gesetnes

• ġesetednes, ġesetednys, ġesetedness, ġesetednyss
• ġesetnys

From earlier ġesetednes, equivalent to ġeseted +‎ -nes. Compare Old High German gisezzida (“establishment, regulation, order, decree”), Old High German gisezzidī (“establishment, regulation, composition, structure”), German Gesetz (“law”).

• IPA^(key): /jeˈset.nes/

ġesetnes f (nominative plural ġesetnessa)

1. constitution; law
2. decree
   • Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church

     Ġelēaffulle lǣwede menn, þe on rihtum sinsċipe lybbað, āġifað þrītigḟealdne wǣstm gōdra weorca, ġif hī heora æw̄e æfter bōclīcum ġesetnyssum healdað, þæt is, þæt hī for bearnes ġestrēone, on alyfedum tīman, hǣmed begān, and bearneacniġende wīf and mōnaðsēoc forbūgan; and ðonne hēo leng tȳman ne mæġ,̇ ġeswican hī hǣmedes.

     Faithful lay people, who live in righteous marriage, yield thirtyfold fruit of good works, if their marriage follows the biblical decrees; that is, that they have intercourse for the procreation of children at permitted times, and abstain from intercourse with pregnant or menstruating women, and that at the time they can no longer procreate, they cease intercourse.

3. ceremony; religion
4. position
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Epiphany of the Lord"

     Us is eac to witenne, þæt wæron sume gedwolmen ðe cwǽdon, þæt ælc man beo acenned be steorrena ġesetnyssum, and þurh heora ymbryna him wyrd gelimpe, and námon to fultume heora gedwylde þæt níwe steorra asprang þaþa Drihten lichamlice acenned wearð, and cwædon þæt se steorra his gewyrd wære.

     We are also to know, that there were some heretics who said, that every man is born according to the position of the stars, and that by their course his destiny befalls him, and advanced in support of their error, that a new star sprang up when the Lord was corporally born, and said that that star was his destiny.

Strong ō-stem:

• setnes

• Middle English: ȝesetnysse, isetnesse