gesith means A companion to an athel or king in medieval England; a thegn; a comrade. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “gesith” is a great word
GESITH — [Noun] A sworn companion or retainer to a king or noble in early medieval England, often rewarded with land for military service. Learned borrowing from Old English ġesīþ ("companion, fellow, comrade; companion or follower of an athel or king"), from Proto-West Germanic *gasinþ, from Proto-Germanic *gasinþô ("companion, fellow traveler"). Unlike a thegn, a later, more formalized landholder with administrative duties, or an eorl, a man of high hereditary rank, a gesith was defined by the intimate, migratory bond of the war-band. He is the gold-ringed companion in the firelit hall, the mounted shadow in the lord’s retinue, the shoulder pressed in the shield-wall—the deep, human loyalty from which kingdoms were clumsily forged.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Old English ġesīþ (“companion, fellow, comrade; companion or follower of an athel or king”), from Proto-West Germanic *gasinþ, from Proto-Germanic *gasinþô.
noun
- A companion to an athel or king in medieval England; a thegn; a comrade“Beowulf the son of the noble Ecgtheow became the gesith of King Hygelac, and, when he rose to be a chieftain, had lands, treasures, and gesiths of his own [...]”