Staff M of the English Wordbook.
Basic abbreviations: att'd=attested, OE=Old English, NHG=New High German, Du.=Dutch
For a full list of etymological and other abbreviations used in these wordlists, see Forshortenings.
| macabre | adj | grisly, grim |
| macerate | vb | steep |
| machine | n | gearwork, gearware, clockwork, clockware, workware, workrig, roteware |
| magazine | n | warehouse, weaponhoard |
| magic | n | spellcraft, witchcraft, witchery, wizardcraft, wizardry, hexcraft, hexery, dwimmercraft, galdercraft (OE) |
| magic art | n | dwimmercraft (dwimmer "illusion, spectre" <OE gedwimor+craft) |
| magician | n | witch, wizard, hexer (<Norwegian hekser), dwimmercraftsman |
| magistrate | n | deemer/deemster |
| magnesium oxide | n | bitter earth |
| magnate | n | mickman |
| magnet | n | lodestone |
| magnitude | n | greatness, strength |
| magnolia | n | beaverbloom |
| mail (armor) | n | mesh |
| maintain | vb | keep up, kemp, upkeep |
| maintenance | n | upkeep |
| maître d'hôtel | n | housemaster |
| majestic | adj | awesome |
| majesty | n | awesomeness, greatness, highness, lordship, overmight (Cf. NHG Übermacht) |
| major | n | thane |
| major | adj | greater |
| majority | n | greater share, morehood, manifoldness |
| maladjusted | adj | misfit |
| malady | n | sickness, illness |
| malapert | adj | brazen |
| male | adj | he-kind, (pref.) he-, manful, manly, werly, werely |
| male | n | buck |
| male sex | n | werehood (<OE werhád), manhood |
| malefactor | n | lawbreaker, evildoer, wrongdoer |
| malevolence | n | ill will, evil will, evil |
| malevolent | adj | ill-hearted, illwilling |
| malfeasance | n | wrongdoing, misdeed |
| malfunction | n | glitch |
| malfunction | vb | misbehave, not work |
| malice | n | nithecraft, evest, wrath, evilwilledness |
| malicious | adj | evil, wicked, argh, evilful |
| malign | adj | evil, slander, backbite |
| malnourish | vb | underfeed, ill-feed, misfeed, |
| malnourished | adj | underfed, ill-fed, misfed |
| maltose | n | maltsugar |
| maltreat | vb | manhandle(roughly), tousle, misnutt, misbrook, misbrouk |
| mammal | n | milchwight, suckdeer, suckledeer |
| mammary | n | teat, breast, tit |
| manage | vb | handle, run, deal with, fare, keep, keep up |
| manager | n | foreman, forewoman |
| manger | n | trough |
| mania | n | madness |
| manifest(ed) | adj | sweetle (<OE sweotol) |
| manifest | vb | sweetle (<OE sweotolian) |
| manifestation | n | sweetling (<OE sweotolung) |
| manifesto | n | sweetling (<OE sweotolung) |
| manner | n | lund |
| mansuetude | adj | mildness |
| manta | n | devilfish |
| mantle | n | hackle |
| manual | n | handbook |
| manual | adj | hand(-) |
| manually | adv | by hand |
| manufacture' | vb | make, shape, handmake, smithy, craft |
| manure | n | dung |
| manuscript | n | handwrit |
| map | n | landdraught, land-drawing |
| marble | n | Shinestone (Greek) |
| March | n | roughmonth, pringmonth, Loud (OE Hlýda / Hlúd), Winmonth (OE Hreðmonað) |
| marijuana | n | hemp, hemphay, grass (street-talk), weed (street-talk) |
| marine | adj | sea-, mer(e)- |
| marine park | n | water-frith |
| maritime | adj | sea |
| marjoram | n | kingswort (<OE cyningeswyrt) |
| market | n | cheping, cheapstow |
| market town | n | chepingtown |
| marquess | n | ethelman |
| marriage | n | wedding, handfast, wedlock, gathership (OE gaderscipe) |
