Changes to Old English vocabulary

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Animals

• aðexe: "lizard
  Lizard
  
  Lizards are a large and widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 5,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains....
  ." Lizard appeared in Middle English and is from Old French lesarde, from Latin lacertus . The earliest occurrence of the word (spelled lusarde) was in the Piers Plowman
  Piers Plowman
  
  Piers Plowman or Visio Willelmi de Petro Ploughman is the title of a Middle English allegorical narrative poem by William Langland. It is written in unrhymed alliterative verse divided into sections called "passus" ....
   (c. 1360–1399).

Cf. German Eidechse and Dutch hagedis.

• ælepute: "burbot
  Burbot
  
  The burbot , is the only freshwater gadiformes fish. It is also known as the lawyer, and eelpout, and closely related to the common ling and the cusk ....
  " The Old French
  Old French
  
  Old French was the Romance languages dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300....
   word borbote replaced ælepute by the Middle English
  Middle English
  
  Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman conquest of England of 1066 and about 1470, when the #Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the introduction of the printing press into England by William...
   period . Burbot first occurred in English around 1475.
  Note: The word's modern descendant "eelpout
  Eelpout
  
  The eelpouts are the ray-finned fish family Zoarcidae. As the common name suggests, they are somewhat eel-like in appearance, with elongate bodies, and the dorsal fin and anal fins continuous with the caudal fin....
  " is occasionally used for the burbot, although that term has come to define a different animal.
• cawelwyrm: "caterpillar
  Caterpillar
  
  Caterpillars are the larval form of a member of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly phytophagous in food habit, with some species being entomophagous....
  " (see leafwyrm)
• culfre: "dove
  Dove
  
  Pigeons and doves constitute the family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerine Aves....
  , pigeon." The Middle English
  Middle English
  
  Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman conquest of England of 1066 and about 1470, when the #Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the introduction of the printing press into England by William...
   dove is thought to come from Old English, but the assumed form (*dufe) is unattested, cf. dufedoppa below. Most likely common Germanic. .
  Has survived as rare/dialectal culver
  Culver
  
  Culver may refer to:...
  , a word the AHD
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
  
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is an American English dictionary of the English language published by Boston, Massachusetts publisher Houghton Mifflin, the first edition of which appeared in 1969....
   believes comes from Vulgar Latin
  Vulgar Latin
  
  Vulgar Latin is a blanket term covering the popular dialects and sociolects of the Latin which diverged from each other in the early Middle Ages, evolving into the Romance languages by the 9th century....
   colombula . The OED
  Oxford English Dictionary
  
  The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
   acknowledges this possibility but asserts that it is more likely native. Culver is first attested in English c. 825 and dove c 1200.
• deor: "animal
  Animal
  
  Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
  , beast
  Beast
  
  A beast is a somewhat antiquated term for an animal, especially a four-legged mammal.Beast or beasts may also refer to:...
  ." Deor, the etymon of English deer
  Deer
  
  Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae . A number of broadly similar animals from related families within the order even-toed ungulate are often also called deer....
  , simply meant "animal" or "beast" in Old English, although there are contextual uses of deor as deer
  Deer
  
  Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae . A number of broadly similar animals from related families within the order even-toed ungulate are often also called deer....
   as early as c. 893 (Ælfred
  Alfred the Great
  
  Alfred the Great , also spelled ?lfred, was king of the southern Anglo-Saxons kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899. Alfred is noted for his defence of the kingdom against the Danish people Vikings, becoming the only English people king to be awarded the epithet "the Great"....
  ). At some point in the Middle English
  Middle English
  
  Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman conquest of England of 1066 and about 1470, when the #Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the introduction of the printing press into England by William...
   period the more specific meaning of deer was common and by the end of the period, "deer
  Deer
  
  Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae . A number of broadly similar animals from related families within the order even-toed ungulate are often also called deer....
  " seemed to be the primary meaning.

Cf. German Tier, Dutch dier, Swedish djur, Danish and Norwegian dyr.

• dufedoppa: "pelican
  Pelican
  
  A pelican is a large water bird with a distinctive pouch under the beak, belonging to the bird Family Pelecanidae.Along with the darters, cormorants, gannets, boobys, frigatebirds, and tropicbirds, pelicans make up the order Pelecaniformes....
  ." "Pelican" appeared in Middle English and is ultimately from Ancient Greek
  Ancient Greek
  
  Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
  .
• ened: "duck
  Duck
  
  Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the Anatidae article; they do not represent a clade but a form taxon, being the Anatidae not considered swans and goose....
  , drake
  Duck
  
  Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the Anatidae article; they do not represent a clade but a form taxon, being the Anatidae not considered swans and goose....
  ." Drake first appeared c. 1300 and ened disappeared. The AHD
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
  
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is an American English dictionary of the English language published by Boston, Massachusetts publisher Houghton Mifflin, the first edition of which appeared in 1969....
   says the origin is unknown . Old High German
  Old High German
  
  The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of Old High German proper to 750 for this reason...
   antrahho seems to be a combination of ant (cognate of Old English ened) and trahho (cognate of drake), but the OED
  Oxford English Dictionary
  
  The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
   thinks that the conjectured cognate in Old English (*andrake) "has no basis of fact." The word "ened" likely has a PIE
  Proto-Indo-European language
  
  The Proto-Indo-European language is the unattested, linguistic reconstruction common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans....
   origin, cf. Latin anas, Lithuanian antis and Old Greek nessa ("duck"). "Duck" is from Old English *duce, presumably from O.E. verb ducan (duck, dive).

Cf. German Ente, Dutch eend, common Scandinavian and.

