Gesceapu

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An Old English plural noun for created beings or things, also meaning fates or destinies ; the predetermined course of events that a person or thing is bound to follow ; the shape, form or inherent nature that something has
2. Old English term for creatures or made things in the plural ; the ordained lot or destiny that befalls someone ; the essential constitution or outward form of a being
3. Created things or beings in Old English, which can also signify fortunes or destinies ; the fixed portion assigned by providence ; the natural makeup or shape of an entity

Etymology: "Gesceapu" is the plural of Old English "gesceap", a neuter noun meaning a created thing, a creature, or a creation. The same noun could also describe physical form, a person's nature or condition, and the fate that had been shaped for someone, so Old English speakers could use one noun for both what a thing looked like and what it was destined to be. The noun is built from the verb "scieppan", meaning 'to shape' or 'to create', with the prefix "ge-", which often marks a completed or collective action. Modern English "shape" descends from this same noun, so the plural form belongs to the family of the English word. Modern "shape" kept the sense of physical form, but the older senses of creature and fate faded out of common use.