From Old English to… New English!

1. From Old English to… New English! A journey into the ancestry of our beloved language

2. Words that Survived from Old English • Many words we use today were taken from Old English • Words that were common then were much more likely to be carried through to the present • For verbs, it is easiest to see if you imagine the word without its initial a- prefix and -an or -ian ending

3. Verbs • a-bacan - to bake • a-barian - to uncover/strip (bare oneself) • a-baernan - to cause something to burn, destroy something by fire • a-beatan - to beat, strike; to knock out (teeth) • a-belgan - to swell, make oneself larger • a-beran - to carry/bear (someone, something) • a-berstan - to burst; to break apart • a-biddan - to ask for, request, demand; to ask for (someone, something) • a-bitan - to bite, rend, tear with the teeth (someone, something) • a-blawan - (of a person) to blow, breathe out • ablawan uppan - to breathe upon • a-brecan - to break (something) apart, asunder, into pieces • a-clensian - to cleanse, free (something) from dirt or filth; to purify • a-clingan - to cling together

4. More Verbs • a-cursian - to curse, malign (someone) • a-dredan - to dread, fear • a-drincan - to drink • a-findan - to find, come upon by chance, discover • a-fyllan - to fill (something); to fill up, make full • a-hangian - to hang (in crucifixion) • a-metan - to measure, measure out • a-redian - to make ready, prepare, arrange (affairs, matters, etc.) • a-sincan - to sink down • a-seowan - to sew, stitch; “embroider with a needle” • a-singan - to sing (a song) through to its end (?) • a-sittan - to sit up/upright • a-spendan - to spend, spend entirely, expend (goods, wealth, etc.) • a-spinnan - to spin (thread) • a-spurnan - to cast down (one who is cast down, ruined, defeated)

5. Even More Verbs • A-stifian - to become stiff, rigid, unable to move; to stiffen • earnian - to earn • etan - to eat

6. Other Parts of Speech • abbod - Abbot, spiritual and administrative leader of a monastery • ambrosie - the plant ambrosia • baptista - baptist, one who baptizes (as title of John the Baptist) • baer - naked, unclothed (especially of the body), bare • beard - beard • bedding - bedding; bed • deaf - deaf • dea - the state of being dead (death) • dile - the herb dill • disciplin - discipline • eall - denoting the total number of entities in a group; all • eastre - Easter, Eastertide • east-wind - east wind • efen - even, equal; of a surface: even, level, flat • flint - (a kind of) hard stone or rock; used to produce flame • for - forwards in movement or direction • fyst - fist

7. Funny Other Parts of Speech • assa - ass, donkey (refers to either sex) • bastard - bastard, the byname of William the Conqueror • druncen - drunken, intoxicated • ear - ear (of grain), seed-bearing head or spike of cereal grass • ears - arse • earsode - having an arse (assed, i.e. half-assed)

8. Words that Did Not Make the Cut • Abbodesse - in phrases referring to the office of the abbess • abecede - an ABC, the alphabet • a-beteon - to reproach, accuse • a-bifian - to tremble, shake • a-blindian - to become blind (note: NOT “to blind”) • a-breotan - to kill (someone), destroy (something) • a-spillan - to kill • assen - she-ass • be-dician - to surround with a ditch or embankment • be-digling - secret place • dagian - to dawn, become day • deorfan - to work, labor • dry - magician, sorcerer, soothsayer (possible root for Druid) • ead - happiness, well-being • eft - again, another time • ell - other

9. Interesting Parallels (?) • A-blacian - to turn pale (of the face or body); to grow dim (of shiny things) • a-blecan - to whiten, make white • a-blissian - to make glad, please • acordan - to agree, reconcile; to come to an agreement • a-deadian - to die (of the body and its parts) • a-deafian - to grow deaf, become deaf (NOT to deafen) • a-delfan - to dig (something) • a-hwider - to any place, in any direction; anywhere • a-hwidere - to somewhere else, in another direction • a-hwistlian - to speak indistinctly • a-pyffan - to breath out, exhale (a breath) • beadu - battle, conflict • bealdnes - boldness, courage, valour • bedd-rida - bedridden, paralytic • byrθere - child-bearing woman, mother • forstig - frosty

10. THE ENDE