French words from Middle English
5 French words with Middle English in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
bréchet
It is inherited from Middle French bruchet, probably borrowed from Middle English brusket (“brisket”), recorded in 1338. The form brechet (1552) may have been altered after ébrécher and brécher…
chiffe
It is inherited from Old French chipe (“rag”) (1306), altered under the influence of chiffre in its Old French sense “thing or person of no value” (1223). The Old French word is borrowed from Middle…
dogue
It is borrowed from Middle English dogge (“dog”), from Old English docga (10th century). The English word seems first to have named a particular breed of English dog, the general word being hound…
écraser
It is formed with the intensive prefix é- (Latin ex-) on borrowed from Middle English crasen (“to break, shatter”) (about 1440), probably borrowed during the Hundred Years' War. The English verb…
tique
It is probably borrowed from Middle English tike (“tick”), brought to France by English troops during the Hundred Years' War. The Middle English word, later also ticke, comes from Old English ticia…