| marry | vb | wed |
| marsupial | n | pungdeer/pungsucker (pung "pouch" + deer "animal" or sucker, cf. Dan. pungdyr; NHG Beutelsäuger "pouch-sucker" and Du. buideldier "pouch-animal") |
| martyr | n | bloot (<OE (ge)blot, "sacrifice"), rood-bearer, cuther/cyther (OE cyðere), witness (Grk 'martyreo' means "I witness, I tell about") |
| martial art(s) | n | fightingcraft(s) |
| marvel | n & vb | wonder |
| marvelous | adj | wonderful, selcouth |
| mask | n | mesh |
| masochist | n | seeksorrow |
| mason | n | stonewright |
| masonry | n | stonecraft, stonework |
| mass | n | bulk |
| massacre | n | overkill, bloodbath, slaughter |
| mass murderer | n | death dealer |
| masticate | vb | chew |
| master | n | head, teacher |
| masturbate | vb | wank, toss off, beat off |
| match | n | light(stick) |
| material | adj | bodylike, bodilike |
| maternal | adj | motherly |
| mathematics | n | scorelore |
| matrimony | n | wedlock |
| matter | n | stuff, andwork, inting |
| mature | adj | grown, ripe, timeworn |
| maximum | n | uttermost |
| maximum | adj | utmost |
| May | n | threemilk/threemilkmonth, thrimilch (<OE Þrimeolce), thrimilchmonth (<OE Þrimilcemonað), merrymonth, blossommonth |
| mayonnaise | n | yolkdip |
| mayor | n | townmaster, townsteerer, townsteersman, town-reeve (OE portgeréfa) |
| measure | vb | mete [past mote, ppt meten] (<OE metan, cf. Du. meten, NHG messen, Swed. mäta) |
| mechanical | adj | workcraftly (see mechanics) |
| me
chanics |
n | workcraft (<OE weorccræft) |
| mechanised | vb | clockwork, workwaren, workwared |
| mediate | vb | formiddle (Calque of NHG vermitteln) |
| mediation | n | formiddling (Cf. NHG Vermittlung) |
| mediator | n | formiddler, gobetween, makefrith, middleman |
| medicine | n | leechwort, leechdom (field of.), leechcraft (field of.), leechlore (field of.) |
| medieval | adj | middle eldth, middletimely, middletimeish, middletidely, middletidish, middleolderly, middeleolderish, dark eldth, unenlightened times |
| mediocre | adj | middling, halfway |
| meditate | vb |
ghost (<OE gastan) huy [rhymes with "buy"] (<OE hycgan) sin/sun* [past san, ppt sun] (<OE sinnan, cf. NHG sinnen; *"sun" by analogy to "run"<OE rinnan to avoid negative connotation with "sin") smigh (<OE smeagan) smy (<OE smean) threed (<OE þreodian) forsenk (Calque of NHG versenken, senken "to lower" being a causative form of sinken "to sink" akin to Old English sencan) |
| Mediterranean Sea | n | Wendlesea |
| mega- | pre | great, mickle (OE micel) |
| megalopolis | n | mickleborough, mickelborough, greatborough, greattown, mickletown |
| megaphone | n | loudhailer, bullhorn |
| meiosis | n | halfordealing |
| melancholy | adj | gloomy, sad, dreary, woeful, sorrowful, downhearted, heavy-hearted, blackbrowed, blackmoodish, black, blue, lifeweary, twanketen |
| melee | n | fistfight, hand-to-hand fight, fight, clash, rumble (colloq.) |
| melody | n | gleestaff (OE gliwstæf) |
| melon | n | berry, rindberry, shellberry, barkberry |
| member | n | fellow, belonger, limb, link, belongand |
| membrane | n | film |
| memory | n | minds eye, bemindings, inmind |
| meningitis | n | brainfilmbetindering, hernfilmbetindering |
| menstrual | adj | monthly |
| menstruate | vb | monthbleed, moonbleed |
| mental | adj | mindly, inward, mindlike |
| mentality | n | mindset |
