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

Lal wrote back with superlatives of his own about Lawson, borrowing another word that Gandhi’s grandfather had often used, an Old English term for advocate, or follower:

From Los Angeles Times

As the painter notes: “Woods, from the Old English wode . . . also meaning ‘mad.’”

From Los Angeles Times

For teachers, it can assist with curriculum writing or be a creative classroom aide, for instance creating introductions in Old English during a class on medieval times.

From Reuters

She learned French, German, Latin and some Old English and Spanish to expand her reading.

From New York Times

Its name honored one of the first Old English poets, a 7th-century cowherd who was said to have waked up from a dream with the gift of verse and song.

From Washington Post