Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

rest

Grammar
rest, [In Bl. H. 11, 16, 19 the word seems to be of the weak declension.]
Entry preview:

Add [Niht]licere ræste nocturnae quieti ł somno, An. Ox. 2197. add Þín gást bið on heofonum, and þín rest ne losað nǽfre on worulde, Hml. S. 15, 67. Hé æfter þám gereordum ræste séceð, dýgle stówe under dúnscræfum, Pa. 36. Ðeáh þe þá rícestan hátan

lác

Grammar
lác, [If ðínne in Hml. S. 7, 119 is correct, lác is there masculine, but perhaps ðíne should be read.]
Entry preview:

Add: v. lác-lic Se mǽgðhád sceal God beón geoffrod be his ágenum cyre, ꝥ seó lác beo leófre þám Hǽlende, Hml. A. 33, 234. Nolde Drihten ásendan þone ðe hé sylf gehǽlde tó þám sácerde mid ǽnigre láce, Hml. Th. i. 124, 19. Gán mid láce tó Godes húse, and

efne-

(prefix)
Grammar
efne-, This form is used in the Northern specimens to render the prefix con- in many Latin verbs, e. g. efne-árísa con-surgere, efne-ceiga con-vocare, efne-fornioma com-prehendere, efne-senda
Entry preview:

com-mittere. For other compounds

þenedness

(n.)
Grammar
þenedness, þeneness, þénest, þénestre, þeng. v. tó-þenedness, á-þeneness (ðenenis is given in Ps. Surt. ii. p. 194, 15, but áðenenes
Entry preview:

in Txts. 411, 48), þegnest, þegnestre, þegen

ge-byrd

(n.)
Grammar
ge-byrd, gen. dat. -byrde; acc. -byrde, -byrd; pl. nom. gen. acc. a; dat. um; f : ge -byrdo; indecl. in s; f : found in both s. and pl. without any apparent difference of meaning.

birth ⬩ origin ⬩ beginning ⬩ parentage ⬩ family ⬩ lineage ⬩ nativitas ⬩ origo ⬩ stirps ⬩ genus ⬩ nature ⬩ quality ⬩ state ⬩ condition ⬩ lot ⬩ fate ⬩ natura ⬩ qualitas ⬩ conditio ⬩ sors ⬩ fatum

Entry preview:

birth, origin, beginning, parentage, family, lineage; nativitas, origo, stirps, genus Bearnes þurh gebyrde through the birth of a child, Exon. 9 a; Th. 5, 28; Cri. 76. Þurh bearnes gebyrd through child-birth, 8 b; Th. 3, 18; Cri. 38. On dæg gebyrde die

Linked entries: byrd byrde byrdnys weorold-gebyrd ge-bærd beorþ ge-bird ge-byrdo

háw

(n.; suffix)
Grammar
háw, Kemble says, ' In all probability, a look out, or prospect'; Middendorff compares the word with -hau in German place-names, and takes it to mean a clearing, a place where trees are cut down (cf. heáwan). But perhaps in the one passage where the word occurs
Entry preview:

hlawe should be read Haec sunt supradictarum uocabula terrarum, aet Uuineshauue (cf. scuccanhlau, 196, 1), C. D. i. 195, 30

lác

(n.)
Grammar
lác, generally neuter, but occasionally feminine
  • [v. Shrn. pp. 3-4],
or masculine, as in the compound lyb-lác q. v.

battle ⬩ struggle ⬩ an offering ⬩ sacrifice ⬩ oblation ⬩ a gift ⬩ present ⬩ grace ⬩ favour ⬩ service ⬩ a present ⬩ offering of words ⬩ a message ⬩ medicine

Entry preview:

The idea which lies at the root of the various meanings of this and of the next word seems to be that of motion. Thus lácan and Icel. leika are used to describe the motion of a vessel riding on the waves, the flight of a bird as it rises and falls in

Linked entries: freó-lác lácan lǽc

mór

Grammar
mór, I. add: — Hí eardiað an þæs gedwildes móre and meoxe (in luto heresis), Chrd. 96, 31. Móras salebras, i. loca lutosa, An. Ox. 17, 63. The word occurs often in charters, v. Midd. Flur.

gold-hord

Grammar
gold-hord, [In Wrt. Voc. i. 58, 63 the MS. has gold-hold. v. Wülck. Gl. 187, 17.]
Entry preview:

On þám þe wæs behýdd se heofonlica goldhord, Ælfc. T. Grn. 13, 2. Se goldhord þe þú geméttest, Hml. S. 23, 603. Swíðe ealdne goldhord, 570. Unárímedlicu goldhord innumeri thesauri, Nar. 5, 10. Hér Rómáne gesomnodón al þá goldhord þe on Bretene wǽron,

