Common eME words

The following is a list of common words, which have been gleaned from PC2 and Orm. Most are so close in form and meaning in both Early Middle English and Modern English, that readers will recognise them instantly.

These words can serve as reading practice for those who would like to get more familiar with eME spelling.

demonstratives, relatives, conjunctions and adverbs

and, eayther, forth, he_r, hu_, na_, ne, nu_, oft, the, this, than, that, thus, wel, hwat, hwi_le

nouns

abbot, belle, biscop, bliss, Briten, bo_k, bro_ther, butere, candel, casteles, ce_se, ci_ld, clif, cnotte, cribb, Cri_st, cristen`do_m, cwe_n, death, ende, erl, fader, fe_t, fi_r, flock, flo_d, flo_r, folk, fo_t, gilt, God, gold, ha_m, hand, heap, heathen, Hell, help, herte, ho_f, hundred, hunger, i_ren, kin, ki_nd, king, land, li_f, liht, lim, mayden, man, martir, men, middel, miht, mo_d, name, ne_d, niht, no_n, pitt, pre_st, scip, sci_r, sinn, smoke, snake, sna_w, strengthe, tempel, thing, thoht, ti_me, thu_send, throte, wall, weapen, wille, wi_n, winter, witness, witt, word, wunder, yard

adjectives

all, al`mihtiy, a_n, betere, Britisc, cleane, de_p, first, fu_l, full, go_d, gre_diy, half, inward, least, maniy, maniy`fa_ld, ne_we, north, open, o_ther, readiy, riht, scarp, scort, stede`fast, sum, su_th, twa_, thre_, west, wi_lde, wi_s

verbs

am, art, asken, baken, be_, bohte, bringen, brohte, cursen, is, fallen, fihten, fi_nden, flen, gre_ten, helpen, ke_pen, lasten, leaden, lifen, lo_ken, planten, ri_den, ringen, ri_sen, sayde, senden, setten, singen, sitten, standen, ste_ren, stiken, stiren, sto_d, taken, tellen, thanken, thohte, understo_d, was, willen, winnen, withsto_d, wri_ten

pronouns and possessive adjectives

ic, me_, mi_n

thu_, the_, thi_n

he_, him, his

sce_, hire, hire

it/hit, it/hit, his

ye_, yow, yowre

we_, us, u_re

hi_, hem, here

self

prepositions

after, at, be`foren, betwe_nen, bi_, for, fram, in, into_, mid, of, over, on, to_, to_ward, under, up, upon, u_t, with, withu_ten