English Wordbook/B

Staff B of the English Wordbook.

Basic abbreviations:

• OE = Old English
• ME = Middle English
• SC = Scots
• WF = West Frish
• NF = North Frish
• SF = Saterlandish Frish
• WLG = West Low Theech
• ELG = East Low Theech
• NL = Netherlandish
• NHG = New High Theech
• IC = Icelandish
• HIC = High Icelandish
• NO = Nornish
• SW = Swedish
• DN = Danish
• MLG = Middle Low Theech
• MNL = Middle Netherlandish
• MHG = Middle High Theech
• OF = Old Frish
• OS = Old Saxish
• OHG = Old High Theech
• ON = Old Norse
• GO = Gottish
• PWG = Or-West-Theedish
• PG = Or-Theedish

For a full list of etymological and other abbreviations used in these wordlists, see: Offshortenings.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

English	Word Class	Anglish
		Attested	Not attested
babble	n	clatter drivel	-
baboon	n	-	dog-ape/houndape
baby	n	suckling	-
bacchanal	n	-	berryswiving drunkenfest
bacil	n	-	rodlet rodmoss
bacon	n	spick	back meat
bacteria	n	-	stafflet splitmoss
badger	n	brock	-
badminton	n	-	plumeball featherball
baggage	n	packing	bundlepack
baguette	n	-	stickbread french loaf (common name)
bail up	vb	hold up (by highwaymen)	-
bailiff	n	sheriff shire reeve	-
bakery	n	bakehouse	-
balaclava	n	-	head-sock woolhat
balance (device)	n	weight scale	evenweight twidish
balance (equilibrium)	n	evenness	alikeweight (Calque of German Gleichgewicht) evenweight (Calque of Dutch evenwicht)
baleen	n	whalebone	-
ballad	n	-	tumbsong
ballet	n	-	tumblet fairtumb
ballistics	n	-	guncraft, shootlore
balloon	n	-	fullball
baloney	n	gammon	-
Baltic Sea	n	-	Eastsea
baluster	n	-	holdershaft
bamboo	vb	-	tree reed
banana	n	-	moonbairn moonapple finger-berry
bandage	n	swaddle	woundband
bandage	vb	swathe	-
bandit	n	outlaw	-
banish	vb	fleme drive out drive away put out shut out send out send out send away run out thrust out fire sack spurn outlaw	-
banknote	n	-	greenback (Ameriksland)
bankrupt	adj	broke spent ruined	benchbreak geldbreak
banner	n	fane	-
banquet	n	-	benchsnack guestmeal
baobab	n	-	apebreadstree (Cf. Ic. apabrauðstré, Fin. apinanleipäpuu)
baptism	n	christening	fulwight (OE fulwiht) forwashing dip/depe (Cf. Du. doop, NHG Taufe)
baptismal name	n	-	fulwightname (OE fulwihtnama)
baptize	vb	christen (<OE cristnian)	fulwight (<OE fulwihtan & fulwihtian) forwash dip/depe (Cf. Du. dopen, NHG taufen)
bar	vb	ban, forbid	-
barb	n	prick	beardlet
barbar	adj	heathen wild	fremd
barbarian	n	heathen wildman outlander	northman
barbeque	n	cookout	stickwork
bargain	vb	cheapen haggle	-
barge	n	lighter	small boat
baritone	adj	deep (pitched)	-
barium	n	-	heavy earth
barometer	n	weatherglass	loftthrush-meter airmeter
baron	n	-	freelord etheling thane *thain
baroness	n	-	freelady etheling thane('s wife/widow) *thain('s wife/widow)
barracks	n	-	warbarn
barrel	n	coop tub tun drum keg vat	-
barrelmaker	n	cooper coopersmith	-
barren	adj	childless unfruitful	bairnless
barricade	n	bar	bareller pathjammer
barrier	n	bar	-
bartender	n	barman	-
basalt	n	heapstone	-
base	n	bottom (for Basis see staddle)	-
base	vb	take from bestaddle ground	-
base (as opposed to acid)	n	-	lyestuff
baseball	n	-	groundball
baseless	adj	ungrounded groundless	-
basement	n	underground	-
basil	n	heart spice mistle	-
basis	n	groundwork staddle	-
basket	n	-	cawl
basketbal	n	-	cawlball
bass (singer)	n	-	deepsinger deepsongtool
bass (tone)	n	-	lowsound
basset	n	-	shorthound
basin	n	waterbeak	-
bastard	n	by-blow bye-blow	saddlechild mixling lovechild
bat	n	rearmouse	wingmouse, wingrat
batik	n v	-	dotting waxdying waxdye
battalion	n	-	fightthrong
batter	vb	beat feeze	-
battery	n	-	beater streamblock thunderblock sparkhouse
battery bear	n	moon bear	-
