sceat

[ shat ]

noun

1. a silver Anglo-Saxon coin of the 7th and 8th centuries, sometimes including an amount of gold.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sceat¹

Learned borrowing (18th century) of Old English sceat, scætt; cognate with Old Saxon skat, Old High German scaz ( German Schatz ) treasure, tribute. See scat ⁵

Example Sentences

The coin, no bigger than a 5p piece, is a sceat, minted in York.

From The Guardian

The word sceatta is by some derived from sceat, a part or portion.

From Project Gutenberg

Ruding observes that, "Whatever might have been the precise value of the sceatta, it was undoubtedly the smallest coin known among the Saxons at the latter end of the seventh century, as appears from its forming part of a proverb: Ne sceat ne scilling, From the least to the greatest."

From Project Gutenberg

Hw�t se hl�ford �a Garganus gegaderode micele menigu his in-cnihta, and �one fearr gehw�r on �am westene sohte, and �t nextan hine gemette standan uppon �am cnolle ��re healican dune, �t �nes scr�fes inngange; and he �a mid graman wear� astyred, hw� se fearr �ngenga his heorde fors�we, and gebende his bogan, and mid ge�ttrode flan hine ofsceotan wolde; ac seo ge�ttrode fl� wende ongean swilce mid windes bl�de a�rawen, and �one �e hi sceat ��rrihte ofsloh.

From Project Gutenberg

Cruda, found in Crudan sceat—Frnk.

From Project Gutenberg