Old English Dictionary

1. but, however
2. but rather, on the contrary

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "ac" · Wiktionary, “ac” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

Also spelled æðeling

1. prince, nobleman
2. (poetic) man, hero

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "æþeling" · Wiktionary, “æþeling” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

Also spelled ond

1. and

Spelled ond just as often in the manuscripts.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "and" · Wiktionary, “and” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. bone

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "bān" · Wiktionary, “bān” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. child, offspring
2. (poetic) son, descendant

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "bearn" · Wiktionary, “bearn” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. bright, shining
2. clear, brilliant

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "beorht" · Wiktionary, “beorht” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. to bear, carry
2. to give birth to

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "beran" · Wiktionary, “beran” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. blood

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "blōd" · Wiktionary, “blōd” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. book
2. written document, charter

The nominative plural is bēc.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "bōc" · Wiktionary, “bōc” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. to break
2. to violate, break (a law or agreement)

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "brecan" · Wiktionary, “brecan” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. brother
2. fellow member of a religious community

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "brōþor" · Wiktionary, “brōþor” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. common freeman, peasant
2. man, husband

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "ceorl" · Wiktionary, “ceorl” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. to come
2. to arrive; to come about, happen

Past tense cōm, plural cōmon.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "cuman" · Wiktionary, “cuman” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. queen
2. woman of high rank; wife

A related word, cwene, meant a woman of lower standing.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "cwen" · Wiktionary, “cwen” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. king

Plural cyningas.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "cyning" · Wiktionary, “cyning” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. day
2. daylight
3. lifetime (usually plural: dagas)

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "dæg" · Wiktionary, “dæg” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. death

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "dēaþ" · Wiktionary, “dēaþ” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. dark, dim
2. gloomy, obscure

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "deorc" · Wiktionary, “deorc” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. daughter

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "dohtor" · Wiktionary, “dohtor” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. to drink

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "drincan" · Wiktionary, “drincan” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. eye

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "ēage" · Wiktionary, “ēage” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

Also spelled ald

1. old, aged
2. ancient, long-standing

Comparative ieldra, superlative ieldest — the source of elder/eldest.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "eald" · Wiktionary, “eald” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. ear (organ of hearing)

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "ēare" · Wiktionary, “ēare” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. courage, bravery
2. strength, vigour

Poetry normally treats ellen as neuter; the dative singular is elne.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "ellen" · Wiktionary, “ellen” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. nobleman, warrior
2. earl (later a titled rank)

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "eorl" · Wiktionary, “eorl” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. to eat

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "etan" · Wiktionary, “etan” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. father
2. male ancestor

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "fæder" · Wiktionary, “fæder” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. to go, travel
2. to sail

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "faran" · Wiktionary, “faran” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. to fight
2. to contend, struggle

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "feohtan" · Wiktionary, “feohtan” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. fish

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "fisc" · Wiktionary, “fisc” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. people, nation
2. army, host

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "folc" · Wiktionary, “folc” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. foot

The nominative plural is fēt, the source of modern foot/feet.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "fōt" · Wiktionary, “fōt” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. peace
2. protection, sanctuary

Breaking a lord’s or king’s friþ was a legal offence.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "friþ" · Wiktionary, “friþ” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. bird, fowl

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "fugol" · Wiktionary, “fugol” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. fire

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "fȳr" · Wiktionary, “fȳr” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. to go
2. to walk, move

The past tense is another word altogether: ēode — compare go/went.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "gān" · Wiktionary, “gān” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. young, youthful

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "geong" · Wiktionary, “geong” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

Also spelled gifan, gyfan

1. to give

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "giefan" · Wiktionary, “giefan” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

Also spelled gyf

1. if
2. whether

The g was soft here — pronounce it ‘yif’.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "gif" · Wiktionary, “gif” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. good
2. brave, virtuous
3. fine, excellent (of things)

Comparative betera, superlative betst — the same leap as good/better/best.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "gōd" · Wiktionary, “gōd” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. war, battle
2. combat, fighting

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "gūþ" · Wiktionary, “gūþ” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. to heal, cure
2. to save

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "hǣlan" · Wiktionary, “hǣlan” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. hand
2. power, control

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "hand" · Wiktionary, “hand” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. he; it (masculine)

Gender is grammatical: hēo is ‘she’, hit is ‘it’.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "hē" · Wiktionary, “hē” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. head
2. chief, leader

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "heafod" · Wiktionary, “heafod” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. high, tall
2. exalted, important

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "hēah" · Wiktionary, “hēah” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. hall
2. mead-hall — the centre of a lord’s household

Beowulf’s great hall is called Heorot.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "heall" · Wiktionary, “heall” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. hart, stag
2. deer

Heorot is also the name of Hrothgar’s great hall in Beowulf.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "heorot" · Wiktionary, “heorot” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. heart
2. mind, courage

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "heorte" · Wiktionary, “heorte” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. lady, mistress of a household
2. woman of high rank

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "hlǣfdige" · Wiktionary, “hlǣfdige” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. lord, master
2. husband (as head of a household)

From hlāf-weard, ‘loaf-ward’ — the one who guards the bread.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "hlāford" · Wiktionary, “hlāford” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. horse

The nominative plural is unchanged: hors.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "hors" · Wiktionary, “hors” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. dog, hound

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "hūnd" · Wiktionary, “hūnd” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

Also spelled hwat

1. lo! behold! — calls the audience to attention
2. what? (neuter of hwā, ‘who’)

Famously the first word of Beowulf.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "hwæt" · Wiktionary, “hwæt” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. I (first person singular)

