Latest posts tagged with #MiddleEnglish on Bluesky
March 11th: The outdated word for today is "myrknes," meaning "darkness."
Pronunciation (I think): MEHRK-nes.
Source: Rolle, R. (Circa 1400.) Love is Life (Cambridge University Library manuscript DD.5.64, III).
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
What a ride down #English language #History 🤩:
“How Far Back In Time Can You Understand English?”, Colin Gorrie (www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/how-far-ba...
Via HN: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4706...
#Languages #Linguistics #Writing #OldEnglish #MiddleEnglish #England
March 6th: The outdated term for today is "ben fordon," meaning "come to grief."
Source: Mannyng, R. (Circa 1338.) Mannyng's Chronicle; see line 85 in the Prologue.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
See you Monday!
March 2nd: The outdated word for today is "eisell," meaning "vinegar."
Pronunciation (I think): eyes-ELL.
Source: Anonymous. (Circa 1540.) Untitled carol from a manuscript at Balliol College, Oxford.
First line: "Now, blessed bird, we pray thee a boon."
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
This was such a mindfuck! I tapped out at 1200s. How far did you get? www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/how-far-ba... #language #words #english #middleenglish #oldenglish
February 26th: The outdated word for today is "hagherlych," meaning "as is fitting" or "decently."
Pronunciation (I think): hag-HER-leek.
Source: "The Pearl Poet." (Late 1300s.) Cleanness; see line 18.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
February 23rd: The outdated word for today is "heggen," meaning "to trim hedges."
Pronunciation: heg-GEN (with a double hard "g").
Source: Langland, W., Wright, T. (1877). Piers Plowman (C-text; see line 19). London: Reeves and Turner.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
February 20th: The outdated word for today is "tendeþ," meaning "to set on fire."
Pronunciation: tend-ETH.
Source: Anonymous. (Circa 1250.) Floris and Blanchefleur. See line 672.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
See you Monday!
February 19th: The outdated word for today is "targeþ," meaning "delay."
Pronunciation: tar-GETH (with a hard "g").
Source: Anonymous. (Circa 1250.) Floris and Blanchefleur. See line 226.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
February 13th: Today's outdated word is "ambesas," meaning "snake eyes" (as in dice).
Pronunciation (I think): am-BEHS-as.
Source: Coleridge, H. (1863.) A Dictionary of the First, or Oldest Words in the English Language. London: John Camden Hotten.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
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February 6th: The outdated word for today is "sunder-lupes," meaning "severally."
Pronunciation (I think): SUN-der-lup-EHS.
Source: "The Pearl Poet." (Late 1300s.) Patience; see line 12.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
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February 4th: The outdated word for today is "bidene," meaning "together" or "at once." This is sometimes spelled "bydene."
Pronunciation (I think): bi-DEHN-eh.
Source: Anonymous. (1300s.) The Stanzaic Morte Arthur (where it's used lots).
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
January 30th: The outdated word for today is "rown," meaning "whisper."
Source: Lydgate, J. (1415.) The Siege of Harfleur and the Battle of Agincourt.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
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January 28th: The outdated word for today is "unketh," meaning "unknown" or "strange." Compare the Modern English "uncouth."
Source: Source: Anonymous. (1400s.) A Little Geste of Robin Hood.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
January 26th: The outdated word for today is "encheson," meaning "by reason of" or "because."
Pronunciation (I think): en-CHEH-sawhn.
Source: Occleve, T. (1402.) The Letter of Cupid.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
January 23rd: Today’s outdated word is "moreyn," meaning "plague." This is the basis of the later word “murrain.”
(www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/m...)
Pronunciation: moor-AEHN.
Source: Trivisa, J. (1387.) Translation of Higdon's Polychronicon.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
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January 21st: The outdated word for today is "niȝt-olde," meaning literally "night-old." That weird letter is a yogh (pronounced "yoke").
Pronunciation (maybe): NIKT-old-eh.
Source: Source: Langland, W. (Approx.1362) Piers Plowman; see line 303 of the B-Text.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
January 19th: The outdated word for today is "outraye," meaning "to trangress." Compare the Modern English "outré."
Pronunciation (I think): oo-TRAH-yeh.
Source: Anonymous. (1377.) On the Death of Edward III; see line 69.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
January 16th: The outdated word for today is "rerd," meaning "loud voice."
Source: Anonymous. (Circa 1475.) The Towneley Play of Noah; see line 100.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
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January 14th: The outdated word for today is "hauer-cake," meaning "oat-cake."
Pronunciation (I think): HAV-er-CAY-keh.
Source: Langland, W. (Approx.1362) Piers Plowman; see line 277 of the B-Text.
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
January 12th: The outdated word for today is "foysoune," meaning "abundance" or "great number."
Pronunciation (I think): foy-SOWN-eh.
Source: Barbour, J. (Circa 1375.) The Bruce; see line 166.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brus
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
One of 3.000 copies. Details here: www.typeandforme.com/index.php/20...
#Tolkien #MiddleEnglish #RareBooks #Medieval #BookCollecting
Part of the OED entry for "ablative", with examples from 1400 to 1612. The spelling is a thing of beauty. c 1400 When we haf a reson witouten a verbe we sal sette it in þe ablatif case absolute. c 1450 What case wyll the comparatyf degre haue aftur hym? An ablatyf case of eyther noumbre wythoute a preposicion. a 1504 All adiectyues in the plurel nombre hath one voyce for all gendres in the datyf and the ablatyf case. 1520 Somtyme hit is put in the ablatyue case absolute. 1612 A. The Ablatiue case absolute. Q. What meane you by absolute? A. Without other gouernment.
[Alt-text is quite long and largely in Middle English.]
English spelling has definitely gone downhill since 1400. #MiddleEnglish #OED #language
November 19th: From Middle English, today’s outdated word is "dalf," the past tense of "delven," meaning "to dig."
Per John Ball: "When Adam dalf, and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?"
Source: Ball, J. (1381.) Untitled sermon.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peasant...
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
Per usual, here's a link to the full translation-to-date for my version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:
alliteration.net/poetry/sggk/
#alliterative #MiddleEnglish #poetry #SirGawain #greenKnight #medievalsky #poetrysky #poetrylovers #alliterativeverse
Though he arrayed himself in his richest clothing – his coat bearing his crest exquisitely stitched, vivid against velvet, a vision of jewels embodying the bright virtues, with embroidered seams, and a fine fur lining sewn from the finest pelts – still he did not neglect the lady’s gift, the girdle she supplied. For his own good, Sir Gawain could not forgo that token. He belted his blade upon his broad hips, wrapped the lace in a ring around himself twice, then swiftly cinched it snug at his waist. That girdle of green silk suited Gawain well. Against his royal red clothing it made a rich display. But it was not his purpose to display such treasure, nor was it for pride in its pendants, polished though they were, with glittering gold glistening from their tips. He sought only to save himself from harm when he must bow his head to the bite of knife or sword. By then his mind was set on the road that lay before. The servants bowed, and yet he thanked them even more.
Here's stanza #81 in my ongoing online translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This was a hard stanza to translate, but I'm fairly happy with what I ended up with.
#SirGawain #GreenKnight #alliterative #MiddleEnglish #poetry #medievalsky #poetrysky #poetrylovers #alliteativeverse
suno.com/s/k5xYToH3WJ...
#ArthurianMiddleEnglish or #highmedieval #MiddleEnglish
#europe #art #usa meow meow meow #furryartist
November 17th: The outdated word for today is "derne," meaning "secret" or "remote."
Pronunciation (I think): DEHR-neh.
Source: Anonymous. (1400s.) A Little Geste of Robin Hood.
chaucer.fas.harvard.edu/gest-robyn-h...
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
November 13th: The outdated verb for today is "to thwang," meaning "to be flogged."
Source: "The Wakefield Master." (Fourteenth Century.) The Wakefield Second Shepherds' Play.
pressbooks.nvcc.edu/eng245britli...
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
November 10th: The outdated word for today is "sluchched," meaning "filthy."
Pronunciation (I think): SLOOSH-ched.
Source: "The Gawain Poet." (Late 1300s.) Patience. See line 342. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patienc...
#OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish
