Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

sprecan

  • verb [ strong ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
sprecan, specan; spræc, spæc; sprǽcon, spǽcon; sprecen, specen
Wright's OE grammar
§7; §48; §80; §93; §224; §225; §278; §288; §291; §306; §310; §505;
To speak.
to exercise the faculty of speech
Show examples

  • Se dumba spræc

    ,
    • Mt. Kmbl. 9, 33.

  • Dumbe sprǽcon,

    • Mk. Skt. 7, 37.

  • Ðú byst suwiende, and ðú sprecan ne miht,

    • Lk. Skt. 1, 20.

  • Ænne lícþrowere . . . unsprecende forneán. . . . Rasilius gelǽdde hine forð wel sprecande,

    • Homl. Skt. i. 3, 489.

  • Wæs eall weoruld sprecende on án gereord,

    • Wulfst. 211, 19.

  • Geseónde dumbe specende (sprecendeMS. A.),

    • Mt. Kmbl. 15, 31.
to use words in conversation, discourse, etc.
Show examples

  • Ic ne sprece tó ðǽm, ac ic sprece tó ðé,

    • Bt. 38, 5;
    • Fox 206, 12.

  • Ic secge ðis sárspell and ymb síþ spræce,

    • Exon. Th. 458, 7;
    • Hy. 4, 96.

  • Hwæþer ic be mé sylfum spece. Se ðe be him sylfum sprycþ,

    • Jn. Skt. 7, 17, 18.

  • Nú ðú sprycst openlíce,

    • 16, 29.

  • Eorl óðerne tǽleþ behindan, spreceþ fægere beforan,

    • Frag. Kmbl. 8;
    • Leás. 5.

  • Ðá spræc se ofermóda cyning,

    • Cd. Th. 22, 9;
    • Gen. 338.

  • Hió spræc him þicce tó,

    • 43, 1;
    • Gen. 684.

  • Drihten wið Abrahame spræc,

    • 139, 2;
    • Gen. 2303.

  • Hig spǽcon (sprǽcon MS. A.) him betwýnan,

    • Lk. Skt. 24, 14.

  • Ðæt ðú ne belge wið mé, gif ic spræce. . . . Nú ic ǽne begann tó sprecanne tó mínum drihtne, ic wylle sprecan git,

    • Gen. 18, 30-31.

  • Ic eom ásend wið ðé sprecan,

    • Lk. Skt. 1, 19.

  • Ðonne hé spreocan ongan,

    • Cd. Th. 269, 25;
    • Sat. 78.
with acc.
where the object of the verb is word or a similar form
Show examples

  • Ic ðás word spræce,

    • Exon. Th. 457, 12;
    • Hy. 4, 82.

  • Ðú ða word spricest,

    • 12, 2;
    • Cri. 179.

  • Se ðe God sende sprycþ Godes word,

    • Jn. Skt. 3, 34.

  • Ðú worn fela ymb Brecan spræce,

    • Beo. Th. 1067;
    • B. 531.

  • Him ellenróf andswarode, word æfter spræc,

    • 688;
    • B. 341.

  • Ðæt gé on eárum sprǽcon,

    • Lk. Skt. 12, 3.

  • Hié fela sprǽcon sorhworda somed,

    • Cd. Th. 49, 7;
    • Gen. 788.

  • Spǽcon,

    • Ps. Th. 57, 3.

  • Gilde ǽlc ðe hit (the exculpation on oath ) ǽr sprece

    .cxx. sciłł.,
    • L. Ath. i. 13;
    • Th. i. 206, 6.

  • Warna ðæt ðú nán þing elles ne sprece, búton ðæt ic ðé bebeóde,

    • Num. 22, 35.

  • Ðis synd ða word ðe ðú scealt sprecan tó folce,

    • Ex. 19, 6.

  • Ongan hospword sprecan,

    • Andr. Kmbl. 2632;
    • An. 1317.

  • Ðæt ǽrende wæs sprecen,

    • 3242;
    • An. 1623: Beo. Th. 1290;
    • B. 643.
where the object of the verb is a word denoting the matter expressed in the words spoken
Show examples

  • Ic rǽd sprece

    I give counsel in my words,

    • Cd. Th. 115, 2;
    • Gen. 1913.

  • Ðú bysmor spycst

    blasphemas,

    • Jn. Skt. 10, 36.

  • Tunga his sprecþ dóm,

    • Ps. Spl. 36, 32.

  • Se ðe sóð spriceþ,

    • Exon. Th. 3, 9;
    • Cri. 33.

  • Hé beót spriceþ,

    • 290, 25;
    • Wand. 70.

  • Heó mé wom spreceþ,

    • 402, 22;
    • Rä. 21, 23.

  • Ða ðe sprecaþ sybbe,

    • Ps. Spl. 27, 4.

  • Hié sprecaþ fácen and inwit,

    • Cd. Th. 145, 30;
    • Gen. 2413.

  • Fela hé mé láðes spræc,

    • 39, 9;
    • Gen. 622.

  • Ðam ðe sár sprece sáwle mínre,

    • Ps. Th. 108, 20.
where the object is that which is spoken about,
to mention
Show examples

  • On swelcum cræftum swelce wé ǽr sprǽnoc,

    • Past. 9;
    • Swt. 59, 12.