• fifalde: "butterfly
  Butterfly
  
  A butterfly is an insect of the Order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are notable for their unusual Biological life cycle with a larval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage, and a spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colourful winged adult form....
  " Old English also had the word butorfleoge as early as 1000, and this term of dubious origin (although the ultimately Greek word "butter
  Butter
  
  Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermentation cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications such as baking, sauce making, and frying....
  " is certainly the first element) eventually pushed out the entirely Germanic fifalde.

Cf. Old High German fîfaltarâ, German Falter, Old Saxon vivoldara, Southern Dutch vijfwouter, Old Norse fifrildi, Icelandic fiðrildi, Swedish fjäril (also Latin papilio).

• firgenbucca: "ibex
  Ibex
  
  An ibex is an individual of any of several species of wild mountain Capra , distinguished by the male's large recurved Horn_%28anatomy%29, which are transversely ridged in front....
  " Ibex is from Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
   ibex and first appeared in English (as ibecks) in 1607 in Edward Topsell's "The historie of foure-footed beastes".
  From firgen "wooded height", "mountain" (Cf. Gothic fairguni (mountain, Old High German Fergunna (Ore Mountains), and bucca, buck. (Cf. German Steinbock, Dutch (alpen)steenbok (ibex).
• gesceaft: "creature
  Creature
  
  A creature is a living organism. The term is derived from a widespread historical belief in creationism. The word is generally used to refer to non-human Animal but does include humans, and it is also sometimes used to mean monster....
  " (see gesceap)
• gesceap: "creature
  Creature
  
  A creature is a living organism. The term is derived from a widespread historical belief in creationism. The word is generally used to refer to non-human Animal but does include humans, and it is also sometimes used to mean monster....
  " Gesceap, the etymon of English shape
  Shape
  
  The shape of an object located in some space is the part of that space occupied by the object, as determined by its external boundary ? abstracting from other properties such as colour, content, and material composition, as well as from the object's other spatial properties ....
   that is documented as far back as c. 1050, had many meanings in Old English: "creature
  Creature
  
  A creature is a living organism. The term is derived from a widespread historical belief in creationism. The word is generally used to refer to non-human Animal but does include humans, and it is also sometimes used to mean monster....
  ," "creation
  Creation
  
  Creation may refer to:In religion and philosophy:*Creation myth, a supernatural mytho-religious story or explanation that describes the beginnings of humanity, earth, life, or the universe....
  ," "structure
  Structure
  
  Structure is a fundamental and sometimes intangible notion covering the recognition, observation, nature , and stability of patterns and relationships of entities....
  ," "form," "figure
  Figure
  
  Figure may refer to:*A shape, drawing, or representation*Figure 8*A person's Human physical appearance*Figurine of something**Action figure, in arts...
  ," "configuration
  Configuration
  
  The term configuration has several meanings:* Computer configuration* Electron configuration* Configuration * Configuration * Molecular configuration...
  ," "pudendum," "decree
  Decree
  
  A decree is an order made by a head of state or head of government and having the force of law. The particular term used for this concept may vary from country to country — the Executive order s made by the president of the United States, for example, are decrees....
  " and "destiny
  Destiny
  
  Destiny refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a Predeterminism future, whether in general or of an individual. It is a concept based on the belief that there is a fixed natural order to the universe....
  ." "Creature," ultimately from Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
   first entered English c. 1300 and actually pre-dates the word "create" in English . Gesceaft, "creation
  Creation
  
  Creation may refer to:In religion and philosophy:*Creation myth, a supernatural mytho-religious story or explanation that describes the beginnings of humanity, earth, life, or the universe....
  ," "origin
  Origin
  
  Origin is a word meaning "beginning." In this sense, it may refer to:*Origin , the beginning, starting-point, cause, or ultimate source, from which a thing is derived;...
  ," "constitution
  Constitution
  
  A constitution is a system for government — often codified as a written document — that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity....
  ," "nature
  Nature
  
  File:Jungle in Punjab.JPGNature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical universe, material world or material universe....
  ," "species
  Species
  
  In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
  ," has the same etymological
  Etymology
  
  Etymology is the study of the roots and history of words; and how their form and meaning have changed over time.In languages with a long detailed history, etymology makes use of philology, the study of how words change from culture to culture over time....
   root as gesceap. It is documented as early as 888 and occurs in this meaning in various forms as late as c. 1579 (as schaft).
• hacod: "mullet
  Mullet (fish)
  
  The mullets or grey mullets are a family of ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and in some species in fresh water also....
  " The OED
  Oxford English Dictionary
  
  The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
   lists hacod/haked as a dialect
  Dialect
  
  A dialect is a variety of a language that is characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors, such as social class....
  al name for a large pike and has a citation as late as 1847, but this word is not listed in any modern dictionary. "Mullet" appeared in Middle English and it ultimately comes from Ancient Greek
  Ancient Greek
  
  Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
   .

Probably related to haca (hook), cf. Modern English hake

Hake

The term hake refers to fish in either of* family Gadidae * family Merlucciidae .An old European source mentions a hake that was transplanted from the coast of Ireland to Cape Cod....
, Dutch heek (hake), German Hechte (esox

Esox

Esox is a genus of freshwater fish, the only living genus in the family Esocidae. The type species is E. lucius, the northern pike....
).

