Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

FRETAN

(v.)
Grammar
FRETAN, ic frete, ðú fritest, fritst, he freteþ, friteþ, fritt, fryt, pl. fretaþ; p. ic, he fræt, ðú frǽte. pl. frǽton; pp. freten [for-, etan to eat?].

to eat up ⬩ gnaw ⬩ FRET ⬩ devour ⬩ consume ⬩ devŏrāre ⬩ consūmĕre ⬩ comĕdĕre ⬩ to break ⬩ burst ⬩ frangĕre ⬩ rumpĕre

Entry preview:

to eat up, gnaw, FRET devour, consume; devŏrāre, consūmĕre, comĕdĕre Ða ðe wilniaþ fretan mín folc qui devŏrant plēbem meam, Ps. Th. 13, 9: 26, 3: Exon. 127 a; Th. 488, 11; Rä. 76, 5: 87 b; Th. 329, 34; Vy. 44: Beo. Th. 6021; B. 3014: 6220; B. 3114.

Linked entry: gefrett

nemnan

Grammar
nemnan, <b>. I.</b> add: Monega eá sindon be noman nemnede for ðǽm gefeohte, Ors. 2, 4; S. 72, 12. <b>Ia.</b> with cognate accusative
Entry preview:

Þú nemst bys naman Hǽlend, Mt. 1, 21. add Þ héhste gód þe wé nemnaþ God, Bt. 39, 7 ; F. 220, 31. Þone swylcne seócne lǽcas nemniað gewitleásne, Gr. D. 247, 14. Hér wé magon gehiéran, ðá hé be ðǽm wróhtgeornan secgean wolde, ðæt hé hine nemde se áworpna

sceanca

(n.)
Grammar
sceanca, an ; m.

a shank, shin, ⬩ the upper part of the leg

Entry preview:

Lǽcedómas wið scancena sáre, and gif scancan forade synd. Lchdm. ii. 6, 10. Sindon ða scancan (of the Phenix) scyllum biweaxen crura tegunt squamae Exon. Th. 219, 20; Ph. 310. Scancan tibias, Hpt. Gl. 482, 64: Kent. Gl. 982. Sconca[n?] suras Wrt.

Linked entry: sceonca

ge-stælan

Grammar
ge-stælan, l. -stǽlan, dele first passage, in last for leágung l. leásung, and add: to bring home to a person a charge, liability, &amp;c., to prove something to have been committed by, or
Entry preview:

to be due from, a person Gif mon on folces gemóte cyninges geréfan geyppe eofot (þeófðe, v.l.), and his eft geswícan wille, gestǽle on ryhtran hand ( let him make the charge good upon one who more justly may be charged; pertrahat hoc ad rectiorem manum

mór-heald

(n.; adj.)
Grammar
mór-heald, But the word might be a noun,
Entry preview:

Wǽron land heora lyfthelme beþeaht mearchofu mórheald, Cd. 145: Th. 181, 14; Exod. 61. = placed on a mountain slope, Wrt. Voc. ii. 147, 71, (?)

Linked entry: heald

tó-geagnes

(prep.; adv.)
Grammar
tó-geagnes, -gegnes, -geánes, -génes.

towards, ⬩ so as to meet ⬩ against, ⬩ to meet ⬩ in the way of, ⬩ to meet the approach of ⬩ in readiness for, ⬩ against the coming of ⬩ against, ⬩ for the purpose of resisting ⬩ on the approach of, ⬩ towards ⬩ again, ⬩ in return

Entry preview:

Grn. 5, 26. adv. again, in return Ic him óðerne (gár) eft wille sændan, fleógende fláne forane tógeánes, Lchdm. iii. 52, 25. Ðá hét se wiðersaca onfón ðæra hláfa, and ágifan ðam biscope tógeánes gærs . . .

Linked entries: geagnes tó-gægnes tó-geagn tó-gegnes tó-génes

Agustus

(n.)
Grammar
Agustus, nom. acc. gen. Agustuses; dat.- Agustuse; m. [generally spelled incorrectly in Anglo-Saxon MSS: Agustus, as well as Agustinus, for Augustus and Augustīnus, from augustus majestic, august, from augeo to increase, exalt, honour, praise] ,

Augustus ⬩ the month of August ⬩ mensis Augustus

Entry preview:

Augustus, the first Roman emperor, reigned from A. C. 30 to A. D. 14 Wearþ Agustus sárig Augustus was grieved, Ors. 5, 15; Bos. 114, 38. Agustuses látteówas the generals of Augustus, 5, 15; Bos. 114, 34. Búton Agustuse sylfum without Augustus himself

