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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE ENDE