Adelstan

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The first king to rule a unified England, a 10th-century Anglo-Saxon monarch known for his victories over the Vikings and Scots
2. A 10th-century Anglo-Saxon ruler who became the first king of all England and won major battles against Viking and Scottish forces
3. Historical English king of the Wessex dynasty who reigned from 924 to 939 and is remembered as a founder of unified England

Etymology: Adelstan is the Old English name Æthelstan, meaning "noble stone" or "noble stone-like," built from "æthel" (noble) and "stan" (stone). The most famous bearer was King Æthelstan of Wessex, who reigned from 924 to 939 and is generally regarded as the first king of a unified England. Names like this were common among the Anglo-Saxon nobility, where compounds of two elements were chosen from a shared stock and recombined across generations. The name survived the Norman Conquest in a modest way, but the spelling shifted as Old English gave way to Middle English. The modern form "Adelstan" is a later anglicised version, with the "th" sound often replaced by a "d," and it remained rare in English-speaking countries for centuries. Note that this "Adelstan" is a name, not a common noun. The part of speech given is noun, which fits its use as a personal name.