*bát, boat; boatswain
beacen, beacon; beckon
beæftan, behind; abaft
bealu, bale; baleful
*beám; 1. a tree; 2. anything in

a straight line; beam, horn-
beam, bog-beam, sun-beam,
Bampton (Beam dún-tree-
hill), Beamfleet, Bamfleet,
Banfleet. Comp. Ger. Baum,
Dutch boom
bean, a bean

bearn, a child; bairn, from
béran, to bear

beátan, past beot, to beat;
batter, beetle, a wooden ham-
mer (O.E. bytl)
becuman, to happen; become
bed, bed; bedridden (O.E. bed-
rída. From rida, a rider).
The word was originally used
in a sarcastic sense
béd, a prayer; bedesman, bead
(from biddan, to pray). Beads
were little balls on a string,
used for helping the memory
in saying a number of prayers.

'To bid one's beads' was to
say one's prayers
beginnan, to begin
begytan, to beget

behofian, to require; behove
belle, bell; bellan, to bellow.
N.B. Belfry is not from this
source, but from N.F. beffroi,
a watch-tower

bén, prayer. What is good for
a bootless bene?' Words-
worth

bendan, to bend. From band
beo, a bee

becdan, to command, bid;
beadle (O.E. bydel)
beofer, beaver

beón, to be; become, albeit
*beorgan, to save, shelter; bur-
row (Prov., shelter from the
wind, as in the burrow side
of the hedge'), bury, burg-
lar (a townrobber); burgh,
borough, harbour (O.E. here =
army), harbinger, one sent on
before to secure shelter; bor-
row, to obtain money on se-
curity

beorma, barm
bera, a bear

=

*béran, to bear; burden, bier, bairn,
birth, berth, brood, burden,
bird (the young of any ani-
mal)

bere, barley; barn (from bere,
barley, and ern, a place. Cp.
bæcces-ern, a baking place),
barton (a court-yard)
bereafian, to rob; bereave. Comp.
reever= (robber), rive, rob
berstan, past bærst, to burst;
outburst
besma, a besom

besprecan, to bespeak
*bétan, to make good; better,
best, boot (verb), bootless
betweonan, between. Cp. two,
twin
betweox, betwixt

biddan, to pray. See Béd

*bigan, or beogan, to bend; bow, rainbow, elbow (the bending of the arm. Cp. ell, the length of the fore-arm, Lat. ulna, the fore-arm), bough, boughts (the coils of a rope), bout ('In notes with many a winding bout.'-L'Allegro), bight as in the Bight of Benin, buxom (O.E.bocsum = flexible, tractable, obedient)

bill, falchion; bill-hook, brownbills (Lear)

bin, manger; bin *bindan, past band, to bind; bundle, band, bond, bondage, hop-bine, wood-bine, bandog birce, birch

bisgian, to busy; business *bitan, to bite; bit, beetle (O.E. bitel. Dim., the little biter), bait, bitter

blác, pale; bleach, bleak blæc, black

blæd, blade. From blow, to bloom blæddre, bladder

bláwan, past bleów, to blow ; blast, blaze?

blendan, to mix; blend bleo, colour; blue

bletsian, to bless; blithe, bliss blind, blind; blend blód, blood; bleed *blówian, to blossom; blow (of flowers), blood, blade, blossom, bloom

bóc, book; boc-land (land held

by a charter or writing) bodian, to announce; forebode bodig, the chest; body, boddice

bóld, bold; band, bawdy bolla, a bowl

bolster, bolster. From bolla bonda, a householder; hus

band

bord, board, table, bed and

board,''The Lord's Board' borgian, to borrow. See Beorgan bósm, bosom

bót, remedy; boot-less, to boot, vb. *brád, broad; Bradfield, breadth, Bredon (denu, valley) brægen, brain

bræs, brass; brazen, brazier bræth, breath; breathe, breathless

bræw, brow; eye-brow *brand (from byrnan, to burn); brand, fire-brand, brand-new bréc, plu. of bróc, breeches; brogues

*brecan, past bræc, to break; breakers, brake, bracken, breach, brick, break-fast, break-water bremel, bramble

breóst, breast. Cog. brisket *breówan, to brew; brewis, broth, brose, barley-bree

brér, briar bricg, bridge

*brid, the young of any animal; bird. From béran

brídan, to braid

brídel, bridle. From bredan, to braid

bringan, past brohte, to bring bróc, brook; lrooklet

bróc, a badger; Brocden, Broxbourne (badgers' stream), Brocthorp

bróm, broom; Brompton, Bromley (Broom-meadow). Cog. bramble

brother, brother. Gebrothru, brethren, brotherhood

brýd, a bride; bride-groom (guma, a man), bridal (bride-ale, a marriage feast) *búan, to cultivate; boor, boorish, neighbour, bower. Cp. Du. boer

buc, pitcher; bucket búr, chamber; bower *burh, burgh (see Beorgan); Edinburgh, Borstal (stal = seat), Canterbury, burgher, borough. Cog. burgess

