Appendix:Old English Swadesh list

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This is a Swadesh list of words in Old English, compared with definitions in English.

Presentation[edit]

For further information, including the full final version of the list, read the Wikipedia article: Swadesh list.

American linguist Morris Swadesh believed that languages changed at measurable rates and that these could be determined even for languages without written precursors. Using vocabulary lists, he sought to understand not only change over time but also the relationships of extant languages. To be able to compare languages from different cultures, he based his lists on meanings he presumed would be available in as many cultures as possible. He then used the fraction of agreeing cognates between any two related languages to compute their divergence time by some (still debated) algorithms. Starting in 1950 with 165 meanings, his list grew to 215 in 1952, which was so expansive that many languages lacked native vocabulary for some terms. Subsequently, it was reduced to 207, and reduced much further to 100 meanings in 1955. A reformulated list was published posthumously in 1971.

No. English Old English
Englisċ
IPA
pronunciation
1 I [it͡ʃ]
2 you (singular) þū [θuː]
3 he [heː]
4 we [weː]
5 you (plural) ġē [jeː]
6 they hīe [hiːy̯]
7 this þēs m, þēos f, þis n [θeːs], [θeːo̯s], [θis]
8 that  m, sēo f, þæt n [seː], [seːo̯], [θæt]
9 here hēr [heːr]
10 there þǣr [θæːr]
11 who hwā [ʍɑː]
12 what hwæt [ʍæt]
13 where hwǣr [ʍæːr]
14 when hwænne [ˈʍæn.ne]
15 how [huː]
16 not ne [ne]
17 all eall [æɑ̯ɫː]
18 many maniġ, fela [ˈmɒ.nij], [ˈfe.lɑ]
19 some sum [sum]
20 few fēaw, lȳt [fæːɑ̯w], [lyːt]
21 other ōþer [ˈoː.ðer]
22 one ān [ɑːn]
23 two twēġen [ˈtweː.jen]
24 three þrī [θriː]
25 four fēower [ˈfeːo̯.wer]
26 five fīf [fiːf]
27 big miċel [ˈmi.t͡ʃel]
28 long lang [lɒŋɡ]
29 wide wīd, brād [wiːd], [brɑːd]
30 thick þicce [ˈθik.ke]
31 heavy hefiġ [ˈhe.vij]
32 small lȳtel [ˈlyː.tel]
33 short sċort [ʃorˠt]
34 narrow nearu [ˈnæɑ̯.ru]
35 thin þynne [ˈθyn.ne]
36 woman wīf n [wiːf]
37 man wer m [wer]
38 person mann m [mɒnː]
39 child ċild n, bearn n [t͡ʃild], [bæɑ̯rˠn]
40 wife wīf f [wiːf]
41 husband wer m, ċeorl m [wer], [ˈt͡ʃeorˠl̩]
42 mother mōdor f [ˈmoːdor]
43 father fæder m [ˈfæder]
44 animal nīeten n [ˈniːy̯ten]
45 fish fisċ m [fiʃ]
46 bird fugol m [ˈfuɣol]
47 dog hund m [hund]
48 louse lūs f [luːs]
