FEOH

gen. feós; dat. feó; n. I. cattle, living animals; pĕcus, jūmenta :-- Gif ðé becume óðres monnes giémeleás feoh [G and H] on hand if the stray cattle of another man come to thy hand, L. Alf. 42; Th. i. 54, 9. Feoh bútan gewitte the cattle without understanding, Salm. Kmbl. 46; Sal. 23. Wiht seó ðæt feoh fédeþ a thing which feeds the cattle, Exon. 109 a; Th. 416, 21; Rä. 35, 2. Ic sealde him gangende feoh I gave him live stock [walking cattle], Cd. 129; Th. 164, 23; Gen. 2719. II. cattle being used in early times as a medium of exchange, hence Money, value, price, hire, stipend, FEE, reward; pĕcūnia, merces :-- Næbbe gé feoh on eówrum bígyrdlum nōlīte possĭdēre pĕcūniam in zōnis, Mt. Bos. 10, 9. Se ðe his feoh to unrihtum wæstmsceatte ne syleþ qui pĕcūniam suam non dĕdit ad ūsūram, Ps. Th. 14, 6. Ðæt he him sealde wið feoh ðæt scræf ut det illi spēluncam pĕcūnia, Gen. 23, 9. Ic ðé ða fǽhþe feó leánige I will recompense thee for the strife with money, Beo. Th. 2765; B, 1380. III. as property chiefly consisted of cattle, hence Goods, property, riches, wealth; bŏna, dīvĭtiæ, ŏpes :-- His feoh onfón fremde handa dirĭpiant aliēni omnes dīvĭtias ejus, Ps. Th. 108, 11. Ne wilniaþ nánes óðres feós wish for no other riches, Bt. 14, 2; Fox 44, 22. We ðé feoh syllaþ we will give thee wealth, Cd. 130; Th. 165, 2; Gen. 2725: Ors. 2, 4; Bos.43, 22. IV. the Anglo-Saxon Rune ᚠ = f, the name of which letter in Anglo-Saxon is feoh money, wealth,-hence this Rune not only stands for the letter f, but for feoh money, as,- ᚠ [ = feoh] byþ frofur fira gehwylcum money is a consolation to every man, Runic pm. 1; Kmbl. 339, i; Hick. Thes. i. 135, 1. ᚠ [ = feoh] on foldan wealth on earth, Exon. 19 b; Th. 50, 28; Cri. 808: Elen. Grm. 1270. [Piers P. fee: Chauc. fee: Laym. feoh, feo, n: Orm. fe, fehh: Plat. vee, veih, n. cattle: O. Sax. fé, fio; Hel. fehu, n. pĕcus, ŏpes: O. Frs. fia, fya, n: Dut. vee, n: Kil. veech, vee pĕcus: Ger. vieh, n: M. H. Ger. vihe, n: O. H. Ger. fihu, n: Goth. faihu, n. cattle, goods: Dan. fæ, n: Swed. fä, n: Icel. fé, n. cattle, goods: Lat. pĕcus, n: Lith. pekus cattle: Sansk. pasu, m. cattle. 'The importance of cattle in a simple state of society early caused an intimate connection between the notion of cattle, and of money or wealth. Thus we have Lat. pĕcus cattle; pĕcūnia money; and Goth. faihu cattle, possessions, is identical with O. H. Ger. fihu, fehu; Ger. vieh cattle; Icel. fé cattle, money; A. Sax. feoh cattle, riches, money, price, reward,' Wgwd.] DER. cwic-feoh, hǽðen-, woruld-. feoh