Staff T of the English Wordbook.
Basic abbreviations:
- OE = Old English
- ME = Middle English
- PG = Or-theedish
- SC = Scots
- SW = Swedish
- Dan. = Danish
- ON = Old Norse
- OS = Old Saxon
- NHG = New Hightheech
- IC = Icelandish
- H.IC = High Icelandish
- Du. = Netherlandish
- Fris. = Freesish
For a full list of etymological and other abbreviations used in these wordlists, see: Offshortenings.
| Chancery English | Class | Anglish/English | ||
| Attested | Unattested | |||
| tabernacle | n | - | tilding (< OE geteldung) shifthouse, worshiphut, worshipbooth | |
| table | n | board; listing, spreadsheet | beed (<OE bēod) | |
| table cloth | n | - | beedcloth (<OE bēodclāþ)
boardcloth | |
| table d'hôte | n | set meal | guestgiver's beed | |
| taboo | n/adj | ban, out; that which cannot be spoken of | shunning, mithing | |
| tacit | adj | unspoken, wordless, not understood | - | |
| taciturn | adj | tight-lipped | - | |
| tactics | n | how, way | wyecraft | |
| Tagalog | n | Eafolk, Tagalog | ||
| Tagalog (people) | n | Eafolklander, Tagaloglander | ||
| Tagalog Language | n | Eafolkish Tung, Tagalog Tung | ||
| Tagalog Region | n | Eafolkish Landship, Tagalogland | ||
| tailor | n | needle-worker, outfitter | thimbleman, wearshafter, seamer | |
| tailor | vb | fit, put, shape | - | |
| talkative | adj | talksome, chatty, gabby, outspoken, long-winded | eloquent: quethel (< OE cwedol) | |
| talus bone | n | anklebone | ||
| tan | v | brown, bark | yare (< ME yaren 'to tan') | |
| tanner | n | barker | yarer (< ME yaren 'to tan' + -er) | |
| Tangut | n/adj | - |
Westsummerwrit (calque of Cn 西夏文, xīxiàwén/hsi1hsia4wen2/ŝīŝià-ŭén/ㄒㄒㄧㄚ`ㄨㄣˊ), n/adj: Westsummerrish | |
| tank | n | pond, pool, vat |
bury (< OE beorgan 'to preserve') | |
| tantalum | n | whetstuff | ||
| tantrum | n | fit | ||
| tardigrade | n | waterbear | - | |
| target | n | goal, mark | - | |
| task | n | chore, char; errand, undertaking | upgive (up + gave < OE geafu "gift", cf. NHG Aufgabe, Du. opgave, Nw. oppgave) | |
| taste (sense) | n | smack; fondness | tung, cride; belikening | |
| taste | vb | smack, smatch | tung | |
| tasteless | adj | smackless , no smack | - | |
| tautology | n | - | word-sameness (Barnes) | |
| tattoo | n | - | hidemark | |
| tavern | n | alehouse, inn | winehouse (< OE wínhús, cf. NHG Weinhaus)
beer hut (cf. NHG Bierhütte) gesthouse (cf. NHG Gasthaus) | |
| tax | n | geld, tithe, toll | gavel (< OE gafol) | |
| taxation | n | tithing, tolling | gelding, geldnold, gavling (< OE gafol 'tribute, tax, debt') | |
| taxidermy | n | stuffing | stightskinning (calque) | |
| taxman | n | toller | bidreaper (< OE Bidrepe), gaveler, geldman | |
| taxonomy | n | stightlore | ||
| tea | n | - | leafwos (ME wos 'juice'), leafbrew | |
| technical | adj | craftly (Barnes) | - | |
| technical language | n | - | craftspeech (< OE cræftspræc) | |
| technically | adj | lorewise | - | |
| technology | n | craft, tooling, tool-work | toolcraft | |
| tedious | adj | dreary, leaden, humming | longsome (Barnes) | |
| telegram | n | - | wire-spell (Barnes) | |
| telegraph | n | - | spell-wire (Barnes) | |
| telemarketing | farchepstowing | |||
| telepathy | n | mindreading | thoughtcasting, farfeeling (calque. tele+pathy) | |
| telephone | n | farspeaker | dogbone, wirecaller, farsteaven (calque tele+phone) | |
| teleport | v | - | farferry | |
| teleporter | n | - | farferrier | |
| telescope | n | farseer, sweeper, look-see | ||
