Anglo-Norman Dictionary

31/10/2024

WOTD: maligne espirit, loc. ‘evil spirit, wicked being, demon’

Beware of the evil spirits! ‘espirt maligne en son cheval Entrira par enchantement; Sil crucira tant cruaument Q'ensemble amdui trubucheront, Si qe les cous lor briseront.’ S Greg 2446 (an evil spirit will take possession of his horse by sorcery; it will distress it so cruelly, that both will fall together and break their necks)

➡️ https://www.anglo-norman.net/entry/espirit

Image: The Devils' Council (Paris, BnF, Français 91 f.1)

08/10/2024

WOTD: planete, s. ‘planet, mobile celestial body’

In his thirteenth-century Kalender, Rauf de Lindham observes (presumably to the horror of modern astronomers): ‘set planetes verraiment Sunt lasus al firmament […] Ceo est Saturnus e Jubiter, Mars, Solail e pus Venus, Mercurius, Lune’ RAUF ANTS 295 (Truely, there are seven planets up in the sky […] They are Saturn and Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, then Venus, Mercury and the Moon)

➡️ https://www.anglo-norman.net/entry/planete



Image: Astronomer(s) (Paris, BnF, Français 134 f.169)

04/10/2024

WOTD: scolemestre, s., ‘schoolmaster, teacher’

In 1423 the hospital of St Leonard of York was suddenly short of food for ‘.ij. scolemaisters, l'un pur enfourmer les ditz queresters en musyk et l'autre en gramer’ Rot Parl1 iv 249 (two teachers, one to teach the said choristers music and the other grammar.)

➡️ https://www.anglo-norman.net/entry/scolemestre

Image: Saint Jerome paying his professor (France, Paris. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des manuscrits, Latin 1 f.3v)

22/09/2024

WOTD: gain, s., ‘autumn, harvest season’

weins frois et sechs si resemble […] melancolie Psalter Comment 109.89 (autumn is cold and dry ; it is similar to […] black bile)

➡️ https://anglo-norman.net/entry/gain

19/09/2024

WOTD: ‘levé’, pp as a., leavened:
‘pur le pantrie […] vous achatés du payn non pas chaufenous, mes de bon payne levee’ Man lang ANTS 5.12 (For the pantry […] you will not buy mouldy bread but good leavened one)
➡️ More info: https://www.anglo-norman.net/entry/lever_1

Image: Habacuc transportant des vivres pour Daniel/Habakkuk carrying supplies for Daniel (France, Tours, Bibliothèque municipale, Ms. 13 f. 086).

09/07/2024

We are very sad to hear that last month Prof. Thomas Städtler, Editor and Director of the amazing Dictionnaire étymologique de l'ancien français (DEAF), passed away. Over the years, his intellectual and personal generosity towards, among others, the AND and its editors was beautiful. https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/rose/personen/staedtler.html

21/05/2024

From ‘gestinkes’ to ‘fryingpanne’ ... ‘pinionade’ to ‘kymorthas’ ... and ‘makelard’ to ‘androdragme’ ...

It is now possible to search for all **loanwords** in Anglo-Norman, using the new ‘languages’ tag in the Anglo-Norman Dictionary’s ‘Advanced Seaches’ options: https://anglo-norman.net/search/

14/05/2024

***Brand new feature in the AND*** You can now search the dictionary directly for any loanwords from specific languages (English, Latin, Welsh, Dutch, Hebrew, Arabic, etc.).

Go to ‘Advanced Search’ ( https://anglo-norman.net/search/ ) and choose ‘languages’.
Various options, including compound searches are possible.

(!) Please note that loanwords are defined as words that have been borrowed into Anglo-Norman from another language with little or no modification (e.g. English 'tenysballe' or Latin 'testudo'). This search does not cover etymologies of words.

03/05/2024

New publication by Delphine Demelas, one of our editors: 'La Chanson d'Otinel. Édition critique du remaniement anglo-normand (fin XIIe siècle), ed. Delphine Demelas (Brepols May 2024)'

L'ouvrage propose une édition critique de la version anglo-normande de La Chanson d'Otinel, chanson de geste dont le remaniement date de la fin du XIIe siècle.

25/04/2024

Today, we offer you a salty saga from medieval England.

According to an Anglo-Norman chronicle, in 1325: ‘En cel temps la meer surmontoit l’eawe de Thamise qe fust salee, par quei moltz des gentz se pleignoient de la cervoise qe fu salee’ Anon Chr2 122

(At this time the sea swept over the water of the Thames which became saline. As a result many people complained of the ale which became salty)

While we can't be sure if this was a widespread "ale-pocalypse", it does offer a salty glimpse into the everyday concerns of medieval Londoners. So next time you raise a glass, be thankful that your beer’s no longer made from unfiltered Thames water!