Linked entry: Augustus

láþettan

Grammar
láþettan, [In the last two passages láþettan translates infestare, which however is for infestari. The original Latin of the two translations is: Canes latrantes uiderit vel eis infestare, and: Camelos uidere et ab eis se uiderit infestare.]
Entry preview:

For 'To be odious . . . hate' substitute: to abhor, execrate, hate, hold in detestation Þíne goda ic láðette and him teónan dó ego diis tuis abominationem feci Angl. xvii. 116, 4. Man tó forð láþet þæt man scolde lufian, Wlfst. 165, 3 [: 168, 13: Wrt

Linked entry: lǽþettan

eard

Entry preview:

Ꝥ hié on wræcsíþas fóran and on ellþiéde . . . þæt hié mon tó hiora earde forléte, Ors. 4, 4; S. 167, 27: 6, 30; S. 282, 20: 6, 34; S. 290, 19: Wlfst. 120, 13, 14. Férde Godes folc fram ðeówte tó ðám behátenan earde, Hml. Th. ii. 282, 17.

ge-

(prefix)
Grammar
ge-, Both ge- and gi- are used in the oldest glossaries: e. g. on
  • p. 48 of O. E. T.
nine words with the prefix occur; in four cases both the Epinal and Erfurt glosses have gi-, in one they have ge-, in two the Epinal has ge- where the Erfurt has gi-, and in two the Epinal has gi- where the other has ge-. In each case the
  • Corpus Gloss.
has ge-. In this glossary, however, gi- is found, e. g. gi-brec,
  • 2152
, and in later glossaries also, e. g. gi-mynd,
  • Wrt. Voc. ii. 53, 73.
Besides the forms given may be noted ga-eddun,
  • Erf. 75
; gy-byrdid,
  • Ep. 228.
In the
  • Durham Ritual
the regular form is gi-.
Entry preview:

Add:

EARM

(n.)
Grammar
EARM, es; m.

ARM, the limb extending from the shoulder to the hand ⬩ brachium ⬩ ocean, etc ⬩ sĭnus, rāmus

Entry preview:

an ARM, the limb extending from the shoulder to the hand; brachium Gif se earm biþ forad búfan elmbogan, ðǽr sculon xv scillinga to bóte if the arm be broken above the elbow, there shall be fifteen shillings for compensation, L.

Linked entries: ærm arm

wíc

(n.)
Grammar
wíc, The word is generally neuter, but as it is often used in the plural where a singular might express the meaning, the similarity of neuter plural and feminine singular accusatives seems to have caused the word to be taken sometimes as feminine, e. g. tó ánre wíc, Homl. Th. i. 402, 22. A weak form also seems to be used, Chart. Th. 446, 29.
Entry preview:

a dwelling-place, abode, habitation, residence, lodging, quarters Hé tó him wilniende wæs ðætte heó him funden swylce londáre swylce hé mid árum on beón mehte, and his wíc ðaer on byrig beón mihte on his lífe, Chart. Erl. 69, 23. In locum qui dicitur

Agustin

(n.)
Grammar
Agustin, es; m: Agustīnus, Augustīnus, i; m:

St. Augustine ⬩ Augustinus

Entry preview:

þeóde fram deófulgylda bigonge he to Cristes geleáfan gelǽ dde, and on sibbe gefyldum dagum his þénunge forþféred wæs ða ðý dæge septima Kl Junias on ðæs ylcan cyninges ríce' defunctus est autem Deo dilectus pater Augustīnus, et positum corpus ejus foras

-hád

(suffix)
Grammar
-hád, a suffix forming abstract nouns, e. g. bisceop-, cild-, man-, wer-hid, etc. In the oldest English it is found combined only with nouns, while in the later stages of the language, as in O. Sax. O. Frs. O. H. Ger. words are formed with it from adjectives. An early instance occurs in the Land MS. of the Chronicle 'druncenhed,'
  • 1070
    • ;
  • Erl. 209, 35
. In later English it takes two forms, -hode, -hede; in modern times, -hood, -head.

ÁN

(n.; num.; adj.; pronoun.)

ONE ⬩ unus ⬩ una ⬩ unum ⬩ alone ⬩ only ⬩ sole ⬩ another ⬩ solus ⬩ alius ⬩ sole ⬩ alone of its kind ⬩ singular ⬩ unique ⬩ without an equal ⬩ unicus ⬩ eximius ⬩ a certain one ⬩ some one ⬩ quidam ⬩ a ⬩ an ⬩ a ⬩ an ⬩ each ⬩ every one ⬩ all ⬩ unus-quisque ⬩ una-quæque ⬩ unum-quodque ⬩ One ⬩ other

Entry preview:

Ðæt wæs án foran eald-gestreóna that was before a singular old treasure, Beo. Th. 2920; B. 1458.

