English words first recorded in the 10th century

The adjective is inherited from Middle English dosk, also dusk, deosc and dosc, inherited from Old English dox (“dark-coloured, swarthy”), with the sounds k and s transposed. The OED explains that…

1. The organ of hearing is inherited from Middle English ere, inherited from Old English ēare, from Proto-Germanic *auzon, the source also of Dutch oor, German Ohr and Gothic 𐌰𐌿𐍃𐍉 (ausō), from…

It is inherited from Middle English estern, inherited from Old English ēasterne (“of the east, from the east”), formed from east and the suffix -erne, which marks direction. It is cognate with Old…

It is inherited from Middle English ele, later eele, inherited from Old English ǣl, from Proto-Germanic *ēlaz, which is also the source of Old Frisian ēl, Old Saxon āl and Old High German āl, Middle…

It is inherited from Middle English eightethe, eighthe, contracted from Old English eahtoþa, from Proto-Germanic *ahtudon, source also of Old High German ahtodo, Old Frisian achta, German achte and…

It is inherited from Middle English elbowe, inherited from Old English elnboga (“elbow”), from Proto-Germanic *alinōbugô, literally the bend of the forearm, cognate with Middle Dutch ellenbōghe, Old…

It is inherited from Middle English elm, inherited from Old English elm, from Proto-Germanic *elmaz, the source also of Old High German elm, with another vowel grade, of Old Norse almr and of…

It is inherited from Middle English emer, later eymbre, inherited from Old English ǣmerge (“embers, ashes”), also ǣmyrge, merged with or influenced by the related Old Norse eimyrja (“embers”). The…

It is inherited from Middle English evening, inherited from Old English ǣfnung (“the coming of evening, sunset”), a verbal noun from ǣfnian (“to become evening, grow toward night”), from ǣfen…

It is inherited from Middle English fals, faus, partly inherited from Old English fals (“counterfeit, not genuine; fraud”), an early, rare borrowing borrowed from Latin falsus, and reinforced in…

1. The verb meaning to flatter is inherited from Middle English faunen, also fagnen and fauhnen, inherited from Old English fagnian (“to rejoice, be glad”), also fahnian, which sits beside fægnian…

It is inherited from Middle English felt, inherited from Old English felt, from Proto-West Germanic *feltu (“something beaten, compressed wool”), the source also of Old Saxon filt, Dutch vilt and…

1. The verb is inherited from Middle English fecchen, inherited from Old English feccan (“to bring, fetch; to seek, gain, take”), a variant of the older fetian, also fatian, to bring near, bring…

It is inherited from Old English fēfor, fēfer, borrowed from Latin febris (“fever”), reinforced in Middle English by Anglo-Norman fevre, Old French fievre. The Latin word is related to fovēre (“to…

It is inherited from Middle English fikel (“false, deceitful, inconstant”), inherited from Old English ficol (“deceitful, crafty”), formed with the suffix -le from an unrecorded verb *fician (“to…

The verb is inherited from Middle English fillen, inherited from Old English fyllan (“to fill, make full, replenish, satisfy; to fulfil”), from Proto-Germanic *fulljanan (“to fill”), the source also…

It is inherited from Middle English filme, inherited from Old English filmen (“membrane, thin skin, foreskin”), from Proto-West Germanic *filminjan, extended from Proto-Germanic *fellą (“animal…

1. The fish's fin is inherited from Middle English finne, inherited from Old English finn, from Proto-Germanic *finnō, cognate with Middle Low German vinne, Middle Dutch vinne (modern vin), Middle…

It is inherited from Middle English five, inherited from Old English fīf, the modern form continuing the inflected Old English fīfe, from Proto-Germanic *fimfi or *fimfe, whose m was lost in Old…

1. The noun for ships is Middle English flete, inherited from Old English flēot (“a ship, raft, floating vessel; boats generally”), from flēotan (“to float, swim”), from Proto-Germanic *fleutaną…

It is inherited from Middle English flesch, inherited from Old English flǣsc (“flesh, meat; the body; living creatures”), from Proto-Germanic *flaiska- (“flesh”), source also of Old Saxon flēsk…

1. The verb meaning to flutter or waver is inherited from Middle English flikeren, inherited from Old English flicorian, also flicerian, from Proto-West Germanic *flikurōn. The OED describes the Old…

It is inherited from Middle English floteren (“to be tossed by waves; to flutter, hover”), inherited from Old English floterian (“to be tossed by waves; to flutter, fly before”), a frequentative of…

It is inherited from Middle English fodder, also foder, inherited from Old English fōdor, also foddor, inherited from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą. It is cognate with Old Frisian fōder, Middle Dutch…

It is inherited from Middle English fo, also fa, inherited from Old English ġefā (“enemy, adversary in a blood feud”), the noun use of fāh (“at feud, hostile; guilty, outlawed”). The prefix ġe-…

It is inherited from Middle English fode, inherited from Old English fōda (“food, nourishment”), from Proto-Germanic *fōdōn, a formation found only in English; the other Germanic languages have…

It is inherited from Middle English forhed, inherited from Old English forhēafod (“forehead, brow”), from for- (“fore-”) and hēafod (“head”) (see fore- and head). Similar formations are Dutch…

The verb is inherited from Middle English forstallen (“to ambush, to intercept”), from the noun forstal, inherited from Old English foresteall (“an ambush, a waylaying; hindrance of justice”). The…

It is inherited from Middle English forke, borrowed from Old English forca (“pitchfork, forked instrument or weapon”), force, a Germanic borrowing (compare Old Frisian forke, Dutch vork, Old Norse…

It is inherited from Middle English foxes glove, inherited from Old English foxes glōfa (“fox's glove”), with foxes, the genitive of fox, and glōfa, also glōf (“glove, pouch”). The glove part is…

It is inherited from Middle English frendship, inherited from Old English frēondscipe (“friendship, mutual liking”), formed from frēond (“friend”) and the suffix -scipe. See friend and -ship. Dutch…

It is inherited from Middle English frogge, inherited from Old English frogga, a diminutive related to frosc, forsc and frox (“frog”), from Proto-Germanic *fruskaz, cognate with Old Norse froskr…

It is inherited from Middle English fulfillen, inherited from Old English fullfyllan (“to fill up, make full”), from full (“full”) and fyllan (“to fill”) (see full and fill).

