(also rarely kyne-, kini-, cune-), the representative in early ME. of OE. cyne-, cyni-, used in numerous combs. with the sense of ‘kingly, royal,’ as cyne-bearn, -cynn, -dóm, etc., also in personal names as Cynebald, -gils, -mund, -wulf, etc., corresponding to OHG. chuni- in chunirîche, Chunipald, -per(h)t, -gund, -mund, etc. (But in OHG., combs. are usually formed with chuninc-, king, as chunincduom, -helm, -rîche, -stuol, whereas those formed with cyning- are comparatively rare in OE.: e.g., cyning-cynn, -dóm, -feorm, -stán.)
[Neither OE. cync nor OHG. chuni is found as a separate word, and two views are possible as to the exact etymology of the element; either that it is the simple stem of OTeut. *kunjo-, Goth. kuni, OE. cynn, KIN, race, in combination, or that it represents a masculine derivative of this, of form *kuni-z, equivalent to ON. konr ‘man of race, man of gentle or noble birth,’ taken also by some as the immediate source of OHG. chuning, OE. cyning, KING. For the former view, cf. the combining use of dryht, ‘people, folk, army,’ in sense ‘lordly,’ in dryht-bearn lordly or princely child, lit. child of the folk, etc.]
The following combinations of kine- are found in early ME.; few of them survived the middle of the 13th c. Kine-ærd [ERD], kingdom. Kine-be(a)rn [BAIRN], child of royal birth. Kine-bench, throne. Kine-born a., of royal birth. Kine-burh [BURGH], royal city. Kine-erþe [EARTH], kingdom. Kinehelm, -halm, crown. Kine-laverd, -loverd [LORD], royal master, king. Kinelich a., royal. Kine-lond [LAND], kingdom, realm. Kine-mede [MEED], royal reward. Kine-merk [MARK], a mark indicating royal birth. Kine-mote [MOOT], royal council or court. Kine-ring, royal ring. Kine-sæte [SEAT], throne. Kine-scrud [SHROUD], royal robes. Kine-setle [SETTLE], Kine-stol [STOOL], throne. Kine-þeod [THEDE], kingdom. Kine-worþ, -wurþ [WORTH] a., royal; hence Kine-wyrþliche adv., royally. Kine-ȝerde [YARD], sceptre, royal power. See also KINDOM, KINRIK.
c. 1205. Lay., 19433. He … letten beoden uerde ȝeond al his *kine-ærde [c. 1275 kine-erþe].
c. 1000. Andreas, 566 (Gr.). Synniʓe ne mihton oncnawan þæt *cynebearn.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 47. Seinte Marie … bar hire holie cunebern.
a. 1240. Wohunge, in Cott. Hom., 273. Kine bearn … of dauiðes kin.
c. 1205. Lay., 9693. Þus seide þe king,… þer he sæt … an his *kine-benche.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Lives Saints, ii. 326. Þa wæs on rome byriʓ sum *cyne-boren mæden.
c. 1205. Lay., 22142. Þer come þreo ibroðeren, þe weore kiniborne.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 1882. Under þis, come þe þurs Maxence … aȝein to his *kineburh.
c. 1275. *Kine-erbe [see kine-ærd].
971. Blickl. Hom., 23. Þa wundan beaʓ of þornum & hine setton on heafod for *cynehelme.
c. 1205. Lay., 6766. He his kinehelm on-feng. Ibid., 18158. Nim þu þene kinehalm.
c. 1000. in Kemble, Cod. Dipl., IV. 266. Þurh hæse his *cynehlafordes Æðelredes cynges.
c. 1205. Lay., 2501. For Locrines lufe, þe wes hire kine louerd. Ibid., 9831. Þu ært me swa leof swa mi kine-lauerd.
c. 900. trans. Bæda’s Hist., IV. xxvi[i]. (1890), 358. Seo *cynelice fæmne Alflæd.
c. 1205. Lay., 14130. Bi-tache me ænne castel oðer ane kineliche burh. Ibid., 183. He was king & heo quen, & *kine-lond heo welden. Ibid., 2523. Heo ȝef Madan an hond Al his fader kine-lond.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 399. And tu schalt … to curt cumen seoðen, and *kinemede ikepen.
c. 1300. Havelok, 604. On his rith shuldre a *kyne merk.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 1979. And te king heold ta … hise *kinemotes. Ibid., 409. He … sende iseelede writes wið his ahne *kinering.
c. 1200. Ormin, 2224. Þatt illke *kinesæte þatt Daviþþ kinng hiss faderr held.
a. 1240. Ureisun, in Cott. Hom., 193. Þu ham ȝiuest *kinescrud, beies, and gold ringes.
c. 893. K. Ælfred, Oros., III. vii. § 6. Þæt hehste *cynesetl and heafod ealles eastrices.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 45. He set o kine setle.
a. 900. Cynewulf, Crist, 1217 (Gr.). Þonne Crist siteð on his *cynestole.
c. 1205. Lay., 4517. Stille he wes iswoȝen On his kine-stole. Ibid., 22300. Arður letten beoden ȝeond al his *kine-þeoden. Ibid. (c. 1275), 11026. Þat he … his *kineworþe lond Sette Custance an hond.
c. 1320. Cast. Love, 14. Worschupe him … Þat kineworþe kyng [is] vs aboue.
a. 1225. Juliana, 62. Þus þu … of þe þreo kinges were *kinewurðliche iwurȝet.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom., II. 502. Hi to þæs caseres *cyne-ʓyrde ʓebuʓon.
c. 1200. Ormin, 8182. And himm wass sett inn hiss rihht hannd An dere kineȝerrde.
1306. Sir Simon Fraser, in Pol. Songs (Camden), 215. Hii … token him a kyne-ȝerde, so me kyng sholde, to deme.