battle	n	hurly-burly clash struggle	bedlake bedew hild
battlefield	n	-	fightfield hurlyburlyfield
battleship	n	-	dreadnought dreadnaught
Bavaria	name	-	Baury/Baure/Baurne (cf. Bavarian dialect 'Boarn'), Byery/Byern/Byerne/Byeren (cf. NHG Bayern, Du. Beieren)
bay	n	inlet cove(sheltered) bight	-
bayonet	n	-	crossbow bolt gunknife goad
beagle	n	-	snoophound
beak	n	nebb bill	-
beau	n	swain ladfriend fop	-
beautiful	adj	pretty lovely comely fair sheen eyesome eyeful	fairsome goodfaced
beauty	n	comeliness fairness fairhood loveliness prettiness sheen sheenness	-
because	conj	for for sake (of) for that since as as long as as things go being as how forasmuch as insomuch as how seeing seeing as how seeing that whereas forwhy forthy than for-than	afteras (calque of Swedish, “eftersom”)
bedaub	vb	cleam plaster smear stick on	-
beef	n	cowflesh cow cowmeat	-
beige	n	yellowgray yellowbrown	-
Belarus	name	-	Whiterussland
Belarusian	n	-	Whiterusslander Whiteruss
Belarusian	adj	-	Whiterusslandish Whiterussish
belfry	n	belltower	bergfrith
Belgium	name	-	Belgy
Belgian	n	-	Belghiar
Belgian	adj	-	Belghish
belladonna	n	-	deadly nightshade, dwale
bellicose	adj	warlike	-
belligerent	adj	-	war-waging war-making
belt	n	-	gurtel
benefit	n	behoof welfare boon	foredeal (calque from other Gmc langs, e.g. Scot. fordel, Fr. foardiel, Du. voordeel, Ger. Vorteil) public ~ folkrede (<OE folcrǽd)
benefit	vb	bestead, behove, behoove so., do so. well/good,	-
benevolence	n	goodwill	goodwilledness wellwilledness
benevolent	adj	good-willing	goodwilled wellwilled
benign	adj	harmless	-
berate	vb	scold	-
beret	n	-	flathat
beryllium	n	-	agustearth
besiege	vb	beleaguer beset leaguer	surround (OE ymbsittan)
bestiality	vb	-	deerlust, wightlust
bestowal	n	bestowing	-
betray	vb	sellout	bewray, belewe, forrede (<OE forrǽdan, cf. Du. verraden, NHG verraten)
betrayal	n	sellout	bewraying, belewing, forrede (Cf. OE forrǽdan, Du. verraad, NHG Verrat)
betrayer	n	unfriend two-timer	forreder (Cf. OE forrǽda) fairweather friend foe-friend mouth friend
beverage	n	drink	-
bi-	pref	-	twi-
biannual	adj	twice-yearly	twiyearly halfyearly
bias	n	bent leaning sway foreordeal	onesideness liking set warp
Bible	n	the book, the word	-
bibulous	adj	-	soaksome
bicameral	adj	two-roomed two-halled, twistalled, twostalled, twifack, twifackly	-
biceps	n	-	twisinew, twihead
bicycle	n	two-wheeler	twiwheel, faringrathe (fare+ing+rathe; Cf. NHG Fahrrad), wheel-saddle
bidet	n	saddlebath	-
bidirectional	adj	-	two-way, twiway twirightings- (Cf. NHG Zweirichtungs-)
bidirectional printer	n	-	twirightingsthrutcher (Cf. NHG Zweirichtungsdrucker)
biennial	adj	happening every two years lasting/living (for) two years	twiyearly two-yearly
biennially	adv	every two years	twiyearly
biker	n	wheeler	rathe(wo)man
bilateral	adj	two-sided	-
bile bear	n	moon bear	-
bill	n	reckoning, lawing	-
billabong	n	oxbow	-
billion (109)	nm	-	thrisand
binoculars	n	field glasses	farlooker, farsights (calque of N.Pers. دوربین - dur "far" + bin "sight")
bio-	pref	-	life- living quick-
biography	n	-	lifetale, lifesdraught, lifewrit
biology	n	-	lifelore
bipedal	adj	two-legged	-
bird	n	fowl	-
biscuit	n	cookie	twibake cakelet
bisect	vb	cut in half cut in two halve	halfcut twicut
bisemutum	n	bismuth	-
bisexuality	n	-	twilust twiswive
Bishop	n	(Church) Overseer	-
Bishopric	n	(Church) Overseeric	-
bitumen	n	-	earthpitch
bivalve	n	clam	-
bizarre	adj	weird freakish outlandish	-
Blairite	n		Blairtrothen
blame	vb	wite guilt pick on chide	forscold edwite
blame	n	witing	forscolding guilt edwite edwiting
blasphemy	n	-	godsmear
blatant	adj	glaring	-
blemish	vb	mar	-
blemish	n	mar flaw fleck	-
blemishless	adj	clean fair flawless fleckless	-
