Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

bæc-slitol

(n.; part.)
Grammar
bæc-slitol, es; m. [bæc a back; slitol a biter, from sliten, pp. of slítan to slit, bite]

A backbiter ⬩ detractor

Entry preview:

A backbiter; detractor, Off. reg. 15

Linked entries: bac-slitol slítan slitol

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

wer

(n.)
Grammar
wer, and <b>were,</b> es; m. [The word seems to be interchangeable with wer-gild (q. v.), e. g.
Entry preview:

.; somhwelcne, fíftegum, 22; Th. i. 118, 3). when a person was wrongfully (for other cases v. ǽ-gilde) slain, the wer of the slain man could be claimed from the slayer (cf. wergild, ), who was bound to furnish security for the payment, and the date for

geápan

(v.)
Grammar
geápan, geapian; p. te, ode; pp. ed, od

To GAPE ⬩ open ⬩ pandĕre

Entry preview:

To GAPE, open; pandĕre, Cot. 158

ful-lǽstan

(v.)
Grammar
ful-lǽstan, -léstan; p. te; pp. ed

To help ⬩ aid ⬩ support ⬩ opĭtŭlāri

Entry preview:

To help, aid, support; opĭtŭlāri Ic ðé fullǽstu I will support thee, Beo. Th. 5330; B. 2668. RUNE [ós] fullésteþ [the mind] gives aid, Exon. 106 b; Th. 407, 1; Rä. 25, 8. Him men fulléstaþ men aid them, 119 a; Th. 457, 31; Hy. 4, 92

for-

(prefix)
Grammar
for-, is used in composition in Anglo-Saxon exactly as the English for: it often deteriorates, or gives an opposite sense, or gives strength to the words before which it is placed; in which case it may be compared with Gothic fra-, Dutch and German ver- [different from the Dutch voor, and German vor]. Forbeódan to forbid; fordéman to condemn; forcúþ perverse, corrupt; fordón to destroy, to do for. — Sometimes fór denotes an increase of the signification of the word before which it is placed, and is then generally to be in English very; valde, as fó;r-eáde very easily,
  • Homl. Th. ii. 138, 35
: fór-oft very often,
  • Bd. de nat. rerum
    • ;
  • Wrt. popl. science 11, 8
    • ;
  • Lchdm. iii. 256, 16.
For- and fór-, or fóre- are often confounded, though they are very different in meaning; as forseón [Flem. versien] to overlook, despise; fór- or fóreseón [Flem. veursien] to foresee. — If a word, having for, fór or fóre prefixed, cannot be found under for-, fór- or fóre-, it must be sought under the simple term, and the sense of the preposition added; thus, fór- or fóre-sendan is from sendan to send, and fór-, fóre before, to send before, etc. [On the vowel in for, fore, see remark in the preface.]

Linked entries: -witol -wríþan stalian syngian meltan myrþrian nefa pyndan of-drincan -sáwenlic scirian seáþ setness -sewen -sewenlic -sewenlíce -sewenness síþ stregdan teón treddan trúwung weorþan manig micel nǽman neáh irman þrǽstness witig wlencan wrégan wundian wyrht brítan fær- feallan fyllan gǽgan gǽgednes trúwian þeahtung þeón þingian -wyrpness

breóst

Grammar
breóst, [The word occurs of all three genders, and can be used in the plural (dual) when a single person is referred to.]

the chest ⬩ thorax ⬩ the stomach ⬩ womb ⬩ a breast ⬩ mamma ⬩ mamilla

Entry preview:

Heó him cwæð tó: ' Ne sceamode þé tó ceorfanne ꝥ ꝥ ðú sylf suce, ac ic habbe míne breóst on mínre sáwle ansunde '. . . Heó beseah tó hyre breóste and wæs ꝥ corfene breóst geedstaðelod, Hml. S. 8, 122, 146. Þurh þæt swíðre breóst, Sal. K. 204, 25.

Linked entry: byled-breóst

ge-siltan

(v.)
Grammar
ge-siltan, p. te; pp. ge-silted, ge-silt
Entry preview:

To salt. Take here <b>ge-sylt</b> in Dict., and add Fleót ꝥ fám of, geselt swíþe wel, Lch. ii. 96, 9. Nim þreó snǽda buteran, gemenge wið hwǽten mela, and gesylte, 152, 18. Netle gesoden on wætre and geselt 228, 3.

