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In Old English, the plural ylfe (attested in Beowulf) is grammatically an ethnonym (a word for an ethnic group), suggesting that elves were seen as people. [41] [42] As well as appearing in medical texts, the Old English word ælf and its feminine derivative ælbinne were used in glosses to translate Latin words for nymphs.
Generally, words coming from French often retain a higher register than words of Old English origin, and they are considered by some to be more posh, elaborate, sophisticated, or pretentious. However, there are exceptions: weep , groom and stone (from Old English) occupy a slightly higher register than cry , brush and rock (from French).
This is a list of English words inherited and derived directly from the Old English stage of the language. This list also includes neologisms formed from Old English roots and/or particles in later forms of English, and words borrowed into other languages (e.g. French, Anglo-French, etc.) then borrowed back into English (e.g. bateau, chiffon, gourmet, nordic, etc.).
Considered one of the most beautiful of all Old English poems is Dream of the Rood, contained in the Vercelli Book. [53] The presence of a portion of the poem (in Northumbrian dialect [61]) carved in runes on an 8th century stone cross found in Ruthwell, Dumfriesshire, verifies the age of at least this portion of the poem.
Old English usage: frið sem álfkona: "fair as an elf-woman" ælfscýne: "elf-beautiful" Elves are beautiful. Old English usage: wuduælfen, wæterælfen, sǣælfen: "dryads, water-elves, naiads" Elves are strongly connected to nature. Scandinavian ballad Elvehøj: Mortal visitors to Elfland are in danger, as time seems different there.
The words in brackets are implied in the Old English by noun case and the bold words in brackets are explanations of words that have slightly different meanings in a modern context. Notice how what is used by the poet where a word like lo or behold would be expected.
Word-Hoard: An Introduction to Old English Vocabulary. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-03506-3. Pollington, Stephen (2010). Wordcraft: New English to Old English Dictionary and Thesaurus. Anglo-Saxon Books. ISBN 978-1-898281-02-3. "Oxford English Dictionary Online (paid membership)". Archived from the original on 2006-06-25
Similarly, kallos was used differently from the English word beauty in that it first and foremost applied to humans and bears an erotic connotation. [23] The Koine Greek word for beautiful was ὡραῖος, hōraios, [24] an adjective etymologically coming from the word ὥρα, hōra, meaning "hour".