blockhead	n	woodenhead	-
blockish	n	woodenheaded	-
blond (Germanic)	adj	fair flaxen golden-brown light snowy	-
blouse	n	keel	-
bludgeon	vb	club	-
boa	n	-	bindsnake
boast	vb	crow (over)	-
bodyguard	n	minder triggerman trigger	-
bog	n	mire	-
bogus	adj	wrong fake	-
boil	vb	seethe bubble	-
boilersuit	n	overall	-
Bolivia	name	-	Bolivy
Bolivian	n	-	Boliviar
Bolivian	adj	-	Bolivish
bomb	n	-	blastball springball
bong	n	-	waterpipe
bonnet (automotive)	n	-	wagonhat
bonnet (fashion)	n	-	brimless hat
boomerang	n	throwstick	-
boomerang	vb	comeback, backfire	-
boondocks	n	-	backwater, sleepy hollow, wanewick
bootsector	n	-	bootgroove
bordello	n	whorehouse brothel	-
border (political)	n	threshold, mark	landmere seamere, landline fnad (<OE fnæd)
boron	n	-	hardchark
Bosnia	name	-	Bosny
Bosnian	adj	-	Bosnish
Bosnian	n	-	Bosniar
boss	n	knob overseer	overman foreman
botany	n	-	wortlore
bother	n	ado	-
bottle	n	flask	-
bouillon	n	broth	-
boulevard	n	broadway, bullwark	-
boulevardier	n	man about town	-
boundary	n	bounds, mere	landline
bountiful	adj	crowded overflowing manifold teeming	este (of persons)
bouquet	n	-	bloomset
bourbon	n	-	kentucky lifewater
bourgeois	n	highburger	-
boutique	n	-	dressshop
bovine	adj	cowlike	-
bowel	n	gut	-
boy	n	lad knave knape	-
bracelet	n	wristband armband	armlet
braggart	n	know-all know-it-all big mouth blowhard loud mouth show off swell head mucklemouth	-
braille	n	-	The Blind's rune
branch	n	bough twig prong fork arm limb	offshoot hand line kindred
brassiere	n	underbodice	armguard
Braunschweig (Germany)	n	Brunswick	-
brave	adj	daring doughty fearless bold dow unfrightened stalwart	egleche
bravo!	int	-	well done!
brawl	n	fight	free-for-all
bray	n	heehaw	-
breakable	n	brittle brickle	breaksome bracklesome
breeze	n	-	windlick
breve	adj	short	-
brewery	n	brewhouse brewern	-
bribe	vb	buy off	-
brick	n	-	bakestone (cf. NHG Backstein) (cf. Du. baksteen)
briefs	n	-	legless undershorts
brilliant	adj	shining	-
brisk	adj	firk fisk hasty	ferk quickish
Britain	n	-	Britishland
Britannia	n	-	Britishland
broccoli	n	-	sproutcole
brochure	n	booklet flyer handout leaflet	-
bromium	n	-	stinkwater
browser (web browser)	n	-	umshewer
brunette	adj	-	brownhaired
brutal	adj	harsh	-
brutality	n	harshness	-
bryophyte	n	moss	-
buccaneer	n	freebooter	seareaver
Buddhism	n	-	buddhendom (analogy with christendom)
Buddhist	adj	-	buddhish
Buddhist	n	-	buddhisher
budget	n	-	householdplot
buffalo	n	wild ox	-
buffer (computer)	n		lanestow
buffet	n	smorgasbord	-
buffoon	n	-	clown
buggery	n	-	arseswiving
Bulgaria	name	-	Bulgary
Bulgarian	n	-	Bulgariar
Bulgarian	adj	-	Bulgarish
bullet	n	slug	lead /l?d/ ball
bulletin	n	-	newtidings
bullion	n	ingots	-
bulldozer	n	-	earthmover
bully	n	-	browbeater, strongarmer
bully	vb	-	browbeat, strong-arm, ride roughshod over
bun	n	puff	-
bunch	n	lot	-
bucket	n	stoup /stu?p/ stoop	-
buckle	n	clasp	-
buckle	vb	fasten clasp	-
bungalow	n	-	bangla house lowhouse
bungler	n	-	addlebrain addlehead
buoy (Germanic)	n	-	beacon, floattoken
bureau	n	-	ambetehouse reevehouse
bureaucracy	n	-	reevedom(state) beadledom,(church)
burgeon	vb	bud, bloom, blossom	-
burglar	n	-	housebreaker, thief
burglary	n	-	housebreaking, housebreach(ing)
burgle	vb	-	housebreak, homethieve housebreach
burlesque	n		funnish (Italian burla "trick, fun" + -esque < PIE *-iskos > PG *-iskaz > OE -isc > NE -ish)
bus	n	-	folkwain
butcher	n	-	bucker flesher meatcutter fleshmonger fleshhewer
butler	n	steward	flasker mugbearer
butter	n	-	cowsmear
button (trigger)	n	knob key	trigger
button (fastener)	n	snap fastener	-
buzzard	n	-	lesserhawk, mousehawk(<OE mushafoc)
bypass (electricity)	n	shunt	-
by-past	adj	gone by bygone	-
byte	n	-	eightcleft