wrīting-feþer

Posted on November 7, 2021 by Hana Videen

wrīting-feþer, f.n: pen (writing-feather). (WREE-ting-FEH-ther / ˈwriː-tɪŋ-ˌfɛ-θɛr)

Medieval manuscript illustration of a man with a monk’s tonsure sitting at a desk, writing in a book, a quill in one hand and knife in the other; a tiny, tonsured assistant labelled Heinre helpfully holds out an ink horn. — Donatus writing his Grammar; Germany, 12th century; British Library, Arundel 43, f. 80v. [bl.uk]

īren-gelōma

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Hana Videen

īren-gelōma, m.n: iron implements. (EE-ren-yeh-LO-ma / ˈiː-ɹɛn-jɛ-ˌloː-ma)

Medieval manuscript image of a blacksmith holding a hammer in one hand and in the other hand a tool positioning a horseshoe on an anvil. — Book of Hours. England (London), c. 1320-c. 1330. British Library, Harley 6563, f. 68v. [bl.uk]

geafel

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Hana Videen

geafel, m.n: fork. (YEH-ah-vel / ˈjɛa-vɛl)

A manuscript illustration shows two hairy brown devils forcing three naked humans into the flames in a giant beast's mouth. One of the sharp implements used to poke and prod the humans appears to be a long fork. — *Breviari d’Amor*. S France (Toulouse?), 1st quarter of 14th century. British Library, Royal MS 19 C I, f. 185v. [blogs.bl.uk]

fīr-scofl

Posted on December 21, 2019 by Hana Videen

fīr-scofl, f.n: a fire-shovel. (FEER-SHOV-ull)

blōd-seax

Posted on October 4, 2018 by Hana Videen

blōd-seax, n.n: a blood-knife, a lancet. (BLOAD-say-aks)

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Surgeon removes ‘fungus’ (possibly a polyp) from patient’s nose in a 12th-century medical miscellany. Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ashmole 1462, f. 10r. The MacKinney Collection of Medieval Medical Illustrations. [dc.lib.unc.edu]

mete-awul

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Hana Videen

mete-awul, m.n: a meat-hook, flesh-hook (a culinary tool used to retrieve large chunks of meat from cooking pots). (MEH-teh-AH-wul)

Anglo-Saxon iron flesh-hook. Northumbria (England), 9th-10th century. British Museum 1995,0901.20. [britishmuseum.org]

snid-īsen

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Hana Videen

snid-īsen, n.n: a lancet (a small, broad, two-edged surgical knife or blade with a sharp point). [SNID-EE-zen]

Aldobrandino of Siena’s Le Régime du corps. France, N. (Lille?), 3rd quarter of the 13th century (perhaps c. 1285). British Library, Sloane 2435, fol. 11v. [bl.uk]

Thanks to @RTGoodman and @jmcarolan for identifying today’s image!