refugium pauperi,

      Ps. Spl. 9, 9.

  • Ðearfena and earmra manna

    inopum,

      Bd. 3, 6; S. 528, 17.

  • Ic sylle ðearfum (

    pauperibus

    ) healfe míne ǽhta,
      Lk. Skt. 19, 8.

  • Syllan þearfon (

    egenis

    ),
      Jn. Skt. 12, 5.

  • Him gebyrode tó ðám þearfon (ðorfum,

      Lind.: ðarfum, Rush.), 12, 6.

  • Ðæt hé dǽlde þearfum and wædlum,

      Homl. Skt. ii. 26, 59.

  • Þearfum

    matriculariis (matricularius a poor person supported by a church ),

      Wrt. Voc. ii. 86, 50: 57, 1.

  • Þearfum

    pauperculis, miseris,

      Hpt. Gl. 458, 13.

  • Hé démeþ fyrhte þearfan swylce hé þearfena bearn hǽleþ

    judicabit pauperes, et salvos faciet filios pauperum,

      Ps. Th. 71, 4.

  • Þearfan ic lǽrde, ðæt hié heora wædle gefeán hæfdon,

      Blickl. Homl. 185, 17.

  • Ic lǽre ge ða welegan ge þa þearfan, 107, 12. ¶ Besides enjoining almsgiving the church directly assisted the poor by assigning a certain proportion of the tithes to those whom it called

    Godes þearfan.

    Thus in general terms it is said :-- Wé willaþ myngian freónda gehwylcne, ðæt hí Godes þearfan fréfrian and fédan,
      L. Eth. vi. 46; Th. i. 326, 24;
    and in reference to tithe :-- Þridda dǽl ðare teóðunge, ðe tó circan gebyrige, gá Godes þearfum and earmum þeówetlingum, ix. 6; Th. i. 342, 9: in return the poor were exhorted to intercede for the people whose alms they received :-- Wé lǽraþ, ðæt preóstas, þonne hí ða ælmessan ðǽlan, ða þearfan georne biddan, ðæt hig for ðæt folc þingian, L. Edg. C. 56; Th. ii. 256, 11.
  • From other sources the poor derived benefit; certain fines were devoted to their use

    Gebéte hé .xxx. sciłł., and sié ðæt feoh gedǽled ðǽm þearfum, ðe on ða[m] tún[e] synd,

      L. Ath. prm.; Th. i. 198, 12.

  • Gif feohbót áríseþ, ðæt gebyreþ rihtlíce ... tó þearfena hyððe,

      L. Eth. vi. 51 ; Th. i. 328, 6.
Etymology
[Ego egenus et pauper sum, þet is: Ic em þarna and wrecche, O. E. Homl. i. 115, 8. Goth. þarba a poor person.]
Similar entries
v. ofer-, weoruld-þearfa; þorfa.
Linked entries
v.  EARM.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “þearfa.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/31564.

Checked: 0
Full form

Word-wheel

  • þearfa, adj.

Copyright

All the data provided here are free for any purpose. If you use the data for academic purposes, we ask that you kindly cite us as your source. In case you need a large portion of the dictionary data or you need it in a specific format, let us know through the contact form, we are happy to do custom database dumps for researchers.

How to cite

You can cite the entries of the online version of the dictionary, or you can cite the scanned pages of the original paper editions.

  • To cite the online version of the dictionary, click the icon right under the entry.
  • To cite the scanned paper version of the dictionary, click the "show/hide this scanned page" link under the entry, check the scan and use the citation information right above it.