Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

weorc

(n.; adv.)
Grammar
weorc, es; n.

Work ⬩ opus. ⬩ work ⬩ operative action ⬩ operation ⬩ working ⬩ doing ⬩ performance ⬩ work ⬩ doings ⬩ actions ⬩ what a person does ⬩ what happens ⬩ work ⬩ labour ⬩ occupation ⬩ employment ⬩ any form of long-sustained or habitual activity ⬩ a particular act of labour ⬩ workmanship ⬩ a work ⬩ deed ⬩ any action ⬩ of action that gives affect to anything ⬩ a work, ⬩ what is wrought ⬩ a strong building, ⬩ fortress ⬩ work, ⬩ what is done, ⬩ effect produced ⬩ pain, ⬩ travail, ⬩ grief, ⬩ the instrumental or dative is used in the phrase weorce wesan with the dative of the person — to be painful to a person

Entry preview:

Gescád witan worda and worca Beo. Th. 583; B. 289. Wordum ne worcum 2204; B. 1100. Wordum and weorcum Cd. Th. 278, 17; Sat. 223. Wercum 267, 34; Sat. 48. Mid wordum oððe mid weorcum cýðan Past. 21; Swt. 157, 21.

Linked entries: weorce weorc-sum werc

deáþ-wíc

(n.)
Grammar
deáþ-wíc, es; n. [deáþ death, wíc a mansion]

A mansion of death ⬩ mortis mansio

Entry preview:

A mansion of death; mortis mansio He gewát deáþwíc seón he departed to see the mansion of death, Beo. Th. 2555; B. 1275

-tigþe

(suffix)
Grammar
-tigþe, tíþe, -tygþe, -týþe. v. bén-, wil-tigþe (-tygþe).

ge-wífian

(v.)
Grammar
ge-wífian, p. ode, ade; pp. od, ad [wífian to take a wife]

To take a wife ⬩ marry ⬩ uxōrem dūcĕre

Entry preview:

To take a wife, marry; uxōrem dūcĕre Gewífodon duxĕrunt uxōres, Jud. 3, 6. Ðæt cristen man gewífige that a christian man marry, L. Eth. vi. 12; Th. i. 318, 13, 18: L. C. E. 7; Th. i. 364, 23. Manige habbaþ genóg gesǽlilíce gewífod many have married happily

Linked entry: wífian

ofer-méttu (o)

(n.)
Grammar
ofer-méttu (o), indecl. in sing. ; but declined in pl. , where it is used with singular meaning, cf. ofer-hygd, -méde : perhaps all the instances which follow may belong to the plural, since eáþmétto takes a verb in the plural; f.

Pride, arrogance, haughtiness

Entry preview:

Pride, arrogance, haughtiness Hine his hyge gespeón and his ofermétto ealra swíðost, Cd. Th. 22, 35; Gen. 351. þurh heora miclan mód, and þurh ofermétto, 22, 7; Gen. 337 : 21, 30; Gen. 332. Hé biþ on oferméttu (-métto, Cott. MSS.) áwended . . . hé ástág

be-clingan

(v.)
Grammar
be-clingan, p. -clang, pl. -clungon; pp. -clungen [clingan, I. to wither, II. to adhere]

To BECLING ⬩ surround ⬩ inclose ⬩ circumcludere ⬩ includere

Entry preview:

To BECLING, surround, inclose; circumcludere, includere Clommum beclungen inclosed in bands, Elen. Kmbl. 1388; El. 696

Linked entry: CLINGAN

cyre

(n.)
Grammar
cyre, es; m. [ceósan to choose] Choice, free choice, free will; electio, hærĕsis = αἵρεσις , optio, arbitrium
Entry preview:

Cyre [MS. kyre] hæresis, Ælfc. Gl. 3; Som. 55, 84; Wrt. Voc. 16, 55. Cyre optio, Glos. Prudent. Recd. 146, 52. God forgeaf him ágenne eyre, forðanðe ðæt is rihtwísnys ðæt gehwylcum sý his ágen cyre geþafod God gave them their own free will, for it is

LǼTAN

(v.)
Grammar
LǼTAN, p. lét, leórt; pp. lǽten. The ellipsis of a verb in the infinitive, the meaning of which may be inferred from the context, not unfrequently takes place after lǽtan; and the connection of many of the meanings which follow with the simple one seems explainable in this way.

to LET ⬩ allow ⬩ permit ⬩ suffer ⬩ to let ⬩ let go ⬩ give up ⬩ dismiss ⬩ leave ⬩ forsake ⬩ let ⬩ to let ⬩ cause ⬩ make ⬩ get ⬩ have ⬩ cause to be ⬩ place ⬩ make as if ⬩ make out ⬩ profess ⬩ pretend ⬩ estimate ⬩ consider ⬩ suppose ⬩ think ⬩ to behave towards ⬩ treat ⬩ to let

Entry preview:

Wit ðæt ðá létan and unéþelíce þurhtugan ðæt hé ðæs geþafa wolde beón with difficulty we got him to assent to it, Bd. 5, 4; S. 617, 17.

Linked entries: aweg-lǽtan leórt

-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.

rǽden

Grammar
rǽden, rǽdenn. Add: v. ge-, geþeód-, geþeów-(?), gewrit-, godsibb-, hold-, hyld-, leód-, lim-, luf-, mǽd-, mǽgþ-, mæst-, mæsten-, sam-, sin-, þegen-, þeód-, þoft-, wíte-, wudu-rǽden[n].

un-wítnigendlíce

(adv.)
Grammar
un-wítnigendlíce, adv.

With impunity

Entry preview:

With impunity Unwítnigendlíce oððe bútan wíte inpune, Ælfc. Gr. 38; Zup. 233, 6

Linked entry: wítnigend-líc

-sum

(suffix)
Grammar
-sum, an adjective suffix as in glad-some, win-some.

wíg-bed

(n.)
Grammar
wíg-bed, wí-bed, wió-bed, -bud, wié-bed, weó-bed, -bud, weófod (-ed, -ud), wéfod, es, also -beddes; n. (generally, but se weóbud, Past. 33; Swt. 217, 21, and pl. wíbedas, Bd. 5, 20; S. 641, 42)

An altar

Entry preview:

An altar [from wíg (wíh) and beód; some forms, e.g. wígbeddes, weóbedd, suggest that the word was thought to be derived from bed] Weófod altar vel ara, Wrt. Voc. i. 26, 51. Hé scolde ðone Godes alter habban uppan áholodne, ðæt hé meahte on healdan ða

Ellen-dún

(n.)
Grammar
Ellen-dún, Ellan-dún, e; f. [Flor. Ellandun, i. e. mons Eallæ: Will. Malm. Hellendune: Hunt. Elendune]

Allington, near Amesbury, Wilts ⬩ lŏci nōmen in agro Wiltoniensi

Entry preview:

Allington, near Amesbury, Wilts; lŏci nōmen in agro Wiltoniensi Hér gefeaht Ecgbryht cyning and Beornwulf cyning on Ellendúne [Ellandúne, Th. 111, 21, col. 2] in this year Egbert and Beornwulf fought at Allington, Chr. 823; Th. 110, 20

for-wyrd

(n.)
Grammar
for-wyrd, -wird, e; f. [wyrd fortune; for-weorþan to perish] Loss,

damage ⬩ destruction ⬩ perdition ⬩ ruin ⬩ death ⬩ detrīmentum ⬩ intĕrĭtus ⬩ intĕrĭtio ⬩ perdĭtio ⬩ pernĭcies ⬩ internĕcio

Entry preview:

Ðá sió wérge sceólu hreósan sceolde in wíta forwyrd when the wretched crew must fall into the ruin of punishment, Elen. Kmbl. 1526; El. 765: Frag. Kmbl. 16; Leás. 10: Andr. Kmbl. 3234; An. 1620.

Linked entries: for-wird fǽr-wyrd

feorh-góma

(n.)
Grammar
feorh-góma, an; m. [góma the gums, jaws]

Fatal or deadly jaws ⬩ fatāles fauces

Entry preview:

Fatal or deadly jaws; fatāles fauces Se deópa seáþ mid wíta fela, frécnum feorhgómum, folcum scendeþ the deep pit [hell] afflicts people with many torments, with rugged fatal jaws, Exon. 30 b; Th. 94, 32; Cri. 1549

Linked entry: góma

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:

In comparing the Anglo-Saxon aspirated labial f with the corresponding letter in Old Saxon, the sister dialect, we find that the Old Saxons used a softer aspirated labial ƀ = bh.

stirnan

(v.)
Grammar
stirnan, (?); p. de

To be severe

Entry preview:

To be severe Gistmægen (the two angels with Lot) styrnde (stýrde? v. steóran) werode mid wíte, Cd. Th. 150, 22; Gen. 2495

Linked entry: styrnan

Beorwíc

(n.)
Grammar
Beorwíc, [wíc a village or residence, Beornica of the Bernicians; Berniciorum vicus]

BERWICK on Tweed

Entry preview:

BERWICK on Tweed, Som

styltan

(v.)
Grammar
styltan, prs. subj. (wið-)stylte; p. stylte, stylde, (for-)styldte; pp. stylted
Entry preview:

To be amazed, confounded, be at a loss, be doubtful:?-Stylton stupebant, Mk. Skt. Lind. 6, 51. Styldon (stylton, Rush.), 1, 22. Hiá stylton haesitantes, Jn. Skt. Lind. Rush. 13, 22

Linked entry: a-styltan