Linked entries: siltan ge-sylt ge-sæltan ge-seltan

brǽdan

(v.)
Grammar
brǽdan, brédan; to brǽdanne, brédanne; part. brǽdende; he brǽdeþ, brǽd; p. brǽdde, pl. brǽddon; pp. brǽded, brǽdd, brǽd [brád
broad; latus
].

broad ⬩ latus ⬩ To make broad, BROADEN, extend, spread, stretch out ⬩ dilatare, propalare, expandere ⬩ To be extended or developed, grow or rise up; ⬩ dilatari, adolescere

Entry preview:

Se wallenda lég hine brǽdde to ðam biscope the raging flame spread itself to the bishop, Bd. 2, 7; S. 509, 22. Brǽddon æfter beorgum flotan feldhúsum the sailors spread [themselves] amongst the hills with their tents, Cd. 148; Th. 186, 1; Exod. 132.

Linked entries: brádiende brédan brédan

a-lecgan

(v.)
Grammar
a-lecgan, -lecgean; he -legeþ, -legþ, -lehþ, pl. -lecgaþ; p. -legde, -léde , pl. -legdon, -lédon; pp. -legd, -léd; v. trans. [a from, lecgan to lay] .

to place ⬩ lay down ⬩ throw down ⬩ suppress ⬩ lay aside ⬩ cease from ⬩ ponere ⬩ collocare ⬩ prosternere ⬩ deponere ⬩ abjicere ⬩ relinquere ⬩ omittere ⬩ to impose ⬩ inflict upon ⬩ imponere ⬩ immittere ⬩ to diminish ⬩ take away ⬩ refuse ⬩ imminuere ⬩ deprimere ⬩ reprimere

Entry preview:

T. 22, 20. He nǽfre ða leán alegeþ he never refuseth the reward, Exon. 33b; Th. 107, 23; Gú. 63

Linked entries: a-léd a-lédon a-legde a-lege

brǽded-nes

(n.; part.)
Grammar
brǽded-nes, -ness, e; f. [brǽded; pp. of brǽdan
to broaden
,-nes -ness]

to broaden ⬩ Broadness, breadth, width, latitude ⬩ amplitudo, latitudo.

Entry preview:

Broadness, breadth, width, latitude; amplitudo, latitudo

sicetan

(v.)
Grammar
sicetan, sicettan, siccetan, siccettan; p. te.

to sigh ⬩ groan

Entry preview:

to sigh, groan Sicetit singultat, Wrt. Voc. ii. 120, 50. Ðá begann se ealda siccetan and mid wópe wearþ ofergoten, Ælfc. T. Grn. 18, 1. as opposed to expressing grief by speech (?) Ða unryhtwísan sicettaþ (siccettaþ, Cott.

Linked entry: siccettan

galdor

(n.)
Grammar
galdor, gealdor, es; pl. nom. acc. galdor, galdru; gen. galdra; dat. galdrum; n. [galan to sing, enchant, q. v.]

An incantation ⬩ divination ⬩ enchantment ⬩ a charm ⬩ magic ⬩ sorcery ⬩ incantātio ⬩ cantio ⬩ carmen ⬩ fascĭnātio

Entry preview:

Sing ðæt galdor sing the charm, Lchdm. iii. 38, 3. Galdre bewunden encircled by enchantment, Beo. Th. 6097; B. 3052. Ne sceal nán man mid galdre wyrte besingan no man shall enchant a herb with magic, Homl. Th. i. 476, 8.

Linked entry: gealdor

þeáw

(n.)
Grammar
þeáw, es; m.

a custom, ⬩ usage ⬩ general practice of a community ⬩ mode of conduct, ⬩ custom, ⬩ manner ⬩ practice, ⬩ way, ⬩ usage of a class or kind ⬩ referring to animals ⬩ a practice of religion, ⬩ method of belief, ⬩ way of thinking, ⬩ legal usage ⬩ a custom, ⬩ habit, ⬩ manner, ⬩ mode of conduct of an individual ⬩ conduct, ⬩ behaviour

Entry preview:

Þeáwum lifian to live virtuously, Exon. Th. 319, 13; Víd. 11: Beo. Th. 4295; B. 2144. Ǽlc ðara ðe healdan wile hálige þeáwas every one who will maintain habits of holiness, Cd. Th. 92, 20; Gen. 1531

Bebban burh

(n.)
Grammar
Bebban burh,
  • Chr. 547; Th. 28, 25; 29, 24 : 641
    • ;
  • Th. 49, 3 : 993
    • ;
  • Th. 240, 17; 241, 16, col. 2
    • :
Bæbba-burh,
  • Chr. 1093; Th. 360, 6
    • :
Bebba-burh,
  • Chr. 1095 ; Th. 361, 39, 40
    • :
gen. -burge ; dat. -byrig ; acc. -burg, -burh; f.

BAMBOROUGH, in Northumberland ⬩ Babbæ oppidum in provincia Northanhymbrorum

Entry preview:

Ðá becom Penda, Myrcna cyning, to ðære cynelícan byrig, seó is nemned Bebban burh then came Penda, king of the Mercians, to the royal city, which is named Bamborough, Bd, 3, 16; S. 542, 18 : 3, 6; S. 528, 28.

Linked entries: Bæbban burh Bebba-burh

ríþ

(n.)
Grammar
ríþ, es; m. (v. eá-ríþ) : e; f. : ríþe, an; f .A rithe (v. Halliw. Dict. and Leo A. S. Names of Places, p. 86 : the word is still to be found in North Frisian in the form ride, rie, to denote the bed of running water),
Entry preview:

Th. i. 444, 10. Swelce hit ealllytlum ríþum tórinne, Past. 38; Swt. 277, 12 : 65; Swt. 469, 5 : Met. 5, 20. Tó ðam lande ðe fléwþ on ríþum meolce and hunies, Num. 16, 14. v. wæter-r-iþe and next word

ge-íþan

Grammar
ge-íþan, <b>ge-éðtan</b> in Dict., and add: to be gentle. v. eáþe,
Entry preview:

Take here Ic þé bidde ꝥ þú áríse, and wit þonne bégen biddan ꝥ God þysum wífe geýþe (gemiltsige, v. l. ), Gr. D. 216, 2. See next word

Linked entry: -íþan

bealcettan

(v.)
Grammar
bealcettan, belcettan, bealcan ; p. te ; pp. ted

To belch ⬩ utter ⬩ send forth ⬩ emit ⬩ eructare ⬩ dicere ⬩ emittere

Entry preview:

To belch, utter, send forth, emit; eructare, dicere, emittere Swéte to bealcetenne pleasant to belch, Bt. 22, 1; Fox 76, 32. Bealcetteþ heorte mín word gód eructat cor meum verbum bonum, Ps. Spl. 44, 1.

Linked entries: bylcettan balcettan bealcan belcettan

a-belgan

(v.)
Grammar
a-belgan, ic -beige, ðú -bilgst, -bilhst, he -bylgþ, -bilhþ, pl. -belgaþ; p. -bealg, -bealh, pl. -bulgon; pp. -bolgen, v. trans. [a, belgan to irritate]

To cause any one to swell with anger ⬩ to anger ⬩ irritate ⬩ vex ⬩ incense ⬩ ira aliquem tumefacere ⬩ irritare ⬩ exasperare ⬩ incendere

Entry preview:

Exon. 105b; Th. 402, 20; Rä. 21, 32. He abilhþ Gode he will incense God, Th. Dipl. 856; 117, 20. Ic ðe abealh I angered thee, Cd. 222; Th. 290, 4; Sat. 410: Beo. Th. 4550; B. 2280. God abulgan Deum exacerbaverunt, Ps. Th. 77, 41: Ex. 32, 29.

Linked entries: a-bæligan a-bealh a-bolgen a-bulgan a-bylgan æ-bilgan æ-bylgan ebylgan

þegnest

(n.)
Grammar
þegnest, (? related to þegnian as O. Sax. thionost,O. L. Ger. thianust, thienest, O. H. Ger. dionóst, Icel. þjónusta are to verbs thionón, dionón, þjóna respectively; or(?) þénest, þeónest the English form corresponding to the nouns given above. The passage in which the word occurs separately refers to Germany, so perhaps the German form has been borrowed(?): where it occurs as the first part of a compound the form is þeónest; in the same passage, which is late, eó is written where é is the more regular form, as heót for hét; perhaps, however, the Scandinavian form has influenced the English)

Service

Entry preview:

Service Þæs ilcan géres fór Aldréd biscop tó Colne ofer sǽ, and wearð ðær underfangen mid mycclan weorðscipe, and him geaf ǽgðer þéneste ge se biscop on Colone and se cásere, Chr. 1054; Erl. 189, 25. (This passage occurs in only one MS.)

Linked entry: þegnest-mann

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.