Etymology

The ME n. heþyng is always derived from ON (thus Bj., MED, OED, McGee 398 etc.), cp. OIcel hǽðing 'scorn, mockery, ridicule', formed on the wk. v. hǽða 'to mock' (borrowed into ME as hethen). The v. was formed on the n. háð 'scorn' (< PGmc *xawiþa), which has no direct cognates attested. Kroonen derives it from the stative v. *xawēn, giving the root *xau- on which at an earlier stage an adj. *xauna- was formed (see further Heid.), cp. Go hauns 'low, humble', OE hēan 'low, despicable', OFris hāna 'low, humble', OHG hōni 'shameful'.

PGmc Ancestor

*xawiþa

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

hǽðing 'scorn, mockery, ridicule'
(ONP hǽðing (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

OE Cognate

Phonological and morphological markers

[ON fricative /ð/ < PGmc */ð/] (possibly diagnostic)

Summary category

B1c

Attestation

Both the ME n. and v. are first cited by MED and OED from Orrm; there are numerous subsequent citations from N texts.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Cl 579, 710; Pat 2; WA 1714, 1869

Bibliography

MED hēthing (n.) , OED hething (n.) , HTOED , Bj. 90, 163, de Vries hæða, Mag. hæða (2), Kroonen *hawēn- (1), Heid. hauna-