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
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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
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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
March 23rd: The outdated word for today is "tǣlwierđlicnes," meaning "reprehensible conduct."
Pronunciation (I think): tail-WY-erth-LIKE-ness.
Source: Clark Hall, J.R. (1960). A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary. University Of Toronto Press.
#OutdatedWords #OldEnglish
March 20th: The outdated term for today is "gape-feed," meaning "whatever the gazing crowd idly stares and gapes after."
Source: "B. E., Gentleman." (1699.) A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew. London: W. Hawes, P. Gilbourne, W. Davis.
#OutdatedWords #EarlyModernEnglish
See you Monday!
March 19th: The outdated word for today is the Old English "hagu-steald," meaning "bachelor" or "celibacy."
Pronunciation (I think): HAY-oo-STEH-ald.
Bessinger, J. B. (1960.) A Short Dictionary of Anglo-Saxon Poetry. University of Toronto Press.
#OutdatedWords #OldEnglish
March 18th: Today’s outdated word is from Dr. Johnson's 1755 dictionary.
"Abactor," noun. "Those who drive away or steal cattle in herds."
Source: Johnson, S. (2006). A Dictionary Of The English Language. Penguin Classics.
#OutdatedWords #EarlyModernEnglish #DrSamuelJohnson