A Dictionary of the First or Oldest Words in the English Language

B.

Bac, sb. == a crown. Wright's L. P. p. 70. AS. beág

Back, sb. HD. 556

Backbite, v. a. Pol. S. 157. pret. 'backbate.' Ps. xxxvii. 21

Backbiter, sb. Rel. S. vii. 25

Bad, adj. RG. 108

Badly, adv. RG. 566

Baft, sb. == the hinder part. Ps. lxxvii. 66. AS. bæfta

Bag, sb. Pol. S. 150

Bagful, sb. St Swithin, 57

Bailiff, sb. RG. 473, 499. n. pl. 'baylis' RG. 129

Baillie, sb. == office, or duty. 202, 355 B.

-- == authority. Alys. 7532

Bait, v. a. (a bear). HD. 1840. ON. beita

Baker, sb. Rel. S. vii. 35

Balance, sb. == doubt. RG. 200

Bald, adj. [ballede]. RG. 377, 429

Baldelicker, == bolder. St Swithin, 69

Baldric, sb. == [baudry]. Alys. 4698. Fr. baldret. Lat. balteus

Bale, sb. == woe. HD. 327. AS. bealu

Baleful, adj. Wright's L. P. p. 53

Bali, == belly. q. v.

Ball, sb. Fragm. Sci. 89

-- == head. Alys. 6481. Compare our modern slang 'nob'

Balm, sb. [baum]. Wright's L. P. p. 35

Baloynge, == smoothness? Wright's L. P. p. 35. See Prompt. Parv. s. v. Balhew

Ban, sb. == message. RG. 188

-- == troop, army. O. and N. 390

-- v. a. == levy, or raise an army. O. and N. 1666

Band, sb. == chain, bond. [bende], RG. 379

Bandon, sb. == dominion, authority. Wright's L. P. p. 27. pl. bandons, == orders, commands. Alys. 3180

Baneur, sb. == ensign-bearer. RG. 361

Bank, sb. (of a river). Alys. 3495

Banker, sb. == cloth or covering for a bench. Ritson's AS. viii. 69. Fr. banquier. See Prompt. Parv. s. v. and Way's note there

Banner, sb. RG. 541, 542, 402

Banneret, sb. == a little banner. Alys. 5236

-- == knight-banneret. RG. 551

Baptize, v. a. RG. 86

Baptizing, sb. RG. 86

Bar, sb. HD. 1794

