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Old English Dictionary

Search 485 source-led Old English headwords by historical spelling, Modern English meaning, grammatical class, or initial letter. The same dataset works in both directions and links back to its reference sources.

Bidirectional word lookup

Search a headword or a Modern English meaning

Search ignores case, macrons, and common keyboard substitutions. Typing th can match þ or ð, ae can match æ, and a Modern English meaning such as friend or battle works too.
Lookup direction
One dataset, searchable in both directions

485 entries

Macron-free and th/ae keyboard spellings are supported

  • abutan

    Adverb

    about, around

    Grammar

    adv.

    Theme

    general

    Adverb; its most natural translation depends on sentence context.

    Core vocabulary source

  • ac

    Conjunction

    but, however

    Grammar

    conj.

    Theme

    general

    Conjunction; interpret it in the structure of the whole clause.

    Core vocabulary source

  • acennan

    Verb

    to bring forth, give birth to

    Grammar

    verb

    Theme

    general

    Infinitive headword; forms change with tense, mood, person, and number.

    Core vocabulary source

  • acwellan

    Verb

    to kill

    Grammar

    verb

    Theme

    general

    Infinitive headword; forms change with tense, mood, person, and number.

    Core vocabulary source

  • adl

    Noun

    sickness, disease

    Grammar

    noun, f.

    Theme

    general

    Noun, f. Headword form; endings can change with case and number.

    Core vocabulary source

  • æcer

    Noun

    cultivated field

    Grammar

    noun, m.

    Theme

    general

    Noun, m. Headword form; endings can change with case and number.

    Core vocabulary source

  • æfæst

    Adjective

    pious

    Grammar

    adj.

    Theme

    general

    Adjective headword; endings change with case, gender, number, and declension.

    Core vocabulary source

  • æfter

    Preposition

    after

    Grammar

    prep.

    Theme

    time

    Preposition; the case of its object can affect meaning and usage.

    Core vocabulary source

  • æghwa

    Pronoun

    everyone, everything

    Grammar

    pron.

    Theme

    general

    Pronoun headword; use the inflected form required by its grammatical role.

    Core vocabulary source

  • æghwær

    Adverb

    everywhere

    Grammar

    adv.

    Theme

    general

    Adverb; its most natural translation depends on sentence context.

    Core vocabulary source

  • ægþer

    Pronoun

    each, both, either

    Grammar

    pron.

    Theme

    general

    Pronoun headword; use the inflected form required by its grammatical role.

    Core vocabulary source

  • æht

    Noun

    possessions, property

    Grammar

    noun, f.

    Theme

    general

    Noun, f. Headword form; endings can change with case and number.

    Core vocabulary source

  • ælc

    Adjective

    each, every

    Grammar

    pron., adj.

    Theme

    general

    Adjective headword; endings change with case, gender, number, and declension.

    Core vocabulary source

  • ælfscyne

    Adjective

    beautiful as a fairy

    Grammar

    adj.

    Theme

    general

    Adjective headword; endings change with case, gender, number, and declension.

    Core vocabulary source

  • æmettig

    Adjective

    empty

    Grammar

    adj.

    Theme

    general

    Adjective headword; endings change with case, gender, number, and declension.

    Core vocabulary source

  • ænig

    Adjective

    any

    Grammar

    adj.

    Theme

    general

    Adjective headword; endings change with case, gender, number, and declension.

    Core vocabulary source

  • æppel

    Noun

    apple

    Grammar

    noun, m.

    Theme

    food

    Noun, m. Headword form; endings can change with case and number.

    Core vocabulary source

  • ær

    Adverb

    before, previously

    Grammar

    adv.

    Theme

    time

    Adverb; its most natural translation depends on sentence context.

    Core vocabulary source

  • ærest

    Adjective

    first

    Grammar

    adj.

    Theme

    time

    Adjective headword; endings change with case, gender, number, and declension.

    Core vocabulary source

  • ærgod

    Adjective

    good from old times

    Grammar

    adj.

    Theme

    general

    Adjective headword; endings change with case, gender, number, and declension.

    Core vocabulary source

  • ærnan

    Verb

    to run

    Grammar

    verb

    Theme

    general

    Infinitive headword; forms change with tense, mood, person, and number.

    Core vocabulary source

  • æsc

    Noun

    ash tree, spear

    Grammar

    noun, m.

    Theme

    war

    Noun, m. Headword form; endings can change with case and number.

    Core vocabulary source

  • æscrof

    Adjective

    brave in battle

    Grammar

    adj.

    Theme

    war

    Adjective headword; endings change with case, gender, number, and declension.

    Core vocabulary source

  • ætgædere

    Adverb

    together

    Grammar

    adv.

    Theme

    general

    Adverb; its most natural translation depends on sentence context.

    Core vocabulary source

Read a dictionary entry

The headword is a starting point, not every form

Historical dictionaries arrange words under a lemma. In a real sentence, the same noun, adjective, pronoun, or verb can have a different ending. When you need the meaning of a complete clause, use the Old English to Modern English translator before isolating one word.

Example lemma

frēond

friend

A dictionary gives the organising form. Case and number determine the form that appears in a sentence.

Lemma
The headword used to group related grammatical forms.
Part of speech
Noun, verb, adjective, pronoun, adverb, or another grammatical class.
Sense
One historical word can have several Modern English meanings; context chooses among them.
Inflection
Endings can mark case, number, gender, tense, person, mood, and other grammatical information.

Scope and sources

Use this list to learn; use a full dictionary to research

The word selection and concise senses follow the University of St Andrews Core Vocabulary teaching list. The grammar and usage notes are brief learning aids, not a substitute for the citations, variant forms, and corpus evidence in a complete historical dictionary.

Questions people ask

Old English dictionary questions

Can I search from Modern English to Old English?

Yes. Switch the lookup direction above and search a Modern English meaning such as friend, king, battle, or understand.

Can I type th instead of thorn or eth?

Yes. Search normalization treats th as a useful keyboard substitute for þ and ð. It also accepts ae for æ and macron-free vowel spellings.

Is this a complete historical Old English dictionary?

No. This is a source-led learner dictionary of common and useful headwords. Use Bosworth-Toller or Clark Hall for broader historical coverage, citations, and uncommon forms.

Why does a word in my sentence have a different ending?

Old English changes nouns, adjectives, pronouns, and verbs for grammatical role and meaning. Dictionaries organize related forms under a lemma, so translate the complete clause before isolating one word.

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A word makes more sense inside its sentence

Take a headword back to the complete Old English translator to compare meaning, grammar, and context in either direction.

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Old English Dictionary | 485 Anglo-Saxon Words