• hæferblæte: "bittern
  Bittern
  
  Bitterns are a classification of wading birds in the heron family Ardeidae. Species named bitterns tend to be the shorter-necked, often more secretive members of this family....
  " "Bittern" entered Middle English
  Middle English
  
  Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman conquest of England of 1066 and about 1470, when the #Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the introduction of the printing press into England by William...
   as botor and comes from Old French butor. It is attested in English c. 1000.
• higera: "jay
  Jay
  
  The jays are several species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the crow family Corvidae. The names jay and magpie are somewhat interchangeable, and the evolutionary relationships are rather complex....
  " Jai appeared in Middle English
  Middle English
  
  Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman conquest of England of 1066 and about 1470, when the #Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the introduction of the printing press into England by William...
   (c. 1310) and is from Old French
  Old French
  
  Old French was the Romance languages dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300....
  . The AHD
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
  
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is an American English dictionary of the English language published by Boston, Massachusetts publisher Houghton Mifflin, the first edition of which appeared in 1969....
   states that it is possibly from the Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
   praenomen
  Roman naming conventions
  
  By the Roman Republic and throughout the Roman Empire, a name in ancient Rome for a male citizen consisted of three parts : praenomen , nomen and cognomen ....
   Gaius
  Gaius (name)
  
  Gaius, alternately spelled Caius, was a common Roman praenomen. It is abbreviated C.; the abbreviation goes back to before the Roman alphabet distinguished between C and G....
  , but gives no possible reason for the semantic change
  Semantic change
  
  In historical linguistics, semantic change is a change in one of the meanings of a Word . Every word has a variety of senses and connotations which can be added, removed, or altered over time, often to the extent that cognates across space and time have very different meanings....
   . The OED
  Oxford English Dictionary
  
  The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
   does not address the "Gaius" theory, only stating that it cannot be identified with Old French gai "gay" . It instead acknowledges but does not comment on the possibility that it is from Old High German
  Old High German
  
  The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of Old High German proper to 750 for this reason...
   gâhi "swift, quick, lively."

Cf. German Häher.

• hwilpe: "curlew
  Curlew
  
  Curlew is the common name for the bird genus Numenius, a group of eight wader species, characterised by a long slender downcurved bill and mainly brown plumage with little seasonal change....
  ." The Middle English
  Middle English
  
  Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman conquest of England of 1066 and about 1470, when the #Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the introduction of the printing press into England by William...
   form curleu comes from Old French
  Old French
  
  Old French was the Romance languages dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300....
   courlieu which is possibly of onomatopoeic
  Onomatopoeia
  
  Onomatopoeia is a word or a grouping of words that imitates the sound it is describing, such as animal noises like "oink" or "meow", or suggesting its source object, such as "boom", "zoom", "click", "bunk", "clang", "buzz", "zap", or "bang"....
   origin . The OED
  Oxford English Dictionary
  
  The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
   also believes that it is probably onomatopoeic, but notes that its became assimilated to that of courlieu, curleu "courier
  Courier
  
  A courier is a person or company employed to deliver messages, Parcel and mail. Couriers are distinguished from ordinary mail services by features such as speed, security, tracking, signature, specialization and individualization of services, and committed delivery times, which are optional for most everyday mail services....
  , which is ultimately from Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
   currere "to run."
• iht: "creature
  Creature
  
  A creature is a living organism. The term is derived from a widespread historical belief in creationism. The word is generally used to refer to non-human Animal but does include humans, and it is also sometimes used to mean monster....
  " (see gesceap)
• leafwyrm: "caterpillar
  Caterpillar
  
  Caterpillars are the larval form of a member of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly phytophagous in food habit, with some species being entomophagous....
  ," literally "leaf
  Leaf
  
  In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
   worm
  Worm
  
  A worm is a common name given to a diverse group of invertebrate animals that have a long, soft body and no legs. There are hundreds of thousands of species of worms, 2,700 of these are earthworms....
  ," "leaf insect
  Insect
  
  Insects are the biggest class of arthropods and the only ones with wings. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet. They are most diverse at the equator and their diversity declines toward the poles....
  ." Webster's
  Webster's Dictionary
  
  Webster's Dictionary is the name given to a common type of English language dictionary in the United States. The name is derived from lexicographer Noah Webster and has become a genericized trademark for this type of dictionary....
   1897 version lists "leaf-worm" as "a caterpillar that devours leaves," but no modern dictionaries list this word. The cawel in cawelwyrm was a loan feom Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
   caulis "cabbage
  Cabbage
  
  The cabbage is a leafy garden plant of the Family Brassicaceae , used as a Leaf vegetable. It is a herbaceous, biennial plant, dicotyledonous flowering plant distinguished by a short stem upon which is crowded a mass of leaves, usually green but in some varieties red or purplish, forming a characteristic compact, globular cluster ....
  " and the last recorded use of it was c. 1000 (as cawelwurm). Mælsceafa (also "caterpillar") is attested as far back as Old English (c. 1000 in the writings of Ælfric
  Ælfric
  
  ?lfric was a late 10th century Archbishop of Canterbury, as well as previously holding the offices of abbot of St Albans and Bishop of Ramsbury, all of which are in England....
  ) and as late as 1398 (as malshaue). Mæl (meaning roughly meal
  Flour
  
  Flour is a powder made of cereal grains. It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many civilizations, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history....
   as in mealworm
  Mealworm
  
  Mealworms are the larva form of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle. Like all holometabolism insects, they go through four life-stages: egg , larva, pupa, and imago....
  ) is attested only in the compound mælsceafa, but it has many well-documented cognate
  Cognate
  
  Cognates in linguistics are words that have a common etymology origin.An example of cognates within the same language would be English shirt vs....
  s in other Germanic languages
  Germanic languages
  
  The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European languages language family. The common ancestor of all the languages in this branch is Proto-Germanic, spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Pre-Roman Iron Age....
   such as Old Icelandic and Swedish
  Swedish language
  
  Swedish is a North Germanic languages language, spoken by around 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the ?land islands....
  . The second component shares its root with shave
  Shaving
  
