doghter

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old English dohtor, from Proto-West Germanic *dohter, from Proto-Germanic *duhtēr, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰugh₂tḗr.

The West Midland plurals deghtren and deghter are probably due to the analogy of bretheren, a plural of brother (“brother”); the pattern of attestation makes analogical extension from the Old English dative singular dehter less likely.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈdɔxtər/, /ˈdɔu̯xtər/

Noun

doghter (plural doghtres or doghtren or (West Midlands) deghtren, genitive singular doghter or doghtres)

  1. A daughter; one's female offspring.
    • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎[1], published c. 1410, Matheu 10:35, page 4v, column 2; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:
      foꝛ I cam to departe a man aȝenes his fadir .· ⁊ þe douȝtir aȝenes hir modir · ⁊ þe ſones wijf aȝenes þe hoſebondis modir
      Because I came to divide a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against [her] mother-in-law.
    • late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Physician's Tale, The Canterbury Tales, line 218-220:
      ‘O dere doghter, ender of my lyf,
      Which I have fostred up with swich plesaunce,
      That thou were never out of my remembraunce!’
      ‘O dear daughter, ender of my life,
      Whom I have nurtured with such pleasure,
      That thou were never out of my thoughts!’
  2. A female descendant or heir:
    1. A female member of a nation or ethnicity.
    2. (religion) A woman influenced or mentored by someone or something.
    3. A behaviour seen as originating from someone or something.
  3. A familiar term of address used when talking to a woman.

Usage notes

  • Less commonly, the plural form doghter/doghtre may be found, especially in Early Middle English; the consonant-stem plurals deghter and deghtres are also sometimes found, especially in Northwest Midlands Middle English.

Descendants

References

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