Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

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ceaster

  • noun [ feminineneuter ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
ceaster, cæster, cester; ceastre; ceastre, ceaster, ceastra; f. The names of places ending in caster and -chester were probably sites of a castrum
Wright's OE grammar
§51; §72; §168; §179; §183; §370;
a fortress, built by the Romans; the Saxon word is burh, generally f. but sometimes n. vide
  • Gen. 11, 4, 5
    • .
A city, fort, castle, town; urbs, civitas, castellum
Show examples

  • Ne mæg seó ceaster beon behýd

    non potest civitas abscondi,

    • Mt. Bos. 5, 14
      • .

  • On ðære heán ceastre

    in the high city,

    • Bt. 39, 5
      • ;
    • Fox. 218, 18
      • .

  • Ðá cómon ða weardas on ða ceastre

    then the keepers came into the city,

    • Mt. Bos. 28, 11
      • .

  • Ðú in ða ceastre gong

    go thou into the city,

    • Andr. Kmbl. 1878
      • ;
    • An. 941
      • .

  • Ælla and Cissa ymbsǽton ceaster

    Ella and Cissa besieged the city,

    • Chr. 491
      • ;
    • Erl. 15, 6
      • .

  • Se Hǽlend ymbfór ealle burga and ceastra

    circuibat Iesus omnes civitates et castella,

    • Mt. Bos. 9, 35
      • .
Grammar
ceaster, ceaster; ceastres; n.
A city, etc: it is thus declined in the termination of Exan-cester, -ceaster
Show examples

  • Ymsǽton Exancester

    besieged Exeter,

    • Chr. 894
      • ;
    • Erl. 91, 9
      • ;
    • Th. 166, 30, col. 1.

  • Ymbsǽton Exanceaster,

    • Th. 167, 26, col. l, 2
      • .

  • Ðá wende he hine west wið Exanceastres

    then he turned west towards Exeter [versus Exanceaster],

    • Chr. 894
      • ;
    • Erl. 91, 10
      • ;
    • Th. 166, 31, col. 1
      • ;
    • 29, col. 2
      • ;
    • 167, 28, col. 1, col. 2
      • .

  • Se cyning hine west wende mid ðære fierde wið Exancestres

    the king turned west with the army towards Exeter,

      168, 26, col. 1; 24, col. 2; 169, 21, col. 1; 18, col. 2.
the name of a particular place, as CHESTER, CAISTOR, CASTOR, the city; hæc civitas
Show examples

  • He him sende scipon æfter, and Hugo eorl of Ceastre

    he sent ships after him, and Hugh earl of Chester,

    • Chr. 1094
      • ;
    • Erl. 230, 28: 1120
      • ;
    • Erl. 248, 8
      • .
Linked entries
v.  cæster Exan ceaster cester.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “ceaster.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/5973.

Checked: 1
Full form

Word-wheel

  • ceaster, n.

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