| mention | vb | name, speak of, say something of, bring up, hint at |
| menu | n | walecard, walelist |
| mercenary | n | hired gun, hireling, hessian |
| merchant | n | chapman, trader, market trader |
| merchandise | n | goods, wares, stocks |
| merchandising | n | (direct to public) delling |
| merciful | adj | forgiving, mildhearted |
| merciful, honorable' | aj | arefull |
| merciless | aj | areless |
| mercy | n | ruth, armheartness, ar, kindness, arfastness, milds (<OE milts, ME mildse) |
| merge | vb | meld |
| meridian | n | middayline, lenghtline |
| merit | n | winst (cf. Du. winst), forethane, forethanest (cf. NHG Verdienst, Du. verdienste) |
| Mesolithic | n | Middle Stone Eldth |
| Mesopotamia | n | Twostreamland (Cf Frisian 'Twastreamelân', Du 'Tweestromenland', Ger 'Zweistromland', Swe 'Tvåflodslandet') |
| meson | n | midmote |
| message | n | errand, boding, errandbook (<OE ǽrendbóc) |
| Metal | n | orestuff (unattested) |
| metamorphosis | n | forwandling (Calque of NHG Verwandlung) |
| metaphor | n | kenning |
| meteor | n | welkinfire, falling star, shooting star |
| methane | n | firedamp |
| method | n | way of working |
| metropolis | n | motherborough |
| mezozoicum | n | Midlife eldth |
| microscope | n | tinyseer |
| Midgard | n |
Midyard, Midgarth, Middle Earth |
| migrate | v | beway |
| militarist(ic) | n (adj) | hawk(ish) |
| military | n (adj) | landmight(ly) |
| military expedition | n | ferd, axfaring (OE æxfaru), axgoing |
| militia | n | folkward |
| millenium | n | thousandyear |
| mine | n | delf |
| mine | vb | delve |
| mineral | n | ore |
| minimize | vb | lessen |
| minister | n | trustman, thaner, ambighter |
| minstrel | n | gleeman, folksinger |
| minor | n | youngster, overyoung, undereldth |
| minute | n | shortlog (Calque of L. 'minuta' or 'short note'), titchen (titchy + -en) |
| miracle | n | wonderwork, wonder |
| mirror | n | looking-glass, glancer |
| misandrist | n | man-hater |
| miscellaneous | adj | sundry |
| misdemeanour | n | wrongdoing |
| miser | n | tightwad, skinflint, niggard |
| miserable | adj | mirthless, mournful, sad, sorrowful, sorryish, sorrisome, unhappy, glum, gloomy, downhearted, unmirthful, woebegone, woeful, unworthy, untoward, worthless, wretched |
| misery | n | distress, weakness, ermeth (OE iermðu) |
| misfortune | n | unspeed, bad luck, ill-fare, ill-hap, dole, |
| mismanage | vb | misdight, mishandle |
| misogynist | n | woman-hater |
| misplace | vb | lose, mislay |
| missile | n | warhead |
| mission | n | errand, undertaking, goal |
| missionary | n | sendling, errander |
| mitigate | vb | soften |
| mitochondrium | n | mightcorn |
| mitosis | n | celldealing |
| mix (Germanic) | vb | blend, mingle |
| mixture | n | blend, mixing, mixeld |
| mobile(phone) | n | handset, handcaller, handblower |
| mock | vb | geck, be merry with, crackwise, dig at, hit off, put down, send up, take off, betwit, hoke |
| model | n | dummy, forebeing |
| modern | adj | new, new-like, nowa, nowalike, ourtimely |
| Modern English | n/adj | international "English". see: AngloUS, Anglonic. c.f., New-English/ Inglish |
| modernise | vb | benew |
| modest | adj | shamefast, cush (OE cúsc) |
| modify | vb | wend to |
| modulation | n | stringbending, (music) tonebending, (technic) wavebending |
| moist | adj | damp, wet |
