Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

B

Grammar
B, THE sound of b is produced by the lips; hence it is called a labial consonant, and has the same sound in Anglo-Saxon as in English. In all languages, and especially in the dialects of cognate languages, the letters employing the same organs of utterance are continually interchanged. In Anglo-Saxon, therefore, we find that b interchanges with the other labials, f and
Entry preview:

p Ic hæbbe I have, he hæfþ he hath. When words are transferred into modern English, b is sometimes represented by f or v :-- Beber or befor a beaver; Ober, ofer, over. In comparing the Anglo-Saxon aspirated labial f with the corresponding letter in Old

BEORN

(n.)
Grammar
BEORN, birn, es; m. [this word is only used by poets].

a manvira princenoblemanchiefgeneralwarriorsoldierprincepsvir nobilisduxmilesrichdives

Entry preview:

a man; vir Se beorn on waruþe scip gemétte the man found a ship on the strand Andr. Kmbl. 478; An. 239 : 1203; An. 602. Boétius wæs beorn bóca Boethius was a man skilled in books Bt. Met. Fox 1, 103; Met. 1, 52 : Exon. 83 a; Th. 313, 22; Mód. 4. Beornes

C

Grammar
C, In Gothic and Icelandic C is entirely wanting, being always represented by k. It is remarkable that the Anglo-Saxons have seldom made use of k; but, following the Latin, have preferred the use of c.
Entry preview:

the letter c is found as an initial, medial, and final. — As an initial letter it corresponds to the Gothic amd Icelandic k; as, — A. Sax. corn corn, Goth. karn, Icel. korn; A; Sax. ceósan to choose, Goth. kiusan, Icel. kjósa. As a

be-habban

(v.)
Grammar
be-habban, he -hæfeþ; p. -hæfde; pp. -hæfed, -hæft; v. a.[be by, near, habban to have].

to compassencompasssurroundcingerecircumdare to comprehendcomprehenderecontinereto restraindetainstaydetinere

Entry preview:

to compass, encompass, surround; cingere, circumdare Ðíne fýnd behabbaþ ðé inimici tui circumdabunt te Lk. Bos. 19, 43 : Jos. 6, 20. Behæfde heápa wyn Hǽlendes burg the joy of bands surrounded the Saviour's tomb Exon. 120 a ; Th. 460, 16; Hö. 18 : Cd

be-heonan

(adv.)
Grammar
be-heonan, -heonon; adv. [be by, heonan hence]

On this sideclose byciscitraciterius

Entry preview:

On this side, close by; cis, citra, citerius Get beheonon yet nearer Ælfc. Gr. 38; Som. 41, 4 : Cot. 33

Dorn-sǽte

(n.)
Grammar
Dorn-sǽte, Dor-sǽte; gen. -sǽta ; dat. > -sǽtum, -sǽton, -sǽtan; pl. m. [dor = Celt. dwr, dur water; -sǽte dwellers, inhabitants: dwellers by water]

Inhabitants or men of Dorsetshire, people of Dorsetshire in a body, DORSETSHIREDorsetenses, Dorsetia

Entry preview:

Inhabitants or men of Dorsetshire, people of Dorsetshire in a body, DORSETSHIRE; Dorsetenses, Dorsetia Ðý ilcan geáre gefeaht Æðelhelm wið Deniscne here mid Dornsǽtum [Dorsǽtan, Th. 118, 17, col. 2; Dorsǽton, 119, 17, col. 1; Dorsǽtum, 119, 16, col.

Linked entry: sǽta

E

Grammar
E, Anglo-Saxon words, containing the short or unaccented vowel e, are often represented by modern English words of the same meaning, having the sound of e in
Entry preview:

net, met, ; as, Nett, bedd, weddian, hell, well, denn, fenn, webb, ende. the short e in Anglo-Saxon generally comes before a double consonant; as, Nebb, weccan, tellan, weddian: before any two consonants; as, Twentig, sendan, bernan: before one or two

Deóra bý

(n.)
Grammar
Deóra bý, Deór-bý,es ; n? [Hunt. Dereby, Derebi: Ethel. Derebi: deór an animal, deer; bý a dwelling, habitation; a habitation of deer or animals]

DERBY Derbia

Entry preview:

DERBY; Derbia Hér Æðelflǽd, Myrcna hlǽfdige, begeat ða burh ðe is geháten Deóra bý in this year [A. D. 917] Æthelfled, lady of the Mercians, obtained the burgh which is called Derby, Chr. 917; Erl. 105, 24: 942; Erl. 116, 14; Edm. 8. Hér wæs eorþstyrung

Linked entry: Deór-bý

-e

(suffix)
Grammar
-e, is also the usual letter by which adverbs are formed from adjectives ending in a consonant; as, Rihte rightly, sóþlíce truly, yfele badly.

efen-

(prefix)
Grammar
efen-, efn-, efne-, in composition, denotes even, equal, represented by co-, con-, com-,

as

-enne

(suffix)
Grammar
-enne, the termination of the declinable infinitive in the dat. governed by to, as, — To farenne

to go

Entry preview:

to go, Mt. Bos. 8, 21

-es

(suffix)
Grammar
-es, is the termination of adverbs in many cases where the noun is not so formed; as nihtes by night, nightly; nédes

of necessity, necessarily

Entry preview:

of necessity, necessarily

FOLC

(n.)
Grammar
FOLC, es; n. [Folc being a neuter noun, and a monosyllable, has the nom. and acc. pl. the same as the nom. and acc. sing: it is a collective noun in English, and has not the plural form folks but by a modern corruption]

The FOLKpeoplecommon peoplemultitudea peopletribefamilypŏpŭlusgensnātiovulgusplebscīveshŏmĭnesexercĭtusmultĭtūdo

Entry preview:

The FOLK, people, common people, multitude, a people, tribe, family; pŏpŭlus, gens, nātio, vulgus, plebs, cīves, hŏmĭnes, exercĭtus, multĭtūdo Twá folc beóþ todǽled, and ðæt folc oferswíþ ðæt óðer folc two nations shall be divided, and the one folk shall

Linked entries: folc-stów ge-folc

eall-geleáflíc

(adj.)
Grammar
eall-geleáflíc, adj. [geleáflíc believed] Believed by all, catholic; cathŏlĭcus = καθολικός
Entry preview:

Ðæt monega cyricean on Hibernia, lǽrendum Athamnano, ða eallgeleáflícan Eástran onféngon ut plurĭmæ Scottōrum ecclesiæ, instante Adamnano, cathŏlĭcum Pascha suscēpĕrint, Bd. 5, 15; S. 635, 10

Linked entry: eal-geleáflíc

miltsian

(v.)
Grammar
miltsian, mildsian; p. ode

To have or take pity upon a personshew mercybe mercifulpity

Entry preview:

To have or take pity upon a person, shew mercy, be merciful, pity. Grammar miltsian, not followed by an object Ic miltsige indulgeo, Ælfc. Gr. 26, 3; Som. 28, 54: ignosco, 28, 1; Som. 30, 31. Miltsige (mildsige, MS. B.) man for Godes ege for fear of

myntan

(v.)
Grammar
myntan, p. te.

to meanintendpurposedetermineto thinksuppose

Entry preview:

to mean, intend, purpose, determine, Grammar myntan, with infin. Se ðe Gode mynteþ bringan beorhtne wlite, Exon. 23 b; Th. 65, 22; Cri. 1058. Mynte ic hié háton yflian I had a mind to order them to be punished, Nar. 25, 27. Heó hí mynte for hý tó abbudissan

pearl

Grammar
pearl, (?) The word, which occurs in a list of terms connected with writing, is glossed by enula, which elsewhere glosses
Entry preview:

horselene Pærl enula, bócfel pergamentum, Ælfc. Gr. Zup. 304. 7

peorð

(n.)
Grammar
peorð, the name of the Runic p. Its meaning is doubtful. Grimm notices the name for f in the old Sclavonic alphabet, fert, and the Persian name for one of the figures on the chess-board, ferz. Kemble seems to take the latter, translating the word by
Entry preview:

chess-man; but it is doubtful whether the knowledge of chess was early enough among the Teutons to allow of this interpretation. v. Zacher Das Runenalphabet, pp. 7-9. The verse which accompanies the Rune in the Runic poem is the following Peorð byþ symble

pícan

(v.)
Grammar
pícan, to use a píc, to remove by means of a píc,
Entry preview:

to pick Lét him pýcan út his eágan, and ceorfan of his handa, Chr. 796; Erl. 58, 33

Linked entry: pýcan

be-tweonum

(prep.)
Grammar
be-tweonum, be-tweonan, be-twinum, be-twinan, be-twynan, bi-tweon, bi-tweonum; prep. I. dat. II. acc. [be, bi by, with, tweo two; dat. tweonum, twinum, tweon, twin, twyn]

BETWEEN, betwixt, among, amid, in the midstinter, in medio

Entry preview:

BETWEEN, betwixt, among, amid, in the midst; inter, in medio. dat. Betweonan ðám between them, Ps. Th. 102, 12. Betweonum ðissum þingum amid these things, Bd. 1, 27; S. 488, note 26. Ðá Iudeas cwǽdon betweonan him sylfum then the Jews said among themselves