† thesternessn.
Obsolete.
Darkness. literal and figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > darkness or absence of light > [noun]
thesternessc888
thesterc897
murkOE
theosterleykc1000
darkc1300
darkheadc1300
murknessa1325
therknessa1325
darknessc1350
tenebres1413
tenebrousa1450
obscurity1481
tenebrosity1490
obscureness1509
dern?a1513
sable?a1513
darksomeness1571
fuliginousness1576
darkishness1583
murksomeness1625
obscure1667
soot1789
tenebrity1789
nightness1839
raylessness1843
lightlessness1845
darkling1882
unlight1883
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxiv. §8 Þesternes.
c893 tr. Orosius Hist. vi. ii. §3 Wearð micel þeosternes ofer eallne middangeard.
c1000 Ags. Hom. (1889) 203 Þa com..þære nihte þysternys.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 61 Þe engles a-dun follon in to þe þosternesse hellen.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 16737 & menn ne lufenn nohht te lihht Acc lufenn þessterrnesse.
a1200 Moral Ode 277 Eure þer is vuel smech, þusternesse and eie.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 2191 Gon was þisternesse of þe nith.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1942 Ðor-quiles he slep, In ðis ðisternesse old and dep.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xvi. 160 On a thoresday in thesternesse þus was he taken.
?a1500 Chester Pl. ii. 12 Twynned shalbe throughe my mighte the lighte from Thesternes.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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