July 3rd: The outdated word for today is "mǣrsung-tīma," meaning "a time of celebration." Pronunciation (I think): MEAHR-soong-TIE-muh. Source: Ælfric. (Circa 990 AD.) Homilies; see Volume II, page 360, line 25. #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish Happy 250th birthday, America! See you Monday!

July 2nd: Today’s outdated word is from Dr. Johnson's 1755 dictionary. "Apitpat," adverb. "With quick palpitation." Source: Johnson, S. (2006). A Dictionary Of The English Language. Penguin Classics. #OutdatedWords #EarlyModernEnglish #DrSamuelJohnson

July 1st: The outdated word for today is "myslyke," meaning "to be unpleasant to." Pronunciation (I think): mice-LIKE-keh. Source: Rolle, R. (Early 1300s.) "The Form of Perfect Living;" see Chapter XI, "The Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost." #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish

June 30th: Today's word from the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" is "wintersetl,” meaning "winter headquarters." Pronunciation: wint-ER-SET-tul. 868 AD: "...7 wintersetl namon æt Þeodforda..." ("...and established winter headquarters at Thetford...") #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish #AngloSaxonChronicle

June 29th: Today's word from the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" is "cyning” ("king")." Pronunciation: kih-NING 588 AD: "Her Ęlle cyning forþferde..." ("In this year King Ęlle passed away...") #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish #AngloSaxonChronicle

June 26th: Today's word from the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" is "wiþ” ("with"), meaning "against." 455 AD: "Her Hengest 7 Horsa fuhton wiþ Wyrtgeorne þam cyninge…" ("In this year Hengest and Horsa fought against King Vortigern...") #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish #AngloSaxonChronicle See you Monday!

June 25th: Today's word from the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" is "þegn,” (thane), the term for a free retainer of an Anglo-Saxon nobleman. 893 AD: "...7 þær wearð Ordheh cyninges þegn ofslægen…" ("...and there Ordheh the king's thane was killed…") #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish #AngloSaxonChronicle

June 24th: Today's word from the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" is "Lundenbyrig” ("Londonbury"). Pronunciation: Lun-DEN-BURR-eh-EE. 895 AD: "...7 þa men of Lundenbyrig gefetedon þa scipu…" ("...and then men of London fetched the ships…") #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish #AngloSaxonChronicle

June 23rd: Today's word from the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" is "unfrið" ("hostility"). Pronunciation: un-FRITH. 1001 AD: "Her on ðysum geare wæs micel unfrið on Angelcynnes londe…" ("In this year there was much hostility in the land of the English…") #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish #AngloSaxonChronicle

June 22nd: Today's word from the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" is "bisceop" ("bishop"). Pronunciation: bis-CHEE-op. 994 AD: "…feng Ælfric Wiltunscire bisceop to ðam arcebisceoprice." ("…Ælfric, the bishop of Wiltshire, took the archbishopric.") #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish #AngloSaxonChronicle

June 19th: Today's word from the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" is "feng," meaning "took" as in "took the throne" ("feng to rice"). 16 AD: "Her feng Tiberius to rice." ("In this year [Emperor] Tiberius took the throne.") #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish #AngloSaxonChronicle See you Monday!

June 18th: Today's word from the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" is "wælstowe," meaning "battlefield." Pronunciation: wehl-STOW-eh. 1001 AD: "...ða Denescean ahtan wælstowe geweald..." ("...then the Danish controlled the entire battlefield...") #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish #AngloSaxonChronicle

June 17th: Today's word from the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" is "forþferde," literally "went forth" ("passed away"). Pronunciation: forth-FERD-eh. 860 AD: "Her Ęþelbald cyng forþferde..." ("In this year, King Ęþelbald passed away...") #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish #AngloSaxonChronicle

June 16th: Today's word from the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" is "here" ("army"). Pronunciation: hey-RUH. 837 AD: "...þy ilcan geare gefeaht Ęþelhelm dux wiþ Deniscne here..." ("...the same year Duke Ęþelhelm fought with the Danish army...") #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish #AngloSaxonChronicle

Hello! For the next fortnight, we'll look at words from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The Chronicle presents brief descriptions of historical events, starting with the birth of Christ and ending in the 1100s. Lots of kings are crowned, lots of archbishops pass away, lots of Vikings invade. (1 of 3)

Our source will be Manuscript A. This is also known as the Parker Chronicle, because it was once owned by Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury (1504 - 1575). It can be found at asc.jebbo.co.uk/a/a-L.html. Also, all translations are mine. Fingers crossed. (2 of 3)

June 15th: Today's word from the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" is "her," meaning "in this year." We still use its descendant “here” to describe events (e.g., "Here's where things went pear-shaped.") Pronunciation: hair Source: Throughout. #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish #AngloSaxonChronicle (3 or 3)

Housekeeping note: I'll be off for the next few weeks. The outdated words will return on Monday, June 15th. Get out there and enjoy the world away from a screen, people!

May 1st : Today’s outdated word is from Dr. Johnson's 1755 dictionary. "Rakehelly," adverb. "Wild; dissolute." Source: Johnson, S. (2006). A Dictionary Of The English Language. Penguin Classics. #OutdatedWords #EarlyModernEnglish #DrSamuelJohnson See you on June 15th!

