Cyninges

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The possessive form of the Old English noun meaning king, used to show belonging to or associated with a king
2. An Old English genitive case form of the word for king, indicating something that belongs to a ruler
3. Old English genitive singular of the noun for king, expressing possession or relation to a monarch

Etymology: "Cyninges" is the genitive singular of Old English "cyning", meaning "king", so it is the form that English once used for "of the king" (the ending "-es" marks possession, much as modern English "'s" does). Old English "cyning" is itself a derivative of "cyn", meaning "kin" or "race", with the suffix "-ing" meaning "son of" or "descendant of". A king was, etymologically, a man of noble lineage, the one who belonged to the royal family. The word survives in modern English only as "king", which descends from the same Old English noun in its nominative form. The genitive "cyninges" itself disappeared as English lost its case endings over the centuries, leaving "of the king" and "the king's" as the modern equivalents.