| television | n | show screen, small-screen, show box | bairdscraft, sightcasting, farseeing (cf. NHG Fernsehen) set: farseer (cf. NHG Fernseher), streambox, baird box, shirm (cf. NHG Schirm), farwatcher | |
| televisual | adj | - | sightcast | |
| temper | vb/n | vb: mood n: anneal | - | |
| temperament | n | - | lund (cf. Ic.) | |
| temperate | adj | mild | forholding (Barnes) | |
| temperate zone | n | - | midstrip | |
| temperature | n | heat, cold, warmth | mete, weatherstep, heatstep (Cf. Ar. درجة الحرارة) | |
| tempest | n | storm | - | |
| tempestuous | adj | blood-and-guts, hammer-and-tongs, stormy | thory | |
| template | n | - | forelay (cf. NHG vorlage) | |
| temple | n | - | bedehouse, worship stow, herry, ''body part'': tending (Dan. tinding) | |
| temporal | adj | timewise, timely, tidesome | - | |
| temporal | adj | earthborn, earthbound, freshly, worldly | - | |
| temporal bone | n | tendingbone | ||
| temporary | adj | flash, short-lived | - | |
| tempt | vb | whet, draw in, pull in, bait | costen, forlead, cun, forseek (cf. NHG versuchen), fash | |
| temptation | n | itch, bait, come-on, draw, pull, hankering, snare, trap | costening (< OE costnung), fanding, forleading, forseeking | |
| tenacious | adj | dogged; clingy | - | |
| tend | vb | tilt towards, lean, slant, look after | - | |
| tender | adj | nesh | - | |
| tendon | n | sinew | - | |
| tenebrous | adj | dark, gloomy, thester | - | |
| tense | n | - | grammar: time-shape, timing (Barnes) | |
| tense | adj | edgy, uptight; hairy, nail-biting | - | |
| tensor | n | stretcher, waybearer (telcraft) | - | |
| tent | n | tilt, roof | fieldhouse | |
| tentacle | n | feeler, feelhorn | rineling (calque) | |
| tepid | adj | halfhearted; lukewarm | - | |
| terracota | n | - | bakedearth (Italian calque), burnt clay (cf. Ic. brenndur leir) | |
| terrain | n | landscape | landship (Anglicizing of Landscape) | |
| term | n | name, word, frist (a term in which a debt is to be repaid) | tide; begrip (calque) | |
| terminal | adj | rearmost, endmost
sickness: deadly | endbound | |
| terminal | n | ending | endstop | |
| terminate | vb | end (Barnes) | - | |
| terminology | n | wording (Barnes) | - | |
| terminus | n | end | - | |
| termite | n | white ant | - | |
| terrestrial | adj | ground-dwelling, earthly, groundly | - | |
| terrible | adj | dreadful, fearsome, frightening, ghastly; frightful; awful, rotten | - | |
| terrific | adj | awesome, top-shelf; awfil, nightmare | - | |
| terrify | vb | fright, affright | eyse (< OE egesian), afear, bray (< OE bregan) | |
| terrifying | adj | eldritch, frightening | ||
| territory | n | land, turf | ledemark (< OE leódmearc 'people's territory') division: landdeal; hundred, hund, ward, lathe, riding, tithing | |
| terror | n | hang-up; dread, fright | deadly: qualmthrea (< OE cwealmþrēa) pl: qualmthreën (< OE cwealmþrēan), fearstrike | |
| terrorize | v | fearstriking | ||
| terrorism | n | - | awewhelming, fearstrikening | |
| terrorist | n | fearstriker | ||
| test | n/vb | - | fand(ing) (< OE fandung) | |
| testament (will) | n | will | ervebeek (< OE ierfebéc), ervewrit (< OE ierfegewrit) | |
| testator | n | willwriter | ervewritend (< OE ierfewrítend) | |
| testicle | n | bollock, ball | sceallen (<OE sceallan) | |
| testimony | n | witness | - | |
| text | n | - | queath (Fr. OE cwide), trat, | |
| textbook | n | handbook | - | |
| textile | n | - | thrum | |
| texture | n | mouthfeel | - | |
| thatched | adj | - | thatchen (Barnes) | |
| theatre | n | - | drama: waving (< OE wáfung) place: showhall, playhouse, wavingstow (< OE wáfungstów), wavingstead (< OE wáfingstede) | |
| theme | n | feel | underwarp (cf. Du. onderwarp), underthrow (cf. Du. onderwerp) | |
| theology | n | godlore | - | |
| theory | n | thought, thoughtlay | beholding | |
| therapy | n | - | behandling (cf. Dan. behandling) | |
| thermo- | pfx | - | heat- | |
| thermodynamic | adj | - | warmthworkly, heatworkly | |
| thermodynamics | n | - | warmthworks, heatwork | |
| thermology | n | - | warmthlore, heatlore | |
| thermometer | n | - | warmthmeter (meter = mete + er; one who metes), heatmeter | |
| thermonuclear | adj | - | warmthkernly, heatkernly | |
| thermostat | n | - | warmthteller, heatteller | |
| thesaurus | n | - | begripwordbook (cf. NHG Begriffswörterbuch) | |
| they/them/their
(technically not native English, but North Germanic) | pron | they/them/their (no oversetting needed) | he/hem/her (<OE hīe/him/hira), they/them/their (<ON) | |
| throne | n | seat | giftstool, giftseat (OE ġifstōl), kinestool (<OE cynestol), kinesettle (<OE cynesetl), kingleeder (<king + OE hlēda, meaning "seat"), highseat (<IS hásæti), kingseat | |
| thug | n | outlaw, beater | - | |
| tibia | n | shank-bone, shinbone | - | |
| tiger | n | - | stripecat | |
| till | prep | - | ooth (<OE ōþ) | |
| time (this is a Germanish word) | n | tide (Cf. G Zeit), thraw (ME, <OE þrāg) pl: thrawen (unattested) | throw (<OE þrāg) | |
| time of tribulation | n | woe, hard times, dearth, evil | arveth-throw, arvethrow (<OE earfoþþrāg; c.f. ME arveþ-sīþ) | |
| timid | adj | shy, meek, thewless | - | |
| tint | n | blee, hue | - | |
| titanium | n | strongstuff | ||
| title | n | name, right, sterling | - | |
| tmesis | n | - | umgrave, incarve | |
| TNT | n | - | boomkeg, blastkeg, boomstick, TCWMB
(threechoke woodmead-benzene, calque of trinitrotouline/trinitro methylbenzene), TCWWB (threechoke woodwine-benzene) | |
| toast | vb | thanksgiving | - | |
| toast | n | roastbread (cf. NHG Röstbrot) | ||
| tobacco | n | - | smokeleaf, smokingleaf, hirst loaf | |
| toboggan | n | slide, slider | - | |
| toilet | n | bathroom, washroom, restroom | - | |
| toilet (bowl) | n | stool, pot, potty, can | gangsettle (<OE gangsetl), washsettle | |
| tolerate | vb | thole, bear, put up with | thware (<OE þwarian) | |
| tomato | n |
loveapple |
heartapple (< OE heortæppel), goldapple (cf. NHG Goldapfel, French pomme d'or), bloodapple, swelling ovet (literal meaning of Aztecan tomatl) | |
| tomb | n | grave | thesterlock (<OE þéostorloca), lichrest (<OE lícrest) | |
| topaz | n | - | basestone (<OE baswa stán) | |
| topic | n | - | underthrow (cf. Du. onderwerp "subject, topic") | |
| topography | n | landscape | - | |
| torch | n | flashlight, handlight, wisp | fackle (<OE fæcele, cf. NHG Fackel) brand, glimmer | |
| torch | vb | fire, light | brand | |
| torment | vb/n | bedevil n: hang-up |
qualmness (<OE cwealmnes) vb: aquilm (<OE ácwylmian, to be tormented) | |
| tornado | n | whirlwind, whirlstorm, twister | - | |
| torpedo | n | tin fish (navy slang) |
|fornaughtsend (cf. Ic. tundurskeyti), seashot (sea-missile) | |
| torso | n | upperbody, bouk | - | |
| tortoise | n | - | landburdling (<OE byrdling)
rover (contr. of 'roofer' or 'roofpod', akin to stegosaurus 'roofed lizard') shieldback (cf. Ic. skjaldbaka) shellpad fennich | |
| torture | vb | bedevil | forpine, threst, befiend | |
| total | n | - | - | |
| total | adj | utter, full, all-out, full-on, overall | ||
| totalitarian(ism) | adj/n | red | fullreding, fullriking, overiking | |
| totally | adv | altogether, fully, wholly, outright, utterly, full-on | ||
| totem | n | hallmark | eldermark, kinmark | |
| toucan | n | - | peppereater (cf. Swed. pepparätare) | |
| touch | vb | handle, feel, finger, rine | berear (cf. NHG berühren calque of all Ger. speeches) (see rear ety. 2) | |
| tour | n | sightseeing | leadabout (cf. Du. rondleiding) | |
| tour | vb | sightsee | go about | |
| tourist | n | sightseer | fandler, | |
| towel | n | cloth, handcloth, washcloth | handduck (cf. Fr. Handoek, Du. Handdoek, NHG Handtuch), bedesheet (<OE beodsceat) | |
| tower | n | keep, steeple | - | |
| tower | vb | - | outwax | |
| toxic(ity) | adj/n | - | atter(some/ness) | |
| toxoplasmosis | n | - | bowmolden sickness | |
| tracheä | n | windpipe | lungleat, windtharm, throatboll, windadder | |
| track | n | path, way | - | |
| tractor | n | tug, tower | tugwain | |
| trade union | n | - | workship (cf. NHG gewerkschaft), styfellow, styfellowship (cf. Ic. stéttarfélag); workers' guild | |
| tradition | n | trend, folklore, folkways, oldenway, thew(s) | besetness (cf. OE gesetnes) | |
| traditional | adj | old-line | old-stream, old-thread, thewkeeping, thewabiding, yorewise | |
| traffic | n | wains, flow | wayburden | |
| tragedy | n | ill, knock, mishap | wopleeth (<OE wopleoþ), ill-hap, woehap | |
| tragic | adj | heartbreaking, unlucky, woeful | - | |
| trailblazing | adj | groundbreaking | - | |
| train | n | tow, tug | -wain (old word for a wagon) | |
| trainer | n | - | outbilder (calque NHG. Ausbilder) | |
| trait | n | tie | - | |
| traitor | n | backstabber, bewrayer | lew (<OE læwa 'betrayer, traitor'), forreder (cf. NHG Verräter, Du. verrader, OE forrǽda. see rede), trustreaver | |
| trans- | pref | over- (only some words) | through- or thru- (NHG. durch-) (only some words) | |
| transcend | vb | - | oversty, overgo, overfare, outmire | |
| transcribe | vb | downwrite | overwrite (Du. overschrijeven) | |
| transfer | vb | send, bring over, hand to/over, shift (Barnes) | wend over, overbring | |
| transfigure | vb/n | shapeshift(ing) | forwandle (cf. NHG verwandeln) yondshape | |
| Transfiguration (religion) | n | - | Forhallowing | |
| transgender | n/adj | - | overkind | |
| transform | vb | shapeshift | forshape (<OE forscieppan)
forwandle, yondshape, forwend | |
| transgress | vb | - | overbreach (<OE oferbrecan) | |
| transhuman | n | - | yondwere, halfwere, halfman | |
| transhumanism | n | - | yondweredom, halfweredom | |
| transit | n/vb | thoroughfare, faring | - | |
| transition | n | shift, overgang | wending, switch-over, overswitch, frothering | |
| transitional | adj | - | wendingly, wendsome | |
| transitive | adj | overfaresome (Barnes) | - | |
| transitive (grammar) | adj | - | outreaching (Barnes), overgangly (cf. Du overgankelijk) | |
| transitory | adj | fleeting | whilewendly (<OE hwilwendlic) | |
| translate | vb | put into (Barnes), overset | - | |
| translation | n | oversetting | ||
| transliminal | adj | - | mirethwarsing | |
| transliteratetion | n | - | umwriting (cf. Ic. umrita, NHG umschreiben) | |
| translucent | adj | thurghbright, throughleaming throughshinely (cf. Du. doorschijnend) | ||
| transmit | vb | spread; ship; hand over, oversend | - | |
| transmission | n | broadcast, | oversending | |
| transparency | n | see-throughness | throughsightihood(ness) (cf. NHG Durchsichtigkeit) | |
| transparent | adj | sheer, see-through; bright-line, glassy through-seen (Barnes) | throughbright (<OE þurhbeorht) throughshine (<OE þurhscýne), throughsighty (cf. NHG durchsichtig) | |
| transpire | vb | 1. sweat 2. happen, come to happen, leak out, come out | - | |
| transport | vb | ferry (from North Germanic) | - | |
| transsexual | n | folkhalf shifter, folkhalf switcher | kinswitcher, overkind | |
| transsubstantiate | vb | - | yondwhat, yondandwork | |
| transubstantiation | n | - | wistforwandering (Norw. vesensforvandling; Dan. Væsensforvandling; NHG. Wesensverwandlung) | |
| transvestite | n | - | thwart-dresser, otherdresser | |
| trampoline | n | - | spring-sheet | |
| trapezium/trapezoid | n | - | boardshape | |
| trapezium (bone) | lesser boardbone | |||
| trauma | n | wound, aftershock | - | |
| travel | vb | fare (Barnes), wayfare, yondfare, lithe | - | |
| traveller | n | wayfarer (Barnes) | fere | |
| traverse | vb | tread, yondfare | yondshrithe (<OE geondscríðan) | |
| treachery | n | - | swick (<OE swic) | |
| treason | n | forrede (cf. OE forrǽdan, Du. verraden, NHG verraten) | ||
| treasure | n | hoard, wealth hoard, dearworthness (<OE déorwyrðnes) |
shat (<ME schat), yarse/yass (<OE gærsum; c.f. bass < OE bærs, arse/ass < OE ærs) princely: drightmathem (<OE dryhtmaðm) ancient: earstreen (<OE ærġestrēon), eldstreen (<OE ealdġestrēon) | |
| treasury | n | - | gavelgild (<OE gafolgyld), feehoard (<OE feohhord) hoardern (<OE hordern) feehove (<OE feohhof) cluff (<OE clyfa) | |
| treat | vb | behandle | - | |
| treatise | n | - | offhandling (cf. NHG Abhandlung) | |
| treatment | n | - | behandling, tiling (<OE tilung) | |
| treaty | n | truce, deal,
bargain (Barnes) | (peace): frithwrit, frithware (<OE friðuwær)
fordrawing (cf. NHG Vertrag), foreward (<OE foreweard) | |
| trebuchet | n | slaught stonehauler
overbouke/overbouk (calque) uprooting bouke (calque) slaught gearwork gunne (<ME) swinging stonehauler weighed stonehauler | ||
| tremble | vb | bever, shiver, quiver, shudder, shake, quake, | bive | |
| tremor | n | quake, quiver, shake, shudder | - | |
| trench | n | ditch | gravet <OE grafet), delf, waterfurrow | |
| trespass | vb | overstep | offbreete (calque of Ic. af-brot; cf. OE breotan) | |
| trespasser | n | guilt-doer | ||
| triangle | n | wedge | threenook ?/θrɛnʊk/
threeside (cf. Du. trekant) | |
| tribal leader | n | - | kinelder, kinleader, hereman | |
| tribe | n | kindred, stem |
mathe, kneeris (< OE cnēoris) | |
| tribulation | n | woe, hard times |
costing (< OE costung) arwothe (<OE earwoðe) forniddenness (<OE forgnidennes) | |
| tribunal | n | deemstool (cf Ic. dómstóll, Sw. domstol, Dan, domstol) | ||
| tribute | n | - | gavel (< OE gafol) | |
| tributary | n | brook | rith, side-stream (Barnes) | |
| triceratops | n | - | threehornanleth (calque of Greek) | |
| trichology | n | hairlore | - | |
| tricycle | n | - | threewheeler | |
| trick | n | wile, swack | sare (< OE searu) | |
| trigonometry | n | threenooklore, threenooking | ||
| trillion | foursand, etning | |||
| trilobite | n | - | thrilap
threeleaf bug | |
| trilogy | n | - | thrilock (cf. Du. drieluik) | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | n | - | Threefold and Smokeleaf | |
| trinity | n | - | threeness (Barnes), threefoldness | |
| tripartite | adj | threefold | threedealed (< OE þridǽled) | |