| molar | n | wongtooth (<OE wangtoð), grindtooth (<OE grindetoð), axle-tooth, cheektooth |
| mold | vb | build, make, shape |
| moment | n | throw, trice, beat, twinkling of an eye, blinktime |
| monarch | n | king, cween, kinglet |
| monarchism | n | sundernwaldtroth, kingdom |
| monarchy | n | sunderoneweald (<OE sunderanweald), kingship |
| monastery | n | minster, monkhouse, priesthouse |
| monasticism | n | monkhoodship |
| money | n | fee (OE feoh), geld, brass, copper, mint, siller, silver, sterling, kale (slang), dough (slang), yield, penny |
| monitor | vb | watch, oversee |
| monk | brother [pl brether/brethren] (OE) | |
| monster | n | fiend, nicker (OE nicor) |
| Montenegro | n | Blackhill, Blackberg, Swartbarrow (<OE Sweartbeorg) |
| monument | n | thinktoken (calque from Frisian 'tinkteken') |
| monumental | adj | great |
| moor | n | heath |
| moral | adj | zedely (cf. Du. zedelijk, NHG. sittlich), zedesome (cf. NHG sittsam), thowfast (<OE geþéawfæst), thowful |
| morality | n | zedelihood, zedesomehood |
| morbid | adj | unhealthy, sickly, unwell, unsound, unwholesome |
| morbid | adj | unhealthy, sickly, unwell, unsound, unwholesome |
| mordant | adj | biting |
| morgue | n | deadhouse |
| moribund | adj | dying, deathbound |
| morphine | n | dreamdrug |
| mortal | n | deathling |
| mortal | adj | deadly |
| mortality | n | death, end, ending, endless sleep, forthfaring, loss of life, grim reaper, bane |
| mortgage | n | wadset, homeloan |
| mortify | vb | deaden, adead |
| mother nature | n | motherkin |
| mortuary | n | deadhouse, undertaker's home, bodyroom, bodyhouse |
| mosaic | n | breakletwork |
| mosquito | n | gnat, bloodfly, midge, midgy |
| motion | n | moving |
| motionless | adj | still, stock-still, at rest |
| motive | n | bewayforstand (Calque of Du. beweegreden) |
| motive, ulterior | n | hinderthought (Cf. NHG Hintergedanke) |
| motor | n | drivework, spincraft, turncraft, iron horse |
| motorway | n | freeway |
| mound | n | borwen |
| mount | n | hill, barrow, berry, down |
| mountain | n | ben, bergh, fell, borg, berg, berrow |
| moustache | n | overbeard, upperlipbeard (calque of NHD Oberlippenbart) |
| move | vb | scrithe, beway (Cf. NHG bewegen), beweigh, stir, flit, shift, go, wade (through water); wade (of the sun and moon "apparently" through clouds or mist) |
| movement | n | scrithing, bewaying, beweighing, drive, folkbody |
| movie | n | film, flick |
| Mr., Sir | n | Herr |
| mucus | n | slime,snot |
| multiple | adj | many, manifold |
| multiply | vb | times |
| multi- | prefix | cluster-, many, mani-, *fag/fagen (OE fag fah brightly multicoloured) |
| multi-language word | n | wanderword |
| multi-purpose | adj | all-in-one |
| multitude | n | crowd, throng, flock, folk, cluster, wave, mow, manifoldness |
| muscle | n | brawn, thew, sinew |
| muscular | n | brawny, thewy, sinewy, thewsome |
| museum | n | arthall, yorehall |
| music | n | swin (<OE geswin, "music, song"), sweycraft (<OE swegcræft, "music") |
| musician | n | swinman, swinsmith, sweycraftsman, sweysmith |
| muster | n & vb | gathering, gather |
| mutate | vb | yondother, yondshape |
| mute | adj | dumb, hushed |
| mutton | n | sheepflesh |
| mutual | adj | evenway |
| mystery | n | wonder, brain twister, beyond man's ken, hidden thing, ghost-wonder (OE gástgeryne) |
| myth | n | dreamtale |
| mythology | n | folklore, dreamlore |