49 snake nǣdre f [ˈnæːdre]
50 worm wyrm f [wyrˠm]
51 tree trēow n [treːo̯w]
52 forest wudu m [ˈwudu]
53 stick sticca m [ˈstik.kɑ]
54 fruit wæstm m [ˈwæstm̩]
55 seed sǣd n [sæːd]
56 leaf lēaf n [læːɑ̯f]
57 root wyrttruma m [ˈwyrˠtˌtrumɑ]
58 bark (of a tree) rind f [rind]
59 flower blōstma m [ˈbloːstmɑ]
60 grass gærs n [ɣærˠs]
61 rope rāp m [rɑːp]
62 skin hȳd f [hyːd]
63 meat flǣsċ n [flæːʃ]
64 blood blōd n [bloːd]
65 bone bān n [bɑːn]
66 fat (noun) rysel m [ˈryzel]
67 egg ǣġ n [æːj]
68 horn horn m [horˠn]
69 tail tæġl m, steort m [ˈtæjl̩], [ˈsteo̯rˠt]
70 feather feþer f [ˈfeðer]
71 hair hǣr n [hæːr]
72 head hēafod n [ˈhæːɑ̯vod]
73 ear ēare n [æːɑ̯re]
74 eye ēage n [ˈæːɑ̯ɣe]
75 nose nosu f [ˈnozu]
76 mouth mūþ m [muːθ]
77 tooth tōþ m [toːθ]
78 tongue (organ) tunge f [ˈtuŋɡe]
79 fingernail fingernæġl m [ˈfiŋɡerˠnæjl̩]
80 foot fōt m [foːt]
81 leg sċanca m [ˈʃɒŋkɑ]
82 knee cnēow n [kneːo̯w]
83 hand hand f [hɒnd]
84 wing fiþre n [ˈfiðre]
85 belly wamb f [wɒmb]
86 guts þearmas m pl [ˈθæɑ̯rˠmɑs]
87 neck swēora m [ˈsweːo̯rɑ]
88 back hryċġ m [hr̥ydd͡ʒ]
89 breast brēost n [breːo̯st]
90 heart heorte f [ˈheo̯rˠte]
91 liver lifer f [ˈliver]
92 to drink drincan [ˈdriŋkɑn]
93 to eat etan [ˈetɑn]
94 to bite bītan [ˈbiːtɑn]
95 to suck sūcan [ˈsuːkɑn]
96 to spit spǣtan [ˈspæːtɑn]
97 to vomit spīwan [ˈspiːwɑn]
98 to blow blāwan [ˈblɑːwɑn]
99 to breathe ēþian [ˈeːðiɑn]
100 to laugh hliehhan [ˈhl̥iy̯ç.çɑn]
101 to see ġesēon [jeˈseːo̯n]
102 to hear ġehīeran [jeˈhiːy̯rɑn]
103 to know witan (be aware of), cunnan (be familiar with) [ˈwitɑn], [ˈkun.nɑn]
104 to think þenċan [ˈθent͡ʃɑn]
105 to smell ġestincan (sense with the nose), stincan (give off a scent) [jeˈstiŋkɑn], [ˈstiŋkɑn]
106 to fear ondrǣdan [ondˈræːdɑn]
107 to sleep slǣpan [ˈslæːpɑn]
108 to live libban [ˈlib.bɑn]
109 to die sweltan [ˈsweltɑn]
110 to kill ofslēan [ofˈslæːɑ̯n]
111 to fight feohtan [ˈfeo̯xtɑn]
112 to hunt huntian [ˈhuntiɑn]
113 to hit slēan [slæːɑ̯n]
114 to cut snīþan [ˈsniːðɑn]
115 to split tōclēofan [toːˈkleːo̯vɑn]
116 to stab stingan, stician [ˈstiŋɡɑn], [ˈstikiɑn]
117 to scratch clawian [ˈklɑwiɑn]
118 to dig delfan [ˈdelvɑn]
119 to swim swimman [ˈswim.mɑn]
120 to fly flēogan [ˈfleːo̯ɣɑn]
121 to walk gān [ɣɑːn]
122 to come cuman [ˈkumɑn]
123 to lie (as in a bed) liċġan [ˈlid.d͡ʒɑn]
124 to sit sittan [ˈsit.tɑn]
125 to stand standan [ˈstɒndɑn]
126 to turn (intransitive) wendan [ˈwendɑn]
127 to fall feallan [ˈfæɑ̯ɫ.ɫɑn]