bylig, bellows; bag, belly, bilge

byrgan, to bury, burial (O.E. birgels, a sepulchre) byrnan, to burn (past barn); brimstone, brown (burnt colour), brunt, brand, brandy (Ger. brannt-wein, distilled wine), brindle. Cog. Bruin byrst, bristle (dim.) cæg, key

cærse, cress. Not worth a curse' not worth a carse. Cp. 'Wisdom and witte now is nought worth a carse.' (Piers Plowman.) See Skeat *cáld, ceald, cold; chill, cool, Caldwell, Colebrook, Colburn

calu, bald; callow. Lat. calrus camb, comb. See Cemban cárian, to care; careful, chary catt, cat, catkin, kitten, kitling, caterpillar (pilosus = hairy), caterwaul

ceáca, cheek ceafu, chaff

cealf, calf, calve, Calverley, Kelvedon (Calf's-hill) *ceápian, to buy, ceáp, bargain; cheap,chapman (= merchant), chaffer, Chepstow, Cheapside, horse-coper, chop. Cp. Ger. kaufen, to sell, and Kaufmann, merchant. Also Copenhagen ceaster, city (L. castra), Gloucester

cemban, to comb; kempster, unkempt

céne, keen. Cog. ken, can *cennan, to bring forth, kindle,

kin, kind, kindred, kindly ceol, small ship; keel, Chelsea, keelson. Cog. Du. keel-haul ceorfan, to carve

ceorl, a churl, Charles' wain (the churl's wagon). Cp. O.N. carl, a man. Sc. carle, carlin

ceósan, to choose ceówan, to chew

cépan, to keep

circe, church. Dan. kirke
cirps, crisp. Cp. Lat. crispus
clæg, clay. Cog. clog
clæne, clean; cleanse

clam, anything that is clammy or holds fast, clam; clamp, clump, clams

cláth, cloth; clothe, clothier clawu, claw

cleófan, to cleave; cleaver cleopian, to call; yclept, to clepe (Macbeth) clucgge, bell; clock *clúfan, to cleare; clífan, to cleave to; cliff, cleft, cloven clyppan, to embrace; clip cnápa, boy; knave, knavery cnáwan, to know; knowledge cnedan, to knead cnców, knee;

knock-kneed, kneel.

Cp. Lat. genu

cniht, youth; knight cnoll, knoll

cnucl, knuckle

cnyll, knell

cræt, cart; carter, cartage crafian, to crave; craven crán, crane; Cranborne

cranc, weak; cranky

cráwan, to crow; crow, crow-bar ('having a strong beak like a crow '-Skeat)

creópan, to creep

Fr.

*cric, crutch; crook, crooked, crotchet, crocket (cp. crochet), cricket (cricket bats were formerly crooked) cú, con; pl. cý. Sc. kye *cuc, cwic, alive, quick; quicken, quick-set, to cut to the quick, couch or quitch grass, quicklime, quick-sand, quick-silver cuman, to come; comely *cunnan, to know, to be able; can, con, cunning, canny, ken, uncouth, ale-conner (inspector of ales) cwéarn, a mill; quern cwellan, to kill; quell cwén, queen, quean cwencan, to quench

cwethan, past cwæth, to say; quoth, bequeath

cyning, king; Kingston, Kineton, Kingsbury. Cp. Ger. König

cyrran, to turn; jar, on the jar,

i.e. turn, charwoman, one who does an occasional turn of work

cýte, cot; cottage, sheep-cot, Cotswold

dæg, day; dawn, daisy *dælan, to divide; deal (verb),

dole, deal (fir-wood), dale, dell deaf, deaf; deafen

deág, dye

dearran, past durste, to dare; Sc. dour

deáth, death, Icel. deyja, to die deaw, dew; dew-lap delfan, to dig; delve *déman, to judge; deem, doom, dempster, Doomsday *denu, a valley; den, names of

places ending in -den, as Tenterden, Taunton Dean, Cobden, Rotting-dean deofan, to dive; di-dapper: dive-dapper

deóp, deep; depth, Deptford *deór, beast; deer (originally ge

neric. Thus Shakspere makes Mad Tom say in King Lear: 'But mice and rats and such small deer Have been Tom's food for seven long year'), Durham, Derby. Comp. Ger. Thier, a beast

deór, dear; dearth, darling, endear

deorc, dark; darken díc, dyke; ditch

dihtan, to dispose; dight dóhtor, daughter. Comp. Gk. thugatēr

dol, foolish; dull, dolt

dón, past dyde, to do ; deed drædan, to dread

*dragan, to drag; dran, draught, dray, draggle, dredge

drencan, to drench dreógan, to drudge dreór, gore; dreary

*drífan, to drive; drift, drove *drig, dry; drought (Sc.drouth), drug (= dried plant?) drincan, to drink;

drunkard

drunk,

*dripan, to drop; drip, dribble, driblet, drivel, droop dugan, to be good for (valere); to do as in How do you do? 'He will do well'

dumb, dumb; dummy *dún, mountain; down, adonn

(=of dune, from the hill. Cp. Fr. à mont to the hill, à val = to the valley), Downs, Snowdon, Hunting-don;

Downham duru, door. Cp. Gk. thura dust, dust; dusty dýnan, to dine; dinner dýnt, stroke; dint