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From Old English to… New English!. A journey into the ancestry of our beloved language. Words that Survived from Old English. Many words we use today were taken from Old English Words that were common then were much more likely to be carried through to the present
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From Old English to… New English! A journey into the ancestry of our beloved language
Words that Survived from Old English • Many words we use today were taken from Old English • Words that were common then were much more likely to be carried through to the present • For verbs, it is easiest to see if you imagine the word without its initial a- prefix and -an or -ian ending
Verbs • a-bacan - to bake • a-barian - to uncover/strip (bare oneself) • a-baernan - to cause something to burn, destroy something by fire • a-beatan - to beat, strike; to knock out (teeth) • a-belgan - to swell, make oneself larger • a-beran - to carry/bear (someone, something) • a-berstan - to burst; to break apart • a-biddan - to ask for, request, demand; to ask for (someone, something) • a-bitan - to bite, rend, tear with the teeth (someone, something) • a-blawan - (of a person) to blow, breathe out • ablawan uppan - to breathe upon • a-brecan - to break (something) apart, asunder, into pieces • a-clensian - to cleanse, free (something) from dirt or filth; to purify • a-clingan - to cling together
More Verbs • a-cursian - to curse, malign (someone) • a-dredan - to dread, fear • a-drincan - to drink • a-findan - to find, come upon by chance, discover • a-fyllan - to fill (something); to fill up, make full • a-hangian - to hang (in crucifixion) • a-metan - to measure, measure out • a-redian - to make ready, prepare, arrange (affairs, matters, etc.) • a-sincan - to sink down • a-seowan - to sew, stitch; “embroider with a needle” • a-singan - to sing (a song) through to its end (?) • a-sittan - to sit up/upright • a-spendan - to spend, spend entirely, expend (goods, wealth, etc.) • a-spinnan - to spin (thread) • a-spurnan - to cast down (one who is cast down, ruined, defeated)
Even More Verbs • A-stifian - to become stiff, rigid, unable to move; to stiffen • earnian - to earn • etan - to eat
Other Parts of Speech • abbod - Abbot, spiritual and administrative leader of a monastery • ambrosie - the plant ambrosia • baptista - baptist, one who baptizes (as title of John the Baptist) • baer - naked, unclothed (especially of the body), bare • beard - beard • bedding - bedding; bed • deaf - deaf • dea - the state of being dead (death) • dile - the herb dill • disciplin - discipline • eall - denoting the total number of entities in a group; all • eastre - Easter, Eastertide • east-wind - east wind • efen - even, equal; of a surface: even, level, flat • flint - (a kind of) hard stone or rock; used to produce flame • for - forwards in movement or direction • fyst - fist
Funny Other Parts of Speech • assa - ass, donkey (refers to either sex) • bastard - bastard, the byname of William the Conqueror • druncen - drunken, intoxicated • ear - ear (of grain), seed-bearing head or spike of cereal grass • ears - arse • earsode - having an arse (assed, i.e. half-assed)
Words that Did Not Make the Cut • Abbodesse - in phrases referring to the office of the abbess • abecede - an ABC, the alphabet • a-beteon - to reproach, accuse • a-bifian - to tremble, shake • a-blindian - to become blind (note: NOT “to blind”) • a-breotan - to kill (someone), destroy (something) • a-spillan - to kill • assen - she-ass • be-dician - to surround with a ditch or embankment • be-digling - secret place • dagian - to dawn, become day • deorfan - to work, labor • dry - magician, sorcerer, soothsayer (possible root for Druid) • ead - happiness, well-being • eft - again, another time • ell - other
Interesting Parallels (?) • A-blacian - to turn pale (of the face or body); to grow dim (of shiny things) • a-blecan - to whiten, make white • a-blissian - to make glad, please • acordan - to agree, reconcile; to come to an agreement • a-deadian - to die (of the body and its parts) • a-deafian - to grow deaf, become deaf (NOT to deafen) • a-delfan - to dig (something) • a-hwider - to any place, in any direction; anywhere • a-hwidere - to somewhere else, in another direction • a-hwistlian - to speak indistinctly • a-pyffan - to breath out, exhale (a breath) • beadu - battle, conflict • bealdnes - boldness, courage, valour • bedd-rida - bedridden, paralytic • byrθere - child-bearing woman, mother • forstig - frosty