April 30th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "fermerer," meaning "an officer in charge of a monastic infirmary," Source: "The Summoner's Tale," line 1859 #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 29th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "malvesye," a term for a type of strong sweet wine. Pronunciation (I think): mal-VES-yeh. Source: "The Shipman's Tale," line 70. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 28th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "possessioner," meaning "a clergyman with a benefice." Note: A benefice is a permanent assignment to a parish that comes with an income. Source: "The Summoner's Tale," line 1722. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 27th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "engendrure," a noun meaning "procreation." Pronunciation (I think): en-GEND-RUR-eh. Source: "The Wife of Bath's Tale," line 128. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 24th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "sauf," a preposition meaning "except for" (which it still means in Modern French). Source: "The General Prologue," line 807. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish See you Monday!

April 23rd: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "tidyves," a generic noun for any bird that symbolizes infidelity, such a cuckoo or hoopoe. Pronunciation (I think): tid-EE-ves. Source: "The Squire's Tale," line 648. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 22nd: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "biclappe," an adverb meaning "without warning." Pronunciation (I think): by-CLAP-peh. Source: "Second Nun's Prologue and Tale," line 9. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 21st: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "ycleped," a verb meaning "named." Pronunciation (I think): eh-CLEP-ed. Source: "The Manciple's Prologue," line 2. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 20th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "gerner," a noun meaning "granary" or "storehouse." Source: "The General Prologue," line 593. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 17th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "faldyng," a noun meaning "coarse woolen cloth." Pronunciation (I think): fal-DEENG. Source: "The Miller's Prologue and Tale," line 3212. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish See you Monday!

April 16th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "nevene," a verb meaning "to call by name." Pronunciation (I think): nev-EN-eh. Source: "The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue and Tale," line 821 #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 15th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "conseil," a noun meaning "secrets." Pronunciation (I think): cawhn-SAIL. Source: "The Monk's Prologue and Tale," line 2028. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 14th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "henten," a verb meaning "to seize." Source: "The Knight's Tale," line 904 #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 13th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "woodnesse," a noun meaning "madness" or "fury." Pronunciation (I think): wude-NESS-eh. Source: "The Pardoner's Prologue," line 496. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 10th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "shawe," a noun meaning "grove." Pronunciation (I think): shah-WEH. Source: "The Cook's Prologue and Tale," line 4367. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish See you Monday!

April 9th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "penyble," an adjective meaning "attentive" or "devoted." Pronunciation (I think): pen-EH-bleh. Source: "The Clerk's Prologue, Tale, and Envoy," line 714. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 8th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "wynke," a verb meaning "to close both of one's eyes." Pronunciation (I think): weenk-EH. Source: "The Nun's Priest's Tale," line 3306. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 7th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "povre," an adjective meaning "poor." Pronunciation (I think): puhv-REH. Source: "The General Prologue," line 225. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 6th: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "salwes," a noun meaning "willow branches." Pronunciation (I think): sawl-WEHS. Source: "The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale," line 655. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

April 3rd: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "assoile," a verb meaning "absolve." Pronunciation (I think): as-WEHL-eh. Source: "The Pardoner's Prologue," line 387. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish See you Monday!

April 2nd: Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "Flaundres-ward," an adverb meaning "in the direction of Flanders." Pronunciation (I think): flawn-DREHS-word. Source: "The Shipman's Tale," line 300. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish

Happy April 1st! No joke: All this month we'll look at words from "The Canterbury Tales." This is because of its famous first line: "Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote..." #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish (1 of 3)

My main references have been: - Harvard's Geoffrey Chaucer Website: chaucer.fas.harvard.edu - Middle English Compendium: quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-eng... Both are user-friendly and un-paywalled. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish (2 of 3)

Today's word from the "Canterbury Tales" is "parfay," an expression meaning "by my faith." Source: "The Miller's Tale," line 3681. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish #ChaucerianEnglish (3 of 3)

March 31st: The outdated term for today is "cleche gret mede," meaning "take great reward." Pronunciation (I think): cleh-CHEH greht MEHD-eh. Source: "The Pearl Poet." (Late 1300s.) Cleanness; see line 12. #OutdatedWords #MiddleEnglish

March 30th: The outdated word for today is "eftest," meaning (perhaps) "quickest." Source: Shakespeare, W. (Circa 1598.) Much Ado About Nothing, Act IV, Scene II. #OutdatedWords #EarlyModernEnglish #ShakespeareanEnglish

March 27th: The outdated term for today is "faking a cly," a 19th-century British slang term for picking a pocket. Source: "A London Antiquary" (1860.) A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words. London: John Camden Hotten. #OutdatedWords #ModernEnglish See you Monday!

March 26th: The outdated word for today is from Old English. It's "munuc," meaning "monk." Pronunciation (I think): muh-NUK. Bessinger, J. B. (1960.) A Short Dictionary of Anglo-Saxon Poetry. University of Toronto Press. #OutdatedWords #OldEnglish

DVD recommendation: "Dead Mountaineer's Hotel," a 1979 Estonian science fiction film restored by Deaf Crocodile. This is quirky, twisty-turny, and an absolute delight. I can't praise it highly enough. deafcrocodile.com/products/dea...

March 25th: The outdated word for today is "falx," a wrestling term meaning "a grip round the small of the back." Source: Skeat, W., Mayhew, A.L. (1914.) A Glossary of Tudor and Stuart Words, Especially from the Dramatists. Clarendon Press (Oxford). #OutdatedWords #EarlyModernEnglish

March 24th: The outdated term for today is "Brian O'Linn," 19th-century rhyming slag for gin. Source: "A London Antiquary" (1860.) A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words. London: John Camden Hotten. #OutdatedWords #ModernEnglish