It is inherited from Middle English further, inherited from Old English furþor (“forward, onward; farther; moreover”) (also forþor), a comparative formed on the base of forth. Etymonline explains it…

It is inherited from Old English Genesis, borrowed from Latin genesis (“generation, nativity”), in Late Latin the title of the first book of the Old Testament, from Ancient Greek γένεσις (génesis…

It is inherited from Middle English gingivere, inherited from Old English gingifer, also gingiber, influenced in Middle English by Old French gingibre (modern French gingembre). The Old English word…

It is inherited from Middle English girdel, also gurdel, inherited from Old English gyrdel (“belt, zone, purse”), from Proto-Germanic *gurdilaz, and is formed from gyrdan (“to gird”) with the suffix…

It is inherited from Middle English glowen, inherited from Old English glōwan (“to shine as if red-hot”), cognate with Old Saxon glōian, Old High German gluoen (modern German glühen), Dutch gloeien…

It is inherited from Middle English gnauen, inherited from Old English gnagan, from Proto-Germanic *gnaganą (“to gnaw”), and is related to Old Norse gnaga, Old High German gnagan and German nagen…

1. The burial place is Middle English grave, inherited from Old English græf (“grave, ditch, trench, cave”), from Proto-Germanic *grabą, which is also the source of Old Saxon and Dutch graf, Old…

1. To feed on grass is inherited from Middle English grasen, inherited from Old English grasian, from the stem of græs (“grass”), the ancestor of grass, from Proto-Germanic *grasą. Comparable verbs…

It is inherited from Middle English grehound, also greihund and grihond, inherited from Old English grīghund, in Anglian greghund, a compound of a first element grīg- and hund (“dog”), the source of…

It is inherited from Middle English grennen, also grinnen, inherited from Old English grennian (“to show the teeth, snarl”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *granjōną. It is cognate with Old High…

It is inherited from Middle English gilde, earlier yilde, inherited from Old English gegield (“guild, brotherhood”) fused with gield (“payment, tribute, offering”), with its spelling later…

It is inherited from Middle English gilty, inherited from Old English gyltiġ (“offending, delinquent, criminal”), formed from gylt, the source of guilt, with the suffix -ig, the source of -y.

It is inherited from Middle English gutte, inherited from Old English guttas (“bowels, entrails”) (plural), probably related to gēotan, to pour, from Proto-Germanic *gut-, from Proto-Indo-European…

1. It is inherited from Middle English hamme, inherited from Old English hamm (“hollow or bend of the knee”), from Proto-Germanic *hammō, source also of Old Norse hǫm, Middle Dutch hamme and Old…

It is inherited from Middle English hongen, hangen, from 1137, from a fusion of two Old English verbs: inherited from Old English hōn (“to suspend”), a strong verb with past tense heng, and hangian…

It is inherited from Old English hēafodece, a compound of hēafod, head, and ece, ache.

It is inherited from Middle English hevenli, inherited from Old English heofonlīc, formed from Old English heofon + -līc, that is, heaven and -ly. The OED compares Middle Dutch hemellijc and Old…

1. The edge of cloth is inherited from Middle English hem, also hemme, inherited from Old English hem, also hemm, recorded in a single Old English vocabulary, Ælfric's Glossary, where it glosses…

It is inherited from Middle English hemp, also hempe, inherited from Old English hænep, also henep, inherited from Proto-Germanic *hanapiz. It is cognate with Old Saxon hanap, Dutch hennep, Old High…

It is inherited from Middle English hil, hulle, inherited from Old English hyll, from Proto-Germanic *hulni-, the source also of Middle Dutch hille and Low German hull “hill”, and related to Old…

1. The verb is inherited from Middle English hindren, also hinderen, inherited from Old English hindrian (“to harm, injure; to hold back, repress”), from Proto-Germanic *hindrōną, a verb formed from…

The noun is inherited from Middle English hire, inherited from Old English hȳr (“wages, payment for use”), from Proto-West Germanic *hūrju. The verb is Middle English hiren, from Old English hȳrian…

It is inherited from Middle English hof, inherited from Old English hōf, from Proto-Germanic *hōfaz. It is cognate with Old Frisian hōf and Old Saxon hōf, Dutch hoef, Old High German huof (modern…

1. The verb is inherited from Middle English hoppen, inherited from Old English hoppian (“to spring, leap, dance”), from Proto-Germanic *hupnōną. It is related to Old Norse hoppa, Dutch huppen and…

1. It is inherited from Middle English hol, hulle, inherited from Old English hulu (“husk, pod”), from the base of Old English helan, to cover, from Proto-Germanic *hulu-, source also of Old High…

It is inherited from Middle English hunten, inherited from Old English huntian (“to chase game”), perhaps from hunta “hunter”, from Proto-Germanic *huntojan, which is related to Old English hentan…

It is inherited from Old English īsig (“icy, covered with ice”), formed from Old English īs (“ice”) + -ig, the Old English forms of ice and -y. The OED finds no record of it between Old English and…