English words first recorded in the 8th century

It is inherited from Middle English dere, inherited from Old English dēore (“precious, valuable, costly; beloved”), from Proto-Germanic *deurijaz, a word of unknown origin. It is cognate with Old…

It is inherited from Middle English deeth, inherited from Old English dēaþ, from Proto-Germanic *dauþuz, formed from the verbal stem *dau- (“to die”) with a suffix of action or condition, the…

It is inherited from Old English denn (“wild animal's lair”) (about 725, in Beowulf), from *danjan, related to Old English denu, valley (see dean), and cognate with Middle Low German denne “lair…

It is inherited from Middle English deu, also deaw and dew, inherited from Old English dēaw, inherited from Proto-Germanic *dawwaz (“dew, moisture”). The OED calls it common Germanic: it is cognate…

It is inherited from Middle English dine, inherited from Old English dyne (“noise, a loud sound”), also dynn, from Proto-Germanic *duniz. It is related to Old Norse dynr (“din”) and Old High German…

1. The verb is inherited from Middle English don, inherited from Old English dōn (“to make, act, perform, cause; to put, place”), from Proto-Germanic *dōną, a verb found only in West Germanic. The…

It is inherited from Middle English dore, also dure, inherited from Old English dor (“large door, gate”), a neuter noun, merged with duru (“door, gate”), a feminine one, the first from a singular…

It is inherited from Middle English dreri, inherited from Old English drēorig (“bloody, gory; sad, sorrowful”), formed from drēor (“gore, flowing blood”) and the adjective suffix that gives -y. The…

The verb is inherited from Middle English drinken, inherited from Old English drincan (“to swallow liquid; to engulf”), from Proto-Germanic *drinkanan. It is cognate with Old Frisian drinka, Old…

It is inherited from Middle English driven, inherited from Old English drīfan (“to compel to move; to hunt, pursue; to rush against”), from Proto-Germanic *drībaną. Its cognates include Old Frisian…

The noun is inherited from Middle English drope, inherited from Old English dropa (“a small spherical mass of liquid”), from Proto-Germanic *drupon, the source also of Old Saxon dropo, Old Norse…

It is inherited from Middle English dwellen, inherited from Old English dwellan (“to lead astray, hinder, delay”), from Proto-Germanic *dwaljaną (“to delay, hinder”), a causative of the strong verb…

It is inherited from Middle English erthe, inherited from Old English eorþe (“ground, soil, dry land; the world”), from Proto-Germanic *erþō, the source also of Old Saxon ertha, Old Norse jǫrð…

It is inherited from Middle English est, inherited from Old English ēast (“in or toward the east”), with ēastan (“from the east”), from Proto-Germanic *austrą, Proto-Germanic *aust-, literally…

It is inherited from Middle English eten, inherited from Old English etan (“to consume food; devour”), past tense ǣt, from Proto-Germanic *etaną. Its cognates include Old Frisian eta, Old Saxon…

It is inherited from Middle English egge, inherited from Old English ecg (“corner, edge, point; sword”), from Proto-Germanic *agjō, which is also the source of Old Frisian egg “edge”, Old Saxon…

It is inherited from Middle English eighte, earlier ehte, inherited from Old English eahta, also æhta, from Proto-Germanic *akhto, the source also of Old Saxon and Old High German ahto (German acht…

1. It is inherited from Old English eldra (“older”) (Mercian, West Saxon ieldra), the comparative of eald, ald (see old), from Proto-Germanic *alþizan-, source also of Old High German altiro (German…

It is inherited from Middle English elf, plural elves, earlier alve, inherited from Old English elf, the Mercian and Kentish form, beside ælf. These come from Proto-Germanic *albiz, the source also…

It is inherited from Middle English ende, inherited from Old English ende (“end, conclusion; boundary; district”), from Proto-Germanic *andiaz, originally “the opposite side”, from…

It is inherited from Middle English er, also ar and or, inherited from Old English ǣr (“soon, early; before, formerly”), an adverb, conjunction and preposition. The Old English word was in origin a…

It is inherited from Middle English erende, also erande and ernde, inherited from Old English ǣrende (“message, mission”), from Proto-West Germanic *ārundī (“message, errand”). It is cognate with…

1. The word for evening is inherited from Middle English even, also eve, inherited from Old English ǣfen, from Proto-West Germanic *ābanþ, from Proto-Germanic *ēbanþs. It is related to Old Frisian…

It is inherited from Middle English evel, inherited from Old English yfel (“bad, wicked, vicious”) (Kentish evel), from Proto-Germanic *ubilaz, which is also the source of Old Saxon ubil, Old…

It is inherited from Middle English fer, later far, inherited from Old English feorr (“far, remote; to a great distance”), from Proto-Germanic *ferrō, originally a comparative form. Its cognates are…

The verb is inherited from Middle English faren, inherited from Old English faran (“to journey, make one's way”), from Proto-Germanic *faranan (“to go”), cognate with Old Saxon faran, Old High…

It is inherited from Middle English fere, inherited from Old English fǣr (“calamity, sudden danger, peril, sudden attack”), from Proto-Germanic *fērą (“danger”), the source also of Old Saxon vār…

It is inherited from Middle English fether, inherited from Old English feðer (“a feather; a pen; in the plural, wings”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *feþrō. It is cognate with Old Saxon fethara…

It is inherited from Middle English feden, inherited from Old English fēdan (“to nourish, give food to, sustain, foster”), from Proto-Germanic *fodjan, the source also of Old Saxon fōdian, Old…

1. The skin is inherited from Middle English felle, inherited from Old English fell (“skin, hide”), fel, from Proto-Germanic *fellam, from Proto-Indo-European *pello-, the base also of Latin pellis…