Linked entries: ǽn ain án ána án-for-lǽtan ánga án-ne ánra ánra-gehwá feáwa for án

ge-seón

(v.)
Grammar
ge-seón, [For first two lines substitute: <b>ge-seón,</b> ge-sión, ic-seó, -sió, -sié, þú-sihst, -siehst, -syhst, -syxt, hé-sihþ, -siehð, -seohþ, -syhþ, -seóþ, pl. -seóþ, -sióþ; p. ic, hé -seah, -seh, þú-sáwe, -sége, pl. -sáwon, -ségon, -seágon, -sǽgon ; imp. -seoh, -seah, pl. -seóþ; subj. prs. ic-seó, -sió, -sié ; p. -sáwe, -sége; pp. -sewen, -seowen, -segen, -seogen, -sawen (-sáw- ?). Northern and Mercian forms: ge-seá, -seán, -sión, ic -seóm, -sióm, -siúm, þú -siist, -síst, -seǽs, hé -siið, -siis, -síþ, -sís ; pl. -seáþ, -siáþ, -seás ; p. ic, hé -sæh, -sægh, -seh, þu -sége, pl. -ségon, -sǽgon ; imp. -sæh, -sægh, -seh, -sech, -sih, pl. -seaeþ, -siáþ; subj. prs. -sé, -see, -sié, -sii,pl. sén; p. -sége ; part. prs. -siónde, -siénde, -séende, -segende ; pp. -segen, -segn, -séen To see.]
Entry preview:

Add Þú gesége crevisti, geseah crevit, Wrt. Voc. ii. 20, 54, 55. to have the faculty of vision, to exercise that faculty. literal Ne gesyhþ sé nǽfre he will remain blind for ever. Bl. H. 153, 22. Hé sóna geseh he at once recovered his sight, 15, 27.

swát

(n.)
Grammar
swát, es; n. [The passages in which the gender is marked are doubtful. Ðæt swót.
  • Lchdm. iii. 98, 17,
occurs in a late MS.; ísen swát,
  • ii. 296, 18,
be a compound; ða swát,
  • iii. 72, 28,
may be a mistake for spátl,
  • v. ii. 56, 15.
Dutch has a neuter, German and Scandinavian have masculines.]

sweat, perspiration ⬩ that which exudes like sweat ⬩ that which lies on anything as sweat lies on the skin(?) ⬩ used of other moisture that comes from the body, ⬩ foam ⬩ blood ⬩ sweat that comes from labour, hence labour, toil ⬩ sweat; blood

Entry preview:

sweat, perspiration Seofoðe (the seventh of the constituents from which Adam was made) wæs deáwes pund, ðanon him (Adam ) becom swát, Salm. Kmbl. 180. 15. Suát, Rtl. 192, 17. His swát ( sudor ) wæs swylce blódes dropan, Lk. Skt. 22, 44. Of ealdum cláðum

wrítan

(v.)
Grammar
wrítan, p. wrát, pl. writon; pp. writen

To write. ⬩ to cut ⬩ to draw ⬩ to form letters ⬩ to write ⬩ to write ⬩ to compose, ⬩ be the author of ⬩ to write ⬩ to write ⬩ write ⬩ to write ⬩ state ⬩ to write ⬩ get a thing written ⬩ to convey by charter

Entry preview:

Wrít ðam horse on ðam heáfde foran Cristes mǽl, and on leoþa gehwylcum ðe ðú ætfeolan mæge. Lchdm. ii. 290, 23. Wrít him Cristes mǽl on ǽlcum lime, 346, 6.

Linked entries: wrítere wrítian

Q

Grammar
Q, This letter occurs but seldom in Anglo-Saxon; in those native words where qu is now found, e. g. quick, quoth, cw or cu was written, cwic, cuic, cwæþ, cuæþ. In the glossary (belonging to the eighth century) given in Wrt. Voc. ii. 98 sqq. are six instances of words beginning with qu, and four others occur in the same volume; in the Blickling Gloss the form quémde glosses complacebam, and the foreign word
Entry preview:

reliquias retained its original form

hwanne

Entry preview:

Him se reogolweord gebeóde foran tó hwonne sió tíd sié, Cht. E. 81, 13: Ll.

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.