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Anglo-Saxon

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wel

  • adverb
  • interjection
Dictionary links
Grammar
wel, well.
Wright's OE grammar
§80; §145; §556;
Grammar
wel, adv.
Well,
with verbs,
marking the success or excellence of the action of the verb
Show examples

  • Ðæt hié heora fulwihthádas wel gehealdan,

      Blickl. Homl. 109, 26.

  • Wel hearpan stirgan,

      Exon. Th. 42, 6; Cri. 668.

  • Swíþe wel ðú mín hæfst geholpen, Bt. 41, 4 ; Fox 250, 18. (a 1) well, prosperously :-- Se man wæs wel dónde on eallum þingum

    erat vir in cunctis prospere agens,

      Gen. 39, 2.
marking the rightness, fitness, etc. of an action
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  • His nama wæs gereht ' Godes strengo. ' Wel ðæt wæs gecweden, for ðon ðe se hæfde mægen ofer ealle gesceafta,

      Blickl. Homl. 9, 14.

  • Wel ðú sprecst

    bona res est, quam vis facere,

      Deut. 1. 14.

  • Wel ðú cwǽde

    bene dixisti,

      Lk. Skt. 20, 39.

  • Há him wel (woel,

      Lind.) andswarode, Mk. Skt. 12, 28.

  • Hí nalæs wel dydan

    non observaverunt pactum,

      Ps. Th. 77, 57: 118, 126.

  • Welan áh in wuldre se nú wel þenceþ,

      Exon. Th. 452, 12 ; Dóm. 119.

  • Suíðe wel Dryhten ðreáde Iudéas,

      Past. 21; Swt. 151, 19.
marking kindness or goodness
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  • Gyf gé wel dóð ðam ðe eów wel dóð,

      Lk. Skt. 6, 33.

  • Tó Gode ðe mé wel dyde

    ad Dominum qui benefecit mihi,

      Ps. Th. 56, 2.

  • Gié magon him woel dóe (wel dóa, Rush.)

    potestis illis bene facere.

      Mk. Skt. Lind. 14, 7.

  • Wese ðín mildheortnis well ofer ús,

      Ps. Ben. 32, 18.
marking degree, well, much, thoroughly, freely: — Gecnua wel, Lchdm. ii. 322, 26. Lǽt gestandan wel
let it stand a good while,
    326, 19.
Syle him ðás ylcan wyrte wel drincan on wætere, i. 148, 19. Se cyng him eác wel feoh sealde. Chr. 894 ; Erl. 91, 32. Dó wel sealtes on, Lchdm. ii. 322, 17. Ðé ðissa woruldsǽlða tó wel ne lyste, Bt. 7, 3 ; Fox 22, 24. Ungemetes wel randwigan restan lyste, Beo. Th. 3589; B. 1792. Ðæt hié welena tó wel ne trúwodon, Blickl. Homl. 185, 14. Eal swá wel behófaþ ðæt heáfod ðæra óðera lima, swá swá ða lima behófiaþ ðæs heáfdes, Homl. Th. i. 274, 7.
marking favourable condition, absence of hindrance
Show examples

  • Hé his wel geweald áhte on ðæm scræfe,

      Past. 3; Swt. 37, 5.

  • Eálá gif hé wolde, ðæt hé wel meahte ðæt unriht him eáðe forbiódan,

      Met. 9, 53.

  • Hié wel meahton libban on ðam lande, gif hié wolden láre Godes fremman,

      Cd. Th. 49, 3 ; Gen. 786.
marking fitness of circumstance,
well, properly
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  • Hý mihton wel habban wíf on ðam dagum,

      L. Ælfc. C. 7; Th. ii. 346, 7. (f 1)
    with verbs that denote fitness :-- Wel ðæt gerás, ðæt heó wǽre eádmód . . . Wel ðæt eác gedafenaþ, ðæt hé tó eorþan ástige, Blickl. Homl. 13, 16-19.

  • Hine man byrigde, swá him wel gebyrede, ful wurðlíce, Chr. 1036; Erl. 165, 34. (g) marking happy, pleasant, agreeable condition :-- Líf ádreógan wel

    to pass life pleasantly,

      Coll. Monast. Th. 28, 31.

  • Ðæt mé wel sig for ðé

    ut bene mihi sit propter te,

      Gen. 12, 13: Num. 11, 18 : Exon. Th. 66, 32 ; Cri. 1080.

  • Ne bið ðǽr ǽngum gódum gnorn ætýwed, ne nǽngum yflum wel,

      96, 20; Cri. 1577.

  • Ðám bið well, ðe ðara blissa brúcan móton,

      Andr. Kmbl. 1770 ; An. 887.

  • Is ðæt lá well

    euge, euge,

      Ps. Th. 39. 18.

  • Wel lá wel is úrum módum euge, euge animae nostrae, 34, 33. Ðé wel weorðeþ on wynburgum

    bene tibi erit,

      127, 2. (g 1)
    ) Wel hym ðæs geweorkes, Hy. 2, 11.

  • Wel ðám, ðe ðonne ne áwácaþ,

      Wulfst. 89, 19 : 124, 8.

  • Wel ðære heorde, ðe gefolgaþ ðam hyrde,

      L. C. S. 85; Th. i. 424, 12.
with adjectives,
well, very, quite, thoroughly
Show examples

  • Strange cyningas and wel cristene,

      Bd. 4, 2 ; S. 565, 31 : Wulfst. 29, 6 : 39, 15 : 127, 2.

  • Glæsfæt wel micel,

      Lchdm. ii. 252, 8.

  • On wíne wel scearpum,

      180, 16: Ps. Th. 67, 15, 16 : 104, 37.

  • Dagas wel manige,

      Blickl. Homl. 217, 15 : 225, 10.

  • Wyrta swíþe wel clǽne,

      Lchdm. ii. 336, 5.
with numerals
Show examples

  • Hé ðær þurhwunode wel twá geár

    he stopped there quite two years,

      Homl. Skt. i. 15, 37.

  • Ic gesett hæbbe wel feówertig lárspella,

      Ælfc. T. Grn. 13, 45:
with adverbs, very, quite
Wæs be eástan ðære ceastre wel néh erat prope ipsam civitatem ad orientem ecclesia, Bd. I. 26; S. 487, 42. Wé wel neáh stódan ðám bearwum, Nar. 28, 31 : Guthl. 12 ; Gdwin. 58, 19. Wel wíde passim, ubique,
    Hpt. Gl. 512, 18.
interjection, well, ah
Show examples

  • Wel lá

    heu,

      Germ. 388, 11.

  • Hé cwæð mid wópe; wel lá,

    Basilius, gif ðú sylf noldest, nǽre ðú git forðfaran. Homl. Skt. i. 3, 627.

  • Wel lá, mín Drihten, hwæt ic hér nú hreówlíce hæbbegefaren,

      23, 575.

  • Wel lá (cf. eálá, Bt. 4; Fox 8, 10), ðú éca sceppend ára monna cynne

    O! jam respice teras,

      Met. 4, 29.

  • Wel lá, monna bearn,

      21, 1.

  • Wel lá, men, wel,

      Bt. 34, 8; Fox 144, 23.

  • Wel gá

    heia,

      Wrt. Voc. ii. 110, 30.

  • Weol gá, weol gá

    euge, euge,

      Ps. Surt. 69, 4.
Etymology
[Goth. waila: O. Sax. O. Frs. wel: O. H. Ger. wela, wola: Icel. vel.]
Similar entries
v. for-wel, and compounds with wel as first component.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “wel.” 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/34988.

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Full form

Word-wheel

  • wel, adv.; int.

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