[Illustration: Meal - Wine pouring (France, Abbeville. Bibliothèque municipale, Ms. 16 f. 015v)]

22/04/2024

𝙒𝙊𝙏𝘿: terre, ‘world, earth as a sphere or planet’

esteiles reials Que apellum 'principals', Que en latin numuns Planetes par raisuns. La terre dedenz pent. Comput ANTS 2801

('Royal stars' that are called ‘principals’, which in Latin are properly known as planets. The Earth hangs among them.)

To learn more: https://anglo-norman.net/entry/terre_1

[Illustration: Allegory of the Earth (Paris, BnF, Grec 1208, f.200)]

16/04/2024

Tresjoius, tresbenigne and treslas au terce!

We're very happy to say that after almost three years of work, the Second Edition of the letter T- has now been published online!

1805 new and revised entries freely available on https://anglo-norman.net/entry/t

28/03/2024

𝙒𝙊𝙏𝘿: mandé 'washing of feet'
If you ever wondered where the phrase 'Maundy Thursday' comes from, the answer is Anglo-Norman.

➡️To learn more: https://anglo-norman.net/entry/mand%C3%A9

[Illustration: Reconciliation of penitents on Maundy Thursday (France, Besançon. Bibliothèque municipale, Ms. 138 f. 120)]

27/03/2024

📚𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗼-𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆
G. De Wilde (2021) ‘Towards Completing the Second Edition of the Anglo-Norman Dictionary’

This article surveys the history of the Anglo-Norman Dictionary, and the impact of using a platform for the revisions process that produces the Second Edition – a process which is still ongoing. Through the introduction of various search options, semantic tagging, chronology of citations and cognate references to related dictionaries, the AND has expanded beyond its original semantic remit and now covers historical, etymological and onomasiological dimensions. Although the Second Edition is now, after three decades, nearing its completion, the AND, as a flexible, open-access online resource, will continue to be open-ended.

➡️ Full article: ⬇️

22/03/2024

🔔The updated 2024 versions of U- and Y- are here!

The second edition of these sections, originally published in 2014 and 2008, has been expanded with new citations, senses, locutions and additional entries.

As a digital and flexible resource, the AND continues to grow.

➡️Check out these new sections on our website:

Over the last two years this section of the dictionary was revised exhaustively and expanded dramatically. It now consists of 2,480 substantive entries (including 7,361 senses and subsenses, 16,450 dated citations and 1,957 locutions), together with 4,623 cross-reference entries.

21/03/2024

Happy International Poetry Day and the official start of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere! To celebrate, how about some 13th C. verse inspired by Spring:

“Mon avril e ma violete, Moun pré de mai e ma florete” Ross ANTS 1873 (My April and my violet, My May meadow and my little flower).

Further fact: Anglo-Norman had a verb, "avriller," meaning "to be showery," suggesting that already in medieval times the weather wasn’t too great this month!

To learn more: https://anglo-norman.net/entry/avriller_2

[Illustration: Climate : rain (France, Paris. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des manuscrits, NAL 1673 f.95v)]

19/03/2024

𝙒𝙊𝙏𝘿: travailler, ‘to work ; take exercise’
"Ki ke veut sa santé garder Devant mangier estuit travailler" Secr ABERNUN 1881

(Whoever wants to stay in shape has to exercise before eating)

In other words, no pain no gain. Maybe we should all listen this 13th century advice and hit the fields before breakfast…

To learn more: https://anglo-norman.net/entry/travailler

[Illustration: Medieval Sports, Great Britain: England (France, Paris. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des manuscrits, Français 22971 f.9v)]

15/03/2024

Today, let’s explore the Anglo-Norman Pisces horoscope:

"Qant la lune est en Pisce. Piscis est une signe commune, freyde e moyste, fleumatik, de la nature de ewe. Donke est il bone oure a vendre, e achater, la mer entrer e passer e letres en message mander, edifier curtyls e arbres planter, medicine prendre. N’e[st] pas bon fer choses que deyt estre fet par fu." Future 148

(When the moon is in Pisces. Pisces is a common sign, cold and moist, phlegmatic, of the nature of water. Therefore, it is a good time to sell and buy, to take to the sea and sail across it, to send letters and messages, to build gardens and plant trees, and to take medicine. It is not a good time to do things that need to be done by fire.)

Pisces, according to your medieval horoscope, it is best to skip the BBQ this weekend and instead microwave your Sunday pizza…

[Illustration : Zodiac : Pisces (Paris, BnF, Latin 7330 f.33v)]