| triple | n | threesome | - | |
| triple | vb/adj | threefold (Barnes) | - | |
| triplet | n | threeling | thrin | |
| triquetal bone | n | threenookbone | ||
| tristful | adj | sad; downcast, gloomy, unblithe, unglad, wretched | - | |
| triumph | n | win, sig | - | |
| triumvirate | n | - | thriwered (exact calque: trium- thri + -vir- were + -ate -ed) | |
| trivial | adj | paltry | ayeap, ageap (< OE ægype) | |
| troops (army) | n | - | sithreaden (<OE ġesiðræden) | |
| tropical (climate) | adj | wethot | wendringly (cf. Du. keerkring, NHG Wendekreis) | |
| tropical zone | n | - | wendring strip, innerstrip, innerslice | |
| trouble | vb/n |
ail, illness, woe; harm's way in trouble: on the ropes, mishap, mess | swench (< OE swencan) | |
| troublesome | adj | woeful | athrotsome (<OE aþrotsum) | |
| truck | n | lorry | freightwain (cf. W.Fris. frachtwein) | |
| truncheon | n | cudgel, nightstick, club | - | |
| trunk | n | - | body, bole, salk, stock, stem, shaft, | |
| trunk | n | - | slurf (cf. Du. slurf, W.Fris. sloarf) limbnose, armnose | |
| try | vb | mint, fand, bid, shoot, crack, stab, go, seek, strive, work | forseek (NHG. Versuchen, Du. verzoeken) or forseech (regarding beseech)
munt (< OE myntan) | |
| tsunami | n | - | andwave, greatwave, micklewave | |
| tuba | n | basshorn | ||
| tube | n | straw, pipe | - | |
| tubule | n | awl, straw | - | |
|
tuition | n | teaching geld | leering | |
| tulip | n | - | houvebloom | |
| tumor | n | amper (OE: ampre ) | ||
| tundra | n | northgrass, coldgrass | - | |
| tunic | n | chesthelm, breasthelm | - | |
| tunnel | n | - | burrow, crawlway, underway, going (cf. Ic. göng) | |
| turban | n | - | houve | |
| turbid | adj | cloudy, droff, overcast, murky, muddy | - | |
| turn | vb | wend, writhe | - | |
| turn | n | (my turn): next in the row | - | |
| turn against | vb | gainsay, withstand | gainstand, gainwork (cf. NHG entgegenwirken) | |
| turn into | vb | become, char | forwandle | |
| turn off | vb | switch off | - | |
| turn off | vb | switch on | ||
| turn out | vb | crop up | ||
| turning point | n | watershed | - | |
| turquoise | vb/n | teal | greenblue | |
| turret | n | small keep | wyehouse (<OE wíghús) | |
| turtle | n | shell-paddock (rare) | burdling (<OE byrdling)
rover (contr. of 'roofer' or 'roofpod', akin to stegosaurus, meaning 'roofed lizard'), shieldpad (cf. W.Fr. skyldpod & Du schildpad) | |
| tutelage | n | - | reding | |
| tutor | n | teacher, leerer | lorethew | |
| tutu | n | bumbum (French calque) | ||
| tweezers | n | nippers | - | |
| tycoon | n | - | greatsman (cf. Eng. magnate) | |
| type | n | kind (Barnes), ilk | - | |
| type | vb | peck, mash, strike; key, truckle, tap (in); write | - | |
| typewriter | n | - | writsare (cf. Du. schrijfmachine, NHG Schreibmaschine)
keywriter, tapwriter | |
| typhus | n | - | lent-addle (Barnes) | |
| typify | vb | kinden, mark, inbody | - | |
| typical | adj | everyday | token | |
| typographer | n | - | outlayer, runecrafter | |
| Tyrannosaurus rex | n | - | king tharlathex (calque of Greek+Latin)
great king athex (athex <OE āðehe: saurus) | |
| tyranny | n | - | tharlreding | |
| tyrant | n | - | tharlreder (<OE þearl 'severe, strict')
hardrede (cf. king Harold 3 of Norway) leedhater (<OE lēodhata/leōdhata) pl: leedhatren (<OE lēodhatan/leōdhatan) | |
| tyre | n | shoe, rubber | wheelring, loftband, liftband, band | |
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