The English language is a fluid thing, it is in a constant state flux, evolving all the time with words falling out of favour and new ones replacing them, archaic words enjoying a resurgence and acronyms being recognised as a word in its own right. But what of early English, I’m talking about Anglo Saxon English from way back in time some 1,000 years ago?
Here are 8 Anglo Saxon words that I think we should bring back into use.
Attercoppe
Literally meaning poison head, attercope was first discovered in a medical textbook from the 1100s and survived as a regularly used term well into the 1600s although it is now only used by a very few dialects, it means, spider.
Breóst-hord
Referring to the heart, or the soul which was thought to reside within the heart Breóst-hord means breast treasure, or basically that which makes you, you.
Cumfeorm
A union of two words cuma meaning a stranger, or perhaps a houseguest and feorm which referred to food or supplies prepared for a journey. So a Cumfeorm was simply a form of hospitality whereby food and entertainment would be offered to strangers
Earsling
Adding the suffix ling to the old English Aers which meant arse makes earsling a word meaning to go in the direction of your arse, or rather, to go backwards. The term survives among a few English dialects as arseling.
Eaxl-gestealle
Eaxle was an Old English word used to describe your shoulder or armpit so an Eaxl-gestealle is literally a “shoulder-friend” or, your very best buddy
Frumbyrdling
Nowadays it’s better known as bumfluff; that is, the fluffy fuzzy hair that a young boy will display upon his face when first attempting to grow a beard.
Hleów-feðer
Meaning shelter feather, Hleów-feðer was often used in Anglo Saxon literature to represent putting a protective arm around someone.
Unweder
And to finish us off, a quintessentially English word. Unweder is that special kind of weather that is just so awful that it can no longer be described as weather and so becomes Unweder.
Oh how I would have loved to have been around when these and other words, which have probably been lost for all time, were in regular use.
And when the weather gets bad, it’s no longer “weather” but “un-weather”— an Old English word for a storm. Next time you spot a misbehaving child, or you want to seize the night rather than the day, you’ll have the perfect phrase at hand.