128 to give sellan [ˈsel.lɑn]
129 to hold healdan [ˈhæɑ̯ɫdɑn]
130 to squeeze twenġan [ˈtwend͡ʒɑn]
131 to rub gnīdan [ˈɣniːdɑn]
132 to wash þwēan, wascan [θwæːɑ̯n], [ˈwɑskɑn]
133 to wipe wīpian [ˈwiːpiɑn]
134 to pull tēon [ˈteːo̯n]
135 to push sċūfan [ˈʃuːvɑn]
136 to throw weorpan [ˈweo̯rˠpɑn]
137 to tie tīeġan [ˈtiːy̯jɑn]
138 to sew sīewian [ˈsiːy̯wiɑn]
139 to count tellan [ˈtel.lɑn]
140 to say cweþan, seċġan [ˈkweðɑn], [ˈsed.d͡ʒɑn]
141 to sing singan [ˈsiŋɡɑn]
142 to play plegian [ˈpleɣiɑn]
143 to float flēotan [ˈfleːo̯tɑn]
144 to flow flōwan [ˈfloːwɑn]
145 to freeze frēosan [ˈfreːo̯zɑn]
146 to swell swellan [ˈswel.lɑn]
147 sun sunne f [ˈsun.ne]
148 moon mōna m [ˈmoːnɑ]
149 star steorra m [ˈsteo̯rˠ.rˠɑ]
150 water wæter n [ˈwæter]
151 rain reġn m [ˈrejn̩]
152 river ēa f [æːɑ̯]
153 lake mere m [ˈmere]
154 sea  f [sæː]
155 salt sealt n [sæɑ̯ɫt]
156 stone stān m [stɑːn]
157 sand sand n [sɒnd]
158 dust dust n [dust]
159 earth eorþe f [eo̯rˠðe]
160 cloud wolcn n [ˈwoɫkn̩]
161 fog mist m [mist]
162 sky heofon m [ˈheo̯von]
163 wind wind m [wind]
164 snow snāw m [snɑːw]
165 ice īs n [iːs]
166 smoke smīeċ m [smiːy̯t͡ʃ]
167 fire fȳr n [fyːr]
168 ash æsċe f [ˈæʃ.ʃe]
169 to burn birnan (intransitive), bærnan (transitive) [ˈbirˠ.nɑn], [ˈbærˠ.nɑn]
170 road weġ m, strǣt f [wej], [stræːt]
171 mountain beorg m, dūn f, munt m [beo̯rˠɣ], [duːn], [munt]
172 red rēad [ræːɑ̯d]
173 green grēne [ˈɣreːne]
174 yellow ġeolu [ˈjeo̯ɫu]
175 white hwīt [ʍiːt]
176 black sweart [swæɑ̯rˠt]
177 night niht f [niçt]
178 day dæġ m [dæj]
179 year ġēar n [jæːɑ̯r]
180 warm wearm [wæɑ̯rˠm]
181 cold ċeald [t͡ʃæɑ̯ɫd]
182 full full [fuɫː]
183 new nīewe [ˈniːy̯we]
184 old eald [æɑ̯ɫd]
185 good gōd [ɣoːd]
186 bad yfel [ˈyvel]
187 rotten fūl, ġerotod [fuːl], [jeˈrotod]
188 dirty horiġ [ˈhorij]
189 straight riht [riçt]
190 round sinewealt [ˈsinewæɑ̯ɫt]
191 sharp (as a knife) sċearp [ʃæɑ̯rˠp]
192 dull (as a knife) stump [stump]
193 smooth smēþe [ˈsmeːðe]
194 wet wǣt [wæːt]
195 dry drȳġe [ˈdryːje]
196 correct riht [riçt]
197 near nēah [næːɑ̯x]
198 far feorr [feo̯rˠː]
199 right swīþra [ˈswiːðrɑ]
200 left winestra [ˈwinestrɑ]
201 at æt [æt]
202 in on [on]
203 with mid [mid]
204 and and [ɒnd]
205 if ġif [jif]
206 because for þon þe (because), for (because of) [for θon θe], [for]
207 name nama [ˈnɒmɑ]
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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