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Nief

//niːf// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A serf or bondsman born into servitude. historical

    "That is, because the girl was his nief, or bondwoman, the daughter of one of his villains"

  2. 2
    A clenched hand; fist. Ireland, Northern-England, Scotland

    "Ake thought if ever he was walking alone on a dark-like night and Jimmy came on him, he with his bare nieves and Jimmy with a knife, he'd stand as much chance of getting home safe as a celluloid cat that had strayed into hell[…]."

  3. 3
    A handful or fistful. Ireland, Northern-England, Scotland
  4. 4
    The handgrip of a sword or oar. Ireland, Northern-England, Scotland

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Old French [Term?], from Latin nativus (“natural”). Doublet of naif and native.

Etymology 2

From Middle English neve (“the clenched hand, fist”), from Old Norse nefi, hnefi (also knefi) ("hand, fist, handful"), from Proto-Germanic *hnefô, from Proto-Indo-European *knep- (“to scrape, scratch, grind”), from Proto-Indo-European *ken- (“to scratch, scrape”). Cognate with Scots neif (“fist”), Norwegian neve, Danish næve, Swedish näve, Middle High German nevemez (“handful”).

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