Old English

noun

1. Also called Anglo-Saxon. the English language of a.d. c450–c1150. : OE, O.E.
2. Printing. a style of black letter.

Old English

noun

1. Also calledAnglo-Saxon the English language from the time of the earliest settlements in the fifth century ad to about 1100. The main dialects were West Saxon (the chief literary form), Kentish, and Anglian OE Compare Middle English Modern English
2. printing a Gothic typeface commonly used in England up until the 18th century

Old English

1. The English language from the fifth century until about 1150. In the fifth century, the Angles and Saxons of Germany settled in Britain and established their language in the southern part of the island — the region that was called “Angle-land,” or “ England .” After 1150, the Norman French language introduced after the Norman Conquest influenced Old English, and Middle English developed.

Notes

Old English resembles the language spoken in Germany in the same period and is impossible for a present-day user of English to read without training. Beowulfis written in Old English.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Old English¹

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

She did indeed go to Harvard, where she majored in English and delighted in reading Chaucer in Old English.

From The Daily Beast

However, the Old English "hund" later became "hound" but eventually was replaced by "dog," not a cognate.

From The Daily Beast

Chapman, a common name now, was the Old English word for a general dealer.

From Project Gutenberg

Runciman was the man who had charge of horses too, and comes from another Old English word, rouncy, "a horse."

From Project Gutenberg

But many surnames which are taken from the names of trades come from Old English words which are now seldom or never used.

From Project Gutenberg

It was called in early times the Chepe, and took its name from the Old English word ceap, "a bargain."

From Project Gutenberg

There is no evidence that he had any special interest in Old English studies.

From Project Gutenberg