The verb is Middle English ferien, inherited from Old English ferian (“to carry, convey, transport”), from Proto-Germanic *farjanan, source also of Old Norse ferja, to ferry, and Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽…

It is inherited from Middle English fewe, inherited from Old English fēawe, fēawa, contracted fēa, from Proto-Germanic *fawaz, from Proto-Indo-European *pau- (“few, little”). Its Germanic cognates…

It is inherited from Middle English feld, inherited from Old English feld (“plain, pasture, open land”), from Proto-West Germanic *felþu, or Proto-Germanic *felþuz. Its cognates are found in West…

It is inherited from Old English fīftīene, fīftēne, fīftȳne, from fīf, five, and -tēne, -tȳne, -teen, from tēn, ten. It is cognate with Old Frisian fiftine, Old Saxon fiftein, Dutch vijftien, Old…

It is inherited from Middle English fifti, inherited from Old English fīftiġ (“fifty; a set of fifty”), from Old English fīf (“five”) + -tiġ (“group of ten”) (see five and -ty), from PIE…

It is inherited from Middle English finden, inherited from Old English findan (“to come upon, meet with; discover”), from Proto-Germanic *findan (“to come upon, discover”). Its cognates include…

It is inherited from Middle English fir, inherited from Old English fȳr, from Proto-Germanic *fūr-, from Proto-Indo-European *paəwr̥ (“fire”). The American Heritage Dictionary explains that…

It is inherited from Middle English flod, inherited from Old English flōd (“a flowing of water, tide, deluge”), from Proto-Germanic *flōduz, which also gave Old Norse flóð, Dutch vloed, German Flut…

It is inherited from Middle English flor, inherited from Old English flōr (“floor, pavement, ground, bottom of a lake”), from Proto-Germanic *flōruz, the source also of Dutch vloer, Middle High…

1. The verb is inherited from Middle English flien, inherited from Old English flēogan (“to fly”), from Proto-Germanic *fleuganą, which Watkins traces to Proto-Indo-European *pleuk-, an extension of…

It is inherited from Old English folc (“common people; nation, tribe; troop, army”), from Proto-Germanic *fulką, cognate with Old Saxon folc, Dutch volk, German Volk and Old Norse folk (“people…

It is inherited from Middle English folwen, inherited from Old English folgian, also fylgan, from Proto-Germanic *fulgōną. Its cognates include Old Frisian folgia, Old Saxon folgon, Dutch volgen…

It is inherited from Middle English fot, foot, inherited from Old English fōt (plural fēt), from Proto-Germanic *fōts, from Proto-Indo-European *ped- (“foot”). It is cognate with Old Frisian and Old…

It is inherited from Middle English for, inherited from Old English for (“before; in the presence of; on account of; instead of”), from Proto-Germanic *furi, which Barnhart and Orel give as *fura…

It is inherited from Middle English forbeden, later forbiden, inherited from Old English forbēodan (“to forbid, prohibit”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *furibeudaną. The Old English verb is formed…

1. The adverb and preposition are inherited from Middle English fore, inherited from Old English fore (“before, in front of; because of, for the sake of”), from Proto-Germanic *fura (“before”). Its…

It is inherited from Middle English foryeten, also forgeten, inherited from Old English forgietan (“to lose the power of recalling; to neglect”), from West Germanic, formed from for- (“away…

It is inherited from Middle English four, earlier fower (1122), inherited from Old English fēower, from Proto-Germanic *fedwores, with cognates in Old Frisian fiūwer, Old Saxon fiwar, Dutch vier…

The adjective is inherited from Middle English fre, inherited from Old English frēo (“not in bondage; exempt; also noble, joyful”), from Proto-Germanic *frijaz (“beloved; not in bondage”), from…

1. The verb meaning to gnaw and to worry is inherited from Middle English freten, inherited from Old English fretan (“to devour, eat up, consume”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *fraetaną, a…

It is inherited from Middle English frend, inherited from Old English frēond, from Proto-Germanic *frijōjands (“lover, friend”), the present participle of a verb meaning “to love”, seen in Old…

It is inherited from Middle English frost, inherited from Old English forst, also frost, from Proto-Germanic *frustaz (“frost”), formed from *freusanan (“to freeze”) (see freeze), from…

1. The word is inherited from Middle English game, West Midland gome, inherited from Old English gamen (“joy, fun, amusement”). It has cognates throughout Germanic (Old Saxon gaman, Old High German…

It is inherited from Middle English given, earlier yiven, yeven, inherited from Old English giefan (“to give, bestow; grant; entrust”) (West Saxon), gefan, a strong verb (past tense geaf, past…

It is inherited from Middle English glad (“shining; joyful”), inherited from Old English glæd (“bright, shining; joyous; gracious”), from Proto-Germanic *gladaz. It is cognate with Old Norse glaðr…

It is inherited from Middle English glem, also gleam, inherited from Old English glǣm (“brightness, splendour, radiance”), from Proto-Germanic *glaimiz. The OED relates it by ablaut to Old Saxon…

It is inherited from Middle English gliden, inherited from Old English glīdan (“to move smoothly, slip, slide”), from Proto-Germanic *glīdaną (“to glide”), a West Germanic strong verb cognate with…

It is inherited from Middle English god, inherited from Old English god (“deity, God”) (plural neuter godu, masculine godas), from Proto-Germanic *guþan, whose descendants include Old Frisian god…

It is inherited from Middle English gold, inherited from Old English gold, from Proto-Germanic *gulthan. Its cognates include Old Frisian gold, Old Saxon gold, Dutch goud, German Gold and Old Norse…

It is inherited from Middle English good, earlier god, inherited from Old English gōd, inherited from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz, which Etymonline and Kroonen gloss "fitting, suitable". It is cognate…