  • Of ðsǽm beorgum ðe wé ǽr sprǽcon (sǽdonMS. L.),

    • Ors. 1, 1;
    • 805. 17, 44.

  • Wé gehýrdon hí sprecan Godes mǽrða mid úrum gereordum,

    • Homl. Th. i. 314, 19.
with a clause,
to say
Show examples

  • Hié sprǽcon, ðæt hit betere wǽre,

    • Ors. 2, 3;
    • Swt. 68, 8.

  • Ðá gehýrde hé sumne ðara bróþra sprecan, ðæt hé wolde féran,

    • Bd. 3, 2; S. 525, 5.
with the words that are spoken
Show examples

  • :-- Hí sáre sprecaþ 'Hwá gesyhþ úsic?'

    dixerunt, Quis videbit eos?

    • Ps. Th. 63, 4.
with a gen.
Show examples

  • Míne fýnd sprǽcon mé yfeles,

    • Ps. Th. 40, 8.
with inst.,
to speak in a language, with words
Show examples

  • Ic sprece mongum reordum,

    • Exon. Th. 390, 13;
    • Rä. 9, 1.

  • Beówulf beótwordum spræc,

    • Beo. Th. 5014;
    • B. 2510:
    • Exon, Th. 253, 24;
    • Jul. 185.

  • Hé spræc him wordum tó,

    • Ps. Th. 98, 7.

  • Hé wordum wið his Waldend spræc,

    • Cd. Th. 155, 22;
    • Gen. 2576.

  • Hé tó Noe spræc hálgan reorde,

    • 89, 19;
    • Gen. 1483.

  • Hí sprǽcon úrum gereordum,

    • Homl. Th. i. 314, 18.

  • Tó Geátum spræc mildum wordum,

    • Beo. Th. 2347;
    • B. 1171.
with prep. :--
Show examples

  • Hé mid heardre ðreá hí on spræc and hí gebétte

    aspera illos invectione corrigebat,

    • Bd. 3, 5;
    • S. 527, 11.

  • Wé sind an specende

    dicturi,

    • Wrt. Voc. ii. 28, 66.

  • On specende

    inspirans,

    • 93, 40.

  • On spæcende (swætende,Wrt.),

    • 47, 31.

  • Ongeán sprecendes,

    obloquentis

    • Ps. Spl. 43, 18. ¶
Similar entries
In technical terms, v. sprǽc,
, sprecan æfter, on, ymb
to sue for, make a claim against, lay claim to
Show examples

  • Ðæt orf ðæt ic on spece

    the cattle that I lay claim to,

    • L. O. 2;
    • Th. i. 178, 15.

  • Ágnung biþ nér ðam ðe hæfþ ðonne ðam ðe æfter sprecþ,

    • L. Eth. ii. 9;
    • Th. i. 290, 21.

  • Ða fíf hída ðe Æðelm Híga ymb spycþ. . . . Ongon Híga him specan on mid óðran onspecendan and wolde him óðflítan ðæt lond

    the five hides about which Æthelm Higa has a suit . . . Higa along with other claimants began to make a claim against him (Helmstan), and wanted to get the land from him by litigation,

    • Chart. Th. 169, 17-24.

  • Ðá spræc ic on ða mágas

    then I made a claim against the kinsmen,

    • 167, 18.

  • Hé spæc on his ágene módor æfter sumon dǽle landes,

    • 337, 4.

  • Ðá gemǽtæ hé ða swutelunga and ðǽrmid on ðæt land spæc, ongan ðá tó specenne on ðat land,

    • 302, 12.

  • Hine man tó rihte gelǽde ðám ðe him on sprǽcon (

    those that bring charges against him

    ),
    • L. Eth. i. 4;
    • Th. i. 284, 1.

  • Ðone áð ðe se gelýfan mihte ðe on sprece,

    • L. Ed. 1;
    • Th. i. 158, 18.

  • Ðæt nán man on his yrfenuman ne spece

    that no man bring an action against his heir,

    • L. Eth. iii. 14;
    • Th. i. 298, 10.

  • Ðone áð syllan, ðæt hé mid folcrihte on ðæt land sprece,

    • L. O. D. 1;
    • Th. i. 352, 13.
Etymology
[
O. Frs. spreka
O. Sax.sprek*-*an
:
O. H. Ger.sprehhan
.]
Linked entries
v.  on-spreca æfter æfter-spræc æfter-sprecan on-spreca on-swætende specan.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “sprecan.” 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/28567.

Checked: 2
Full form

Word-wheel

  • sprecan, v.

Copyright

All the data provided here are free for any purpose. If you use the data for academic purposes, we ask that you kindly cite us as your source. In case you need a large portion of the dictionary data or you need it in a specific format, let us know through the contact form, we are happy to do custom database dumps for researchers.

How to cite

You can cite the entries of the online version of the dictionary, or you can cite the scanned pages of the original paper editions.

  • To cite the online version of the dictionary, click the icon right under the entry.
  • To cite the scanned paper version of the dictionary, click the "show/hide this scanned page" link under the entry, check the scan and use the citation information right above it.