Eadweard

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A male given name, the Old English spelling of Edward, borne by several English kings and nobles
2. The Anglo-Saxon form of the masculine personal name Edward, meaning rich guardian in its original roots
3. An older English spelling of the first name Edward, used in historical records and early medieval texts

Etymology: Eadweard is the Old English form of the name that later became Edward. The first element, "ead," meant "wealth" or "prosperity," and the second, "weard," meant "guardian" or "protector," so the name roughly means "rich guardian." Old English names were built this way, by joining two meaningful elements, and many were then shortened to nicknames. The name's most famous bearer is Edward the Martyr, king of the West Saxons, who was murdered in 978 and was later venerated as a saint. Another, Edward the Confessor, reigned from 1042 to 1066 and rebuilt Westminster Abbey, and he is the king the Norman Conquest followed. Their shared name shows how central it was among English royalty. After the Norman Conquest, the Old French form "Edouard" gradually displaced the Old English spelling, which is why modern English uses "Edward." The older "Eadweard" survives mainly in historical writing and in discussions of Anglo-Saxon names.