Old English Wordhord

Old English Word of the Day

Navigation

Skip to content
  • About
  • Linktree
  • Books
    • The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English
    • The Deorhord: An Old English Bestiary
    • Book Illustrations
  • App
  • Events
  • Podcasts
  • Merch
  • More content on Patreon
  • Goldgifa Page
  • Pronunciation
  • Not “Anglo-Saxon”
  • Medieval Resources

Post navigation

← Older posts
Newer posts →

bēor-dræste

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Hana Videen

bēor-dræste, f.n: dregs of bēor (an alcoholic drink brewed from various fruits and honey). (BAY-or-DRAST-uh / ˈbeːɔr-ˌdræs-tə)

Posted in food + drink Leave a comment

symbel

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Hana Videen

symbel, n.n: feast, banquet. (SUEM-bell / ˈsym-bɛl)

Medieval manuscript image of two angels sitting behind a long table with dishes of food and a drinking horn; one holds a knife and the other a cup, and they are looking off to the right.
Old English Hexateuch; England (Canterbury), 11th-12th century; British Library, Cotton MS Claudius B IV, f. 31v. [bl.uk]
Posted in food + drink, wordhord book Leave a comment

geswīc

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Hana Videen

geswīc, str.v: stop! (yeh-SWEECH / jɛ-ˈswiːtʃ)

A dark, emu-like bird with a long neck, small head, a large eye and beak in profile against a blue background; there’s a large egg on the ground, and in the bird’s mouth is a horseshoe.
Richard de Fournival’s Li Bestiaires, 1285; Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Département des Manuscrits, Français 412, f. 242v. [gallica.bnf.fr]
Posted in etc Leave a comment

ge-byhþ

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Hana Videen

ge-byhþ, f.n: dwelling, abode. (yeh-BUE’HTH / jɛ-ˈbyxθ)

Medieval manuscript image of a person standing inside a building that has four columns, two of which are draped with ceiling-to-floor curtains, and a door that looks too small for the person.
Old English Hexateuch; England (Canterbury), 11th-12th century; British Library, Cotton MS Claudius B IV, f. 27v. [bl.uk]
Posted in places Leave a comment

gicþa

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Hana Videen

gicþa, m.n: itch, itching. (YITCH-tha / ˈjɪtʃ-θa)

Posted in body + health Leave a comment

orþian

Posted on July 24, 2022 by Hana Videen

orþian, wk.v: to breathe, pant. (OR-thi-ahn / ˈɔr-θɪ-an)

Medieval manuscript image of a hairy, orange beast with ears and human eyes and eyebrows exhaling a white mist, by which a group of various animals (goats, a lion, a unicorn, etc.) seem entranced.
Bestiary; England, 1226-1250; Bodleian Library, MS. Bodley 764, f. 7v. [digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk]
Posted in body + health Leave a comment

sige-hwīl

Posted on July 23, 2022 by Hana Videen

sige-hwīl, f.n: time of victory, hour of victory. (SIH-yuh-HWEEL / ˈsɪ-jə-ˌhwiːl)

Posted in time + seasons, wordhord book 1 Comment

heofon-steorra

Posted on July 22, 2022 by Hana Videen

heofon-steorra, m.n: star. (HEH-ov-on-STEH-or-ra / ˈhɛɔ-vɔn-ˌstɛɔr-ra)

Medieval manuscript image of a man sitting contemplatively beside a tree and in the sky above is a crescent moon and a dozen or so stars; each star is a circle with eight disconnected lines radiating out from them.
Harley Psalter; England (Canterbury), first half of 11th century; British Library, Harley MS 603, f. 16v. [bl.uk]
Posted in etc Leave a comment

twi-fēre

Posted on July 21, 2022 by Hana Videen

twi-fēre, adj: having two ways, accessible by two ways. (TWI-VAY-ruh / ˈtwɪ-ˌveː-rə)

Posted in travel + trade Leave a comment

ēam

Posted on July 20, 2022 by Hana Videen

ēam, m.n: uncle (mainly on the mother’s side). (AY-ahm / ˈeːam)

This week’s Wordhord Wednesday post is on uncles and aunts. Read it on Patreon.

Posted in people Leave a comment

Post navigation

← Older posts
Newer posts →

Find Posts

Support

Become a Goldgifa to support my work and read additional content.

  • Patreon

Follow

  • Bluesky
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Mastodon
Download on the App Store

Website Powered by WordPress.com.
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Old English Wordhord
      • Join 683 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Old English Wordhord
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar

Loading Comments...