  Shaving is the removal of hair, by using razor or any other kind of bladed implement, to slice it down to the level of the skin. Shaving is most commonly practiced by men to remove their facial hair and by women to remove their leg, and underarm hair....
  . The ultimately Latin-derived "caterpillar" first showed up in English c. 1440 as catyrpel.
• mælsceafa: "caterpillar
  Caterpillar
  
  Caterpillars are the larval form of a member of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly phytophagous in food habit, with some species being entomophagous....
  " (see leafwyrm)
• mereswin: "dolphin
  Dolphin
  
  File:Bottlenose_Dolphin_KSC04pd0178.jpgDolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genus....
  ," "porpoise
  Porpoise
  
  Porpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. They are distinct from dolphins, although the word "porpoise" has been used to refer to any small dolphin, especially by sailors and fishermen....
  ," literally "sea
  SEA
  
  See also: Sea and seasThe three-letter acronym SEA may refer to:People/organizations/businesses*Scientists and Engineers for America, a pro-science political advocacy group....
   swine
  Pig
  
  Pigs, also called hogs or swine, are a genus of even-toed ungulates within the Family Suidae. The name pig, hog, or swine most commonly refers to the Domestic pig in everyday parlance, but technically encompasses several distinct species, including the Wild Boar....
  ." It is attested in Bald's Leechbook
  Bald's Leechbook
  
  The Leechbook of Bald is an Old English medical text probably compiled in the ninth-century, possibly under the influence of Alfred the Great's educational reforms....
   from the 10th century. The OED
  Oxford English Dictionary
  
  The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
   does not list "mereswine" as archaic or obsolete, but the last citation given is from Frank Charles Bowen's 1929 book "Sea slang: a dictionary of the old-timers' expressions and epithets." It does however list sea-swine "porpoise" (last citation 1884) as "obsolete except dialect
  Dialect
  
  A dialect is a variety of a language that is characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors, such as social class....
  ic." "Dolphin" entered English in the 12th century and it is ultimately from Ancient Greek
  Ancient Greek
  
  Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
   .

Cf. German Schweinswal (Lit. Pig's/ Swine's whale, porpoise).

• mushafoc: "buzzard
  Buzzard
  
  A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below....
  ," literally "mouse
  Mouse
  
  A mouse is a small animal that belongs to one of numerous species of rodents. The best known mouse species is the House Mouse . It is also a popular pet....
   hawk
  Hawk
  
  The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Europe and Asia, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genus Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis....
  ." It is not entirely clear which bird of prey
  Bird of prey
  
  Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. Their claws and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
   this word referred to. The OED
  Oxford English Dictionary
  
  The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
   lists multiple meanings for "mouse hawk," (Short-eared Owl
  Short-eared Owl
  
  The Short-eared Owl is a species of typical owl . Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears....
  , Hen Harrier
  Hen Harrier
  
  The Hen Harrier or Northern Harrier is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost United States, and in northern Eurasia....
  , Rough-legged Buzzard
  Rough-legged Buzzard
  
  The Rough-legged Buzzard , called the Rough-legged Hawk in North America, is a medium-large bird of prey. It is between 50 and 60 centimetres long with a 130 cm wingspan....
  ) but "mouse hawk" is an alternate name, not the prevailing name. The Middle English
  Middle English
  
  Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman conquest of England of 1066 and about 1470, when the #Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the introduction of the printing press into England by William...
   word busard first enter the language c. 1300 and it comes ultimately from Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
   buteo. .
• scræb: "cormorant
  Cormorant
  
  The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of Genus is disputed....
  ." "Cormorant" first enter English c. 1320 as cormerant. It is ultimately from the Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
   words for raven
  Raven
  
  Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus —but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied....
   and sea
  SEA
  
  See also: Sea and seasThe three-letter acronym SEA may refer to:People/organizations/businesses*Scientists and Engineers for America, a pro-science political advocacy group....
   .
  Probably related to or variant of scræf "cormorant".

Cf. German Scharbe, common Scandinavian skarv.

• ryðða: "mastiff
  English Mastiff
  
  The English Mastiff, often called simply Mastiff, is a large dog breed of dog descended from the ancient Alaunt and Molosser....
  ." The word "mastiff" appeared c. 1387 and it is ultimately of Latin origin .
• sisemus: "dormouse
  Dormouse
  
  Dormice are rodents of the family Gliridae. . Dormice are mostly found in Europe, although some live in Africa and Asia. They are particularly known for their long periods of hibernation....
  ." Dormouse (first attested in English in c. 1425) is not a combination of door
  Door
  
  A door is a moveable barrier used to cover an opening. Doors are used widely and are found in walls or partitions of a building or space, furniture such as cupboards, cage s, vehicles, and containers....
   and mouse
  Mouse
  
  A mouse is a small animal that belongs to one of numerous species of rodents. The best known mouse species is the House Mouse . It is also a popular pet....
  , but is though by some lexicographers
  Lexicography
  
  The pursuit of lexicography is divided into two related disciplines:*Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary....
   (including the editorial staff of the AHD
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
  
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is an American English dictionary of the English language published by Boston, Massachusetts publisher Houghton Mifflin, the first edition of which appeared in 1969....
  ) to be from Anglo-Norman
  Anglo-Norman language
  
  The Anglo-Norman language is a term traditionally used to refer to the variety of French used in England and to some extent elsewhere in the British Isles following the Norman conquest in 1066....
   dormeus "inclined to sleep, hiberating," which is ultimately from Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
   dormire "to sleep" . The OED
  Oxford English Dictionary
  
  The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
  , citing the Dutch
  Dutch language
  
  Dutch is a West Germanic languages spoken by over 22 million people as a first language, and about 5 million people as a second language."1% of the EU population claims to speak Dutch well enough in order to have a conversation." Outside the European Union the number of second language speakers of Dutch is very small. Most native...
   words slaep-ratte "sleep
  Sleep
  
  Sleep is the natural state of bodily rest observed in humans and other animals. It is common to all mammals and birds, and is also seen in many reptiles, amphibians and fish....
   rat
  Rat
  
  Rats are various medium sized, long-tailed rodents of the Family Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus....
  " and slaep-muys "sleep mouse," acknowledges the possibility of this derivation, but also point to the possibility that the first element is related to Old Norse dár "benumbed."
• wildhænn: "pheasant
  Pheasant
  
  Pheasants are a group of large birds in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, with males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattle and long tails....
  " (see worhana below).
• worhana: "pheasant
  Pheasant
  
  Pheasants are a group of large birds in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, with males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattle and long tails....
  " "Pheasant" appeared in English in 1299 (as fesaund) and is ultimately from Ancient Greek
  Ancient Greek
  
  Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
    (see also: wildhænn).
• wyrm: "serpent
  Serpent
  
  Serpent is a synonym for snake.Serpent and similar can also mean:* Serpent , the name given to a snake in a religious or mythological context...
  , snake
  Snake
  
  Snakes are elongate legless carnivore reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears....
  , dragon
  Dragon
  
  File:Ukiyo-e dragon 2.jpgThe dragon is a legendary creature with serpentine shape or otherwise reptilian traits that features in the mythology of many cultures....
  , insect
  Insect
  
  Insects are the biggest class of arthropods and the only ones with wings. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet. They are most diverse at the equator and their diversity declines toward the poles....
  " The OED
  Oxford English Dictionary
  
  The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
   lists all entries of wyrm/worm with this meaning as archaic and the latest citation given with this meaning is from William Morris
  William Morris
  
  William Morris was an English architect, furniture and textile designer, artist, writer, and Socialism associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement....
  's 1867 book "The life and death of Jason". The more specific, modern sense of worm as earthworm
  Earthworm
  
  Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. The earthworm is the most known worm in America, and other countries....
  , ringworm
  Ringworm
  
  Ringworm is a fungal infection of the skin in humans and domestic animals such as sheep and cattle. Fungi are organisms that survive by eating plant or animal material....
   tapeworm
  Cestoda
  
  Cestoda is a class of parasitic flatworms, commonly called tapeworms, that live in the digestive tract of vertebrates as adults and often in the bodies of various animals as juveniles....
   etc. goes back as far as 1000.

Cf. Swedish orm, Nynorsk orm (snake

Snake

Snakes are elongate legless carnivore reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears....
, serpent

Serpent

Serpent is a synonym for snake.Serpent and similar can also mean* Serpent , the name given to a snake in a religious or mythological context...
).

Body parts

• earsgang: "anus
  Anus
  
  The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to expel feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest, such as coprolite ; food material after all the nutrients have b...
  " The word anus
  Anus
  
  The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to expel feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest, such as coprolite ; food material after all the nutrients have b...
   did not enter English until 1658 and it was adopted directly from Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
   with no intermediary. The OED says that "arse
  Arse
  
  Arse is an English language term referring to the buttocks, first recorded circa 1400 and is commonly used in English speaking countries such as the British English, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, parts of Canada and former parts of the British Empire....
  " (the ears of earsgang is its etymon) is "obsolete in polite use" and the AHD
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
  
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is an American English dictionary of the English language published by Boston, Massachusetts publisher Houghton Mifflin, the first edition of which appeared in 1969....
   tags "ass" as "vulgar slang." Yet as late as 1704 Jonathan Swift
  Jonathan Swift
  
  Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish satire, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Dublin....
   wrote ("The Battle of the Books
  The Battle of the Books
  
  The Battle of the Books is the name of a short satire written by Jonathan Swift and published as part of the prolegomenon to his A Tale of a Tub in 1704....
  ") "after your Arse" which simply meant "behind you." (see also: setl, utgang).
• feorhbold: "body
  Body
  
  With regard to organism, a body is the integral physical material of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death....
  " (see also: feorhhold, feorhhus, lic, licfæt, lichoma)
• feorhhold: "body
  Body
  
  With regard to organism, a body is the integral physical material of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death....
  " (see also: feorhbold, feorhhus, lic, licfæt, lichoma)
• feorhhus: "body
  Body
  
  With regard to organism, a body is the integral physical material of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death....
  " (see also: feorhbold, feorhhold, lic, licfæt, lichoma)
• hresel: "radius
  Radius (bone)
  
  The radius is the bone of the forearm that extends from the lateral side of the Elbow-joint to the thumb side of the wrist. The radius is situated on the lateral side of the ulna, which exceeds it in length and size....
  " The word "radius' is of Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
   origin and its specific anatomical
  Anatomy
  
  Anatomy is a branch of biology that is the consideration of the body plan. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy ....
   meaning was first seen in English in 1615.
• lic: "body
  Body
  
  With regard to organism, a body is the integral physical material of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death....
  ," "trunk
  Trunk
  
  Trunk may refer to:In biology:*Trunk, torso*Trunk, an Elephant#Trunk*Trunk , a tree's central superstructureIn containers:*Trunk ...
  ," "torso
  Torso
  
  Torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies from which extend the neck and limbs. It is sometimes referred to as the trunk....
  ." Lic (at various times spelled like, lich, lych, lyche and lyke) is attested as far back as c. 900 and the last citation given with this more general meaning it is from c. 1400. However, the last citation with the meaning of "corpse
  Body
  
  With regard to organism, a body is the integral physical material of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death....
  " is from 1895. The word now survives only in obscure compounds such as "lych-gate" , "lych-owl" (so called because its screeching was thought by some to portend death), and "lyke-wake" (the watch kept over a dead body at night). The word is etymologically
  Etymology
  
  Etymology is the study of the roots and history of words; and how their form and meaning have changed over time.In languages with a long detailed history, etymology makes use of philology, the study of how words change from culture to culture over time....
   related to "like
  Like
  
  In the English language, the word like has a very flexible range of uses, ranging from conventional to non-standard. It can be used as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective, preposition, grammatical particle, conjunction, hedge , interjection, and quotative....
  ," so its original meaning is thought to be "form," "shape." . (see also: feorhbold, feorhhold, feorhhus, licfæt, lichoma)

Cf. German Leiche, Dutch lijk, Swedish and Norwegian lik, Danish lig (all "corpse").

• licfæt: "body
  Body
  
  With regard to organism, a body is the integral physical material of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death....
  " (see also: feorhbold, feorhhold, feorhhus, lic, lichoma)
• lichoma: "body
  Body
  
  With regard to organism, a body is the integral physical material of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death....
  " (see also: feorhbold, feorhhold, feorhhus, lic, licfæt)

Cf. German Leichnam (corpse), Dutch lichaam, Swedish lekamen, Nynorsk lekam, Danish legeme.

• lið: "joint
  Joint
  
  A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally....
  , limb" Lið (later spelled lith) is attested as early as c. 900 and the latest citation in the OED
  Oxford English Dictionary
  
  The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
   is 1872. The OED considers all modern occurrences to be archaic
  Archaism
  
  In language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately or as part of a specific jargon or formula ....
   or dialect
  Dialect
  
  A dialect is a variety of a language that is characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors, such as social class....
  ic. The word limb, also of Germanic
  Germanic languages
  
  The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European languages language family. The common ancestor of all the languages in this branch is Proto-Germanic, spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Pre-Roman Iron Age....
   origin, has come to replace lið.

Cf. German Glied, Dutch lid, Swedish and Danish led, Norwegian ledd.

• midhriðre: "diaphragm"
• nebb: "face
  Face
  
  The term face refers to the central sense organ complex, for those animals that have one, normally on the ventral surface of the head and can depending on the definition in the human case, include the hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, mouth, lips, philtrum, tooth, skin, and chin....
  " The OED
  Oxford English Dictionary
  
  The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
   gives modern definitions (Scottish
  Scots language
  
  Scots or Lowland Scots refers to the Germanic Variety derived from Middle English spoken in parts of Lowland Scotland, Northern Ireland and the border areas of the Republic of Ireland....
  , Irish English
  Hiberno-English
  
  Hiberno-English also known as Anglo-Irish and Irish English is English language as spoken in Ireland, partly the result of the interaction of the English and Irish languages....
  , Northern English
  Northern English
  
  Northern English is a group of dialects of the English language. It includes the North East England dialects, which is similar in some respects to Scots language....
  ) for "neb" such as "bird
  Bird
  
  Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
  's beak
  Beak
  
  The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which, in addition to eating, is used for Personal grooming#In animals, manipulating objects, killing prey, probing for food, Courtship#Courtship in the animal kingdom and feeding their young....
  " and "an animal
  Animal
  
  Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
  's nose
  Nose
  
  Anatomically, a nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which admit and expel air for Respiration in conjunction with the mouth....
  ," but the last citation given with the meaning of "a person's face" is from 1525. The AHD
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
  
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is an American English dictionary of the English language published by Boston, Massachusetts publisher Houghton Mifflin, the first edition of which appeared in 1969....
   similarly does not include the human face as a definition . (see also: ondwlita, onsien)

Cf. Dutch neb (beak).

• ocusta: "armpit" (see also: oxn). Armpit first shows up in English as arme-pytt in c. 1400.
  Probably related to such words as axis/axle and (derived) Latin axilla (armpit) etc. from PIE
  Proto-Indo-European language
  
  The Proto-Indo-European language is the unattested, linguistic reconstruction common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans....
   *aks- or similar.
  Has survived as English dialectal "oxter" (armpit/arm).
• ondwlita: "face
  Face
  
  The term face refers to the central sense organ complex, for those animals that have one, normally on the ventral surface of the head and can depending on the definition in the human case, include the hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, mouth, lips, philtrum, tooth, skin, and chin....
  " (see also: nebb, onsien)

Cf. German Antlitz, Swedish anlete.

• onsien: "face
  Face
  
  The term face refers to the central sense organ complex, for those animals that have one, normally on the ventral surface of the head and can depending on the definition in the human case, include the hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, mouth, lips, philtrum, tooth, skin, and chin....
  " (see also: nebb, ondwlita)

Cf. German Angesicht, Dutch aangezicht.

• oxn: "armpit" (see also: ocusta)
• setl: "anus
  Anus
  
  The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to expel feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest, such as coprolite ; food material after all the nutrients have b...
  " (see also: earsgang, utgang)
• teors: "penis
  Penis
  
  The penis is an external sex organ of certain biologically male organisms, in both vertebrates and invertebrates.The penis is a reproductive organ, technically an intromittent organ, and for Eutheria, additionally serves as the external organ of urination....
  " (see also: wæpen). Penis
  Penis
  
  The penis is an external sex organ of certain biologically male organisms, in both vertebrates and invertebrates.The penis is a reproductive organ, technically an intromittent organ, and for Eutheria, additionally serves as the external organ of urination....
   did not enter English until 1578. It was borrowed directly from Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
  .
• utgang: "anus
  Anus
  
  The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to expel feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest, such as coprolite ; food material after all the nutrients have b...
  " (see also: earsgang, setl)

Lit. "exit", "out-path", Cf. German Ausgang, Dutch uitgang (exit).

• wæpen: "penis
  Penis
  
  The penis is an external sex organ of certain biologically male organisms, in both vertebrates and invertebrates.The penis is a reproductive organ, technically an intromittent organ, and for Eutheria, additionally serves as the external organ of urination....
  " (see also: teors)
• wiðoban: "collarbone
  Clavicle
  
  In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is classified as a flat bone that makes up part of the shoulder girdle . It receives its name from the Latin clavicula because the bone rotates along its axis like a key when the shoulder is Abduction ....
  "

Colours

• æppelfealu: "orange
  Orange (colour)
  
  The color orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible Optical spectrum at a wavelength of about 585 ? 620 nanometre, and has a hue of 30? in HSV colour space....
  " lit. "apple
  APPLE
  
  This article is about the satellite APPLE. For the fruit apple, see Apple. For other uses see Apple .The Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment , was an experimental communication satellite with a C-Band transponder launched by Indian Space Research Organisation satellite on June 19, 1981 by Ariane 1, a launch vehicle of the European Spac...
  -pale"(see also: geoluread)
• basureadan: "purple
  Purple
  
  Purple is a general term for the range of shades of color occurring between red and blue. It occurs by mixing the primary colors red and blue in varying proportions, with possibly a very small quantity of the third primary color ....
  " lit. purple-red (see also: weolucbasu)
• geoluread: "orange
  Orange (colour)
  
  The color orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible Optical spectrum at a wavelength of about 585 ? 620 nanometre, and has a hue of 30? in HSV colour space....
  ", lit."yellow
  Yellow
  
  Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, but does not significantly stimulate the S cone cells; that is, light with much red and green but not very much blue....
  -red
  Red
  
  Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 625?740 Nanometer....
  " (see also: æppelfealu)
• weolucbasu: "purple
  Purple
  
  Purple is a general term for the range of shades of color occurring between red and blue. It occurs by mixing the primary colors red and blue in varying proportions, with possibly a very small quantity of the third primary color ....
  " lit. whelk
  Whelk
  
  A whelk is one of several species of large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks found in temperate waters.In North America, the word whelk is used for "busycon whelks", several species of large, usually edible Busycon snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Melongenidae....
  -purple (see also: basureadan)

Miscellaneous

• andwurde, andwyrde: "to answer
  Answer
  
  An answer was originally a solemn assertion in opposition to some one or something, and thus generally any counter-statement or defense, a reply to a question or objection, or a correct solution of a problem....
  " A combination of prefix and-(against, related to Greek anti-) and "wurde"(word
  Word
  
  A word is a unit of language that represents a concept which can be expressively communication with Meaning . A word consists of one or more morphemes which are linked more or less tightly together, and has a phonetic value....
  ), andwurde was replaced by andswerian (answer), (compound word of same prefix and "swear", probably common Germanic, attested at least before 900 CE) by the end of the 12th century.

Cf. German Antwort, Dutch antwoord.

• æðele: "noble
  Nobility
  
  Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary or for a lifetime. Titles of nobility exist today in many countries although it is usually associated with present or former monarchies....
  " also æðelu "noble descent," æðeling "hero," eðel "native land, home." Once a very common set of words with many extant compounds, this word group exists in Modern English only in the Germanic loanwords edelweiss
  Edelweiss
  
  Edelweiss , is one of the best-known European alpine plants, belonging to the sunflower family . The name comes from German language edel and wei? ....
    and Adelaide
  Adelaide (disambiguation)
  
  Adelaide is the English form of a Germanic given name, from Old High German Adalheidis "nobility".The name Addie is a diminutive of Adelaide....
  . The Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
  -derived "noble" and "gentle" (in its original English meaning of "noble") both appeared in English c. 1230.

Cf. German edel, Dutch edel.

• ge-: prefix used extensively in Old English, originally meaning "with", but later gaining several other usages, such as being used grammatically for the perfect tense, etc. Only survived in the archaic "gemot" (Meeting, cf. Witenagemot
  Witenagemot
  
  The Witenagemot or the Witena gemot , also known as the Witan was a political institution in Anglo-Saxon England which operated from before the seventh century until the eleventh century....
  ) and "yclept" (with later form y-). Also found in the rare German loanwords gemütlich and gemütlichkeit
  Gemütlichkeit
  
  is a German language abstract noun that has been adopted into English. Its closest equivalent is the word "coziness"; however, rather than merely describing a place that is compact, well-heated and nicely furnished , Gem?tlichkeit Connotation and denotation the notion of belonging, social acceptance, cheerfulness, the absence of anything hec...
  .

Cf. German ge-, Dutch ge-,

• gerim: "number
  Number
  
  A number is a mathematical object used in counting and measurement. A notational symbol which represents a number is called a Numeral system, but in common usage the word number is used for both the abstract object and the symbol, as well as for the numeral for the number....
  " (see worn)
• getæl: "number
  Number
  
  A number is a mathematical object used in counting and measurement. A notational symbol which represents a number is called a Numeral system, but in common usage the word number is used for both the abstract object and the symbol, as well as for the numeral for the number....
  " From prefix ge- and tæl, only survived in English with meanings related to speech (tell, tale), but with meanings related to numbers found in other Germanic cognates. (see worn)

Cf. German Zahl, Dutch getal, Swedish and Danish tal, Norwegian tall.

• hæmed: "sex
  Sexual intercourse
  
  Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which the Penis enters the Vagina. The two entities may be of opposite sexes or not, or they may be hermaphrodite, as is the case with snails....
  "
• liger: "sex
  Sexual intercourse
  
  Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which the Penis enters the Vagina. The two entities may be of opposite sexes or not, or they may be hermaphrodite, as is the case with snails....
  "
• mid: "with" Mid was used in Old English in nearly all instances where "with" is used in Modern English. It is attested in the earliest Old English manuscripts and the latest use cited in the OED
  Oxford English Dictionary
  
  The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
   is 1547 but this late example is possibly an intentional archaism
  Archaism
  
  In language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately or as part of a specific jargon or formula ....
  . Mid had been superseded by "with" by the end of the 14th century . If the beginning part of midwife
  Midwifery
  
  Midwifery is a health care profession where providers give prenatal care to pregnancy mothers, attend the Childbirth of the infant, and provide postpartum care to the mother and her infant....
   is a reflex of this ancient preposition
  Adposition
  
  In grammar, a preposition is a part of speech that introduces a adpositional phrase. For example, in the sentence "The cat sleeps on the sofa", the word "on" is a preposition, introducing the prepositional phrase "on the sofa"....
   (neither OED or AHD
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
  
  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is an American English dictionary of the English language published by Boston, Massachusetts publisher Houghton Mifflin, the first edition of which appeared in 1969....
   absolutely affirm this derivation ), it is the only trace of the "with" meaning left in Modern English. The word is probably originally derived from an Indo-European root meaning "middle", and related to the English prefix mid-, Latin medium, etc. Likely related to Greek µeta (meta) "in the midst of, among, with, after".

Cf. German mit, Dutch met, Common Scandinavian med.

• worn (m): "number
  Number
  
  A number is a mathematical object used in counting and measurement. A notational symbol which represents a number is called a Numeral system, but in common usage the word number is used for both the abstract object and the symbol, as well as for the numeral for the number....
  " "Number" is derived from Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
   numerus
  Numerus
  
  Numerus may refer to one of the following*Grammatical number*A military unit of 200-400 men, in the Roman EmpireSee also*Roman numerals...
   and it first appeared in English (as noumbre) c. 1300. French seems to be responsible for the word's first introduction, but its use was no doubt reinforced by its presence in other Germanic languages
  Germanic languages
  
  The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European languages language family. The common ancestor of all the languages in this branch is Proto-Germanic, spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Pre-Roman Iron Age....
  .
• ymb(e): "around, on both sides" Ymbe was both a preposition
  Adposition
  
  In grammar, a preposition is a part of speech that introduces a adpositional phrase. For example, in the sentence "The cat sleeps on the sofa", the word "on" is a preposition, introducing the prepositional phrase "on the sofa"....
   and a prefix and the only Modern English word that derives directly from it is the little-used Ember day , a Christian event. The Germanic
  Germanic languages
  
  The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European languages language family. The common ancestor of all the languages in this branch is Proto-Germanic, spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Pre-Roman Iron Age....
   loanword
  Loanword
  
  A loanword is a word directly taken into one language from another with little or no translation. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept whereby it is the Meaning or idiom that is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself....
  s ombudsman
  Ombudsman
  
  An ombudsman is an official, usually appointed by government or by a non-governmental public body, who is charged with investigating complaints by citizens and, where possible, resolving them, usually by making recommendations but sometimes through mediation....
    and umlaut
  Germanic umlaut
  
  In linguistics, umlaut is a process whereby a vowel is pronounced more like a vowel or semivowel in a following syllable.The term umlaut was originally coined and is principally used in connection with the study of the Germanic languages....
    come from the same Germanic root. It is also related more distantly to Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
   words starting with ambi- and Greek
  Ancient Greek
  
  Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
   words starting with amphi- .

Cf. German um, Dutch om, Common Scandinavian om.

• wig: "war
  War
  
  ...
  ," "combat
  Combat
  
  Combat, or fighting, is purposeful violence conflict intended to establish dominance over the opposition.The term "combat" typically refers to armed conflict between military forces in warfare, whereas the more general term "fighting" can refer to any violent conflict....
  ," "martial
  Martial
  
  Marcus Valerius Martialis , was a Latin language poet from Hispania best known for his twelve books of Epigrams, published in Ancient Rome between AD 86 and 103, during the reigns of the Roman emperor Domitian, Nerva and Trajan....
   power." There were many words of this base in Old English: wigan "to fight," gewegan "to fight," wigend "warrior
  Warrior
  
  According to the Random House Dictionary, the term warrior has two meanings. The first Literal and figurative language use refers to "a person engaged or experienced in warfare." The second Literal and figurative language use refers to "a person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness, as in politics or athletics...
  ." This group was used used extensively in Old English poetry
  Anglo-Saxon literature
  
  Anglo-Saxon literature encompasses literature written in Old English language during the 600-year Anglo-Saxon England period of England, from the mid-5th century to the Norman Conquest of 1066....
   due in part to the frequent alliterative
  Alliteration
  
  Alliteration is the repeated occurrence of a consonant sound at the beginning of several words in the same phrase. Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sound anywhere in a string of words, not just the initial sound as is in alliteration....
   need for a word starting with w
  W
  
  W is the 23 letter in the Latin alphabet. Its name in English language is spelled double-u ....
  . It is from the same base as Latin
  Latin
  
  Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
   vincere "to conquer
  Invasion
  
  An invasion is a Offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitics entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a territory, altering the established government or gaining c...
  ." Other than the archaic, Old Norse-derived "wight" , this group of words is lost to Modern English.

Cf. Swedish envig (holmgang

Holmgang

Holmgang was a duel practiced by Norsemen. It was a recognized way to settle disputes.Holmgang can be translated as "to go to a small island" or simply "island walk," perhaps a reference the duels taking place upon a small piece of hide or cloak placed on the ground....
).

Further reading

• "Word-Hoard: An Introduction to Old English Vocabulary" by Stephen A. Barney (ISBN 0-300-03506-3)
• "Wordcraft: New English to Old English Dictionary and Thesaurus" by Stephen Pollington (ISBN 1-898281-02-5)
• The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition (2000) (ISBN 0-395-82517-2)
• (paid membership)