† Judewn.

Etymology: < (i) Anglo-Norman and Old French judeu (c1000; plural judeu and judeus: see Jew n.), and perhaps partly also < its ulterior etymon (ii) classical Latin Iūdaeus (see Judaean adj.; in post-classical Latin also Iudeus (4th or 5th cent. in Augustine)). Compare earlier Judeish n. and the Germanic parallels cited at that entry, and also Jew n.The Ormulum shows variation between -ew and -eow in the ending of names which ultimately derive from Latin names in -aeus (e.g. in Helyseow vs. Helysew ‘Elisha’, Maþþeow vs. Maþþew ’Matthew’), although the precise phonological significance (if any) of this variation is unclear. With the form Iuþewess, compare forms of the ethnonym with medial /ð/ in Old English as well as in other Germanic languages, e.g. Old English (Northumbrian) Iūðēas , Old Saxon juðeo (see Judeish adj.). Such forms ultimately reflect the spirantization of intervocalic /d/ in post-classical Latin and early Romance; in French, the intervocalic fricative was subsequently elided by the 11th cent. in continental and by the early 12th cent. in insular French. Early French spellings of the word for ‘Jew’ with medial d are usually taken to reflect remodelling after classical Latin Iūdaeus , but it is conceivable that some such forms could still reflect a fricative pronunciation. Outside the Ormulum, the word is apparently attested only in the plural form Iudeus , which is formally identical with the nominative singular of post-classical Latin Judeus and could occasionally represent an uninflected plural after the Latin singular. (However, compare the form of the derivative Iudeuisse .) Compare the earlier occasional attestation of Iūdēus with Latin case inflection in Old English (chiefly as nominative plural Iūdēi : see discussion at Judeish adj.). The following apparent attestation of Old English (Northumbrian) iudeus as nominative plural probably shows either a variant form of Old English strong nominative plural Iūdēas (reflecting the weakening of the vowel of the case ending in late Northumbrian) or an erroneous expansion of the abbreviated form in the immediate source:OE (Northumbrian) Rushw. Gospels: John xix. 7 Responderunt ei iudaei, nos legem habemus : ondsworade him iudeus [OE Lindisf. iude', OE West Saxon Gospels: Corpus Cambr. iudeas] we æ habbas. Compare also the following later scribal variant Judeus , where the original apparently had the genitive of the place name Judea (see Judaean n. and adj.):a1400 Siege Jerusalem (Laud) (1932) l. 4 Pylat was prouost..& ȝewen iustice also in Judeus [c1425 Huntington Iudees] londis.