A

(prefix)
Grammar
A, A. It is not necessary to speak of the form of what are often called Anglo-Saxon letters, as all Teutonic, Celtic, and Latin manuscripts of the same age are written in letters of the same form. There is one exception: the Anglo-Saxons had, with great propriety, two different letters for the two distinct sounds of our th: the hard þ in thin and sooth, and the soft ð in thine and soo
Entry preview:

the, vide Þ, þ. The indigenous Pagan alphabet of our Anglo-Saxon forefathers, called Runes, it must be particularly observed, not only represents our letters, but the names of the letters are significant. The Runes are chiefly formed by straight lines

wer-gild

(n.)
Grammar
wer-gild, were-gild, es; n. [The word seems interchangeable with wer (q. v.), which in the later laws is the more frequent form.]
Entry preview:

The price set upon a man according to his degree Twelfhyndes mannes wergyld bið six ceorla wergyld, L. O. 13; Th. i. 182, 21. Ceorles wergild (weregild, 1. 20) is .cc. and .lxvi. þrimsa, ðæt bið .ii. hund sciłł. be Myrcna lage, L. Wg. 6; Th. i. 186,

þeód-

(prefix)
Grammar
þeód-, As the first part of several compounds (see below) þeód has the force of general, great; a similar use is found in
Entry preview:

O. Sax. and Icel. The form is also found in proper names, e.g. Ðeód-bald, Bd. 1, 34; S. 499, 33. Ðeód-ríc, Bt. 1; Fox 2, 5. Þeód-Scyldingas, Beo. Th. 2042; B. 1019. Cf. regn-

-es

(suffix)
Grammar
-es, is the termination of the genitive case singular, in the greater part of Anglo-Saxon nouns. — Cyninges botl a king's palace. — Abrahames God

Abraham's God

Entry preview:

Abraham's God. In English e is omitted, but its place is denoted by an apostrophe

hrýscung

(n.)
Grammar
hrýscung, (?) a wheezing, whistling, hissing sound. See the passage given in Dict. under hristung, where read(?) hríscung. Cf.
Entry preview:

first passage under hrýscan

Linked entry: hristung

un-andergilde

(adj.)
Grammar
un-andergilde, In the passage given this word seems intended to render ' quod non vilescat', and so should mean (?)
Entry preview:

valuable

hwilc-hwega

(pronoun.)
Grammar
hwilc-hwega, -hwugu, -hugu [in the Northern Gospels the whole form is declined, elsewhere only hwilc]; pron.

Some ⬩ any ⬩ some one

Entry preview:

Some, any, some one Gehrán mec huoelchuoege tetigit me aliquis, Lk. Skt. Lind. 8, 46. Hwilc-æthwega yfel wǽte some evil humour, L. M. 2, 59; Lchdm. ii. 284, 27. Bróðer huoelchuoeges frater alicujus, Lk. Skt. Lind. 20, 28. Swá hé síe mid hwilcre-hwega

-fæst

(suffix)
Grammar
-fæst, as a termination, denotes fast, very, perfectly, effectually, as the English fast asleep, perfectly asleep; Ǽ-fæst fast in the law, firm, religious; Sóþ-fæst fast in truth, true, just; Staðol-fæst steadfast, steady; Unstaðol-fæst

unsteady, unsteadfast

Entry preview:

unsteady, unsteadfast

ge-sceádan

(v.)
Grammar
ge-sceádan, -scádan; p. -scéd, -sceód; pp. -sceáden [in the Northern Gospels weak forms occur]

To separate, distinguish, discern, decide ⬩ to separate

Entry preview:

To separate, distinguish, discern, decide Wéron gesceádad from exceptis, Mt. Kmbl. Lind. 14, 21. Ðú ðe gesceádest qui separasti, Rtl. 182, 31: 36, 27. Gesceád distingue, 36, 29. Wolde hilde gesceádan would decide the war, Cd. 167; Th. 209, 25; Exod.

for-byrd

(n.)
Grammar
for-byrd, for-byrd (fore-), e; f. (in Hml. S. 33, 203 the word seems neuter),

endurance ⬩ forbearance ⬩ abstention

Entry preview:

Substitute: bearing pain, &c., endurance, Similar entries v. for-beran I. Ne mihte Pafnuntius nán forbyrd habban, ne náne frófre onfón, Hml. S. 33, 203. Nú wille ic God biddan ꝥ hé þé forgife forebyrd and geþyld, 251. bearing patiently, forbearance

meox

Grammar
meox, [In 1. 6 after 'meox ?' insert: and swá ðeáh, gif þú his wel notast, hwæt bið wæstmbǽrre?]
Entry preview:

Add: manure Ne forhtige gé for ðæs fyrnfullan þreátum, for ðan þe his wuldor is wyrms and meox, Hml. S. 25, 261. Hit ys bysmorlic dǽd ꝥ ǽnig man . . . þone múð ufan mettum áfylle and on óðerne ende him gange ꝥ meox út fram, E. S. viii. 62, 16. Ic hine

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.