Always written lower-case in manuscripts; the -c sounded like modern ‘ch’.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "ic" · Wiktionary, “ic” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

Also spelled lifgan

1. to live, be alive
2. to dwell

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "libban" · Wiktionary, “libban” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. life, lifetime
2. way of life

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "līf" · Wiktionary, “līf” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. love

The verb is lufian, ‘to love’.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "lufu" · Wiktionary, “lufu” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. little, small
2. few, not much

Comparative lǣssa, superlative lǣst — the source of less/least.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "lȳtel" · Wiktionary, “lȳtel” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

Also spelled monn, mon

1. human being, person (of either sex)
2. man; vassal, liegeman

Also an indefinite pronoun: man cwæþ = ‘one said, it was said’.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "mann" · Wiktionary, “mann” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

Also spelled mycel

1. great, large, big
2. much, a lot of

Comparative māra, superlative mǣst — the source of more/most.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "micel" · Wiktionary, “micel” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. mother

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "mōdor" · Wiktionary, “mōdor” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. moon

Grammatically masculine; the sun (sunne) is feminine.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "mōna" · Wiktionary, “mōna” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. mouth
2. opening, entrance

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "mūþ" · Wiktionary, “mūþ” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. night

Time was counted in nights — compare ‘fortnight’.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "niht" · Wiktionary, “niht” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. to take
2. to seize, capture

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "niman" · Wiktionary, “niman” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. new, fresh
2. recent

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "nīwe" · Wiktionary, “nīwe” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

Also spelled nu

1. now, at this time
2. now that, since

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "nū" · Wiktionary, “nū” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. to read
2. to advise, counsel
3. to interpret, explain

Besides ‘read’, rǣdan can mean ‘advise’ or ‘interpret’, as in swefn rǣdan, ‘to interpret a dream’.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "rǣdan" · Wiktionary, “rǣdan” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. kingdom, realm
2. rule, dominion

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "rīce" · Wiktionary, “rīce” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. to ride, especially on horseback

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "rīdan" · Wiktionary, “rīdan” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. sea
2. lake, large pool

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "sǣ" · Wiktionary, “sǣ” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. ship

The nominative plural is scipu.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "scip" · Wiktionary, “scip” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. to sing
2. to chant, recite in verse

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "singan" · Wiktionary, “singan” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

Also spelled slēpan, slāpan

1. to sleep

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "slǣpan" · Wiktionary, “slǣpan” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. truth, what is true
2. (as adjective) true

‘Forsooth’ comes from for sōþ — ‘for truth’.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "sōþ" · Wiktionary, “sōþ” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. to speak
2. to say, utter

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "sprecan" · Wiktionary, “sprecan” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. to stand
2. to remain, endure

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "standan" · Wiktionary, “standan” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. strong, powerful
2. severe, forceful

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "strang" · Wiktionary, “strang” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. sun

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "sunne" · Wiktionary, “sunne” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. son

An old u-noun — the plural is suna.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "sunu" · Wiktionary, “sunu” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

Also spelled swa

1. so, in this or that way
2. as, like — swā … swā = as … as
3. also, likewise

Doubled for comparisons: swā lang swā = ‘as long as’.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "swā" · Wiktionary, “swā” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

Also spelled swurd, sword

1. sword

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "sweord" · Wiktionary, “sweord” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. sister

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "sweostor" · Wiktionary, “sweostor” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

Also spelled þa

1. then, at that time
2. when, after (a single past event)
3. the, those (plural of sē)

One spelling, several words: the adverb ‘then’ and the plural of ‘the’ look identical — context decides.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "þā" · Wiktionary, “þā” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. thane — a warrior holding land from a lord
2. servant, retainer

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "þegn" · Wiktionary, “þegn” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. then, at that time
2. when, whenever (repeated or future events)
3. than (after a comparative)

Overlaps with þā; as a rule of thumb, þonne goes with general or future statements.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "þonne" · Wiktionary, “þonne” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

Also spelled þrymm

1. glory, magnificence
2. might, power
3. host, multitude

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "þrym" · Wiktionary, “þrym” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

Also spelled þu

1. thou — you, one person

Strictly singular; the plural is ġē (compare archaic ‘ye’).

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "þū" · Wiktionary, “þū” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. we (first person plural)

A dual form, wit — ‘we two’ — also existed.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "wē" · Wiktionary, “wē” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. man, male human
2. husband

Survives in ‘werewolf’ — literally ‘man-wolf’.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "wer" · Wiktionary, “wer” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. woman
2. wife

Grammatically neuter, despite its meaning; wīfmann (‘woman’) became modern ‘woman’.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "wīf" · Wiktionary, “wīf” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. wise
2. learned, prudent

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "wīs" · Wiktionary, “wīs” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. wisdom
2. knowledge, learning

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "wīsdōm" · Wiktionary, “wīsdōm” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. word
2. speech, utterance

The plural is unchanged: word.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "word" · Wiktionary, “word” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. to write
2. to inscribe, engrave

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "wrītan" · Wiktionary, “wrītan” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. glory, splendour
2. heavenly glory

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "wuldor" · Wiktionary, “wuldor” · Reviewed 2026-10-15

1. fate, destiny
2. what happens; an event

From weorþan, ‘to become, happen’.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "wyrd" · Wiktionary, “wyrd” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. worm
2. serpent, snake
3. dragon (in heroic poetry)

The monster the hero fights in Beowulf is called a wyrm.

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "wyrm" · Wiktionary, “wyrm” · Reviewed 2026-09-24

1. evil, wicked
2. bad, harmful

Source: Bosworth–Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (online), s.v. "yfel" · Wiktionary, “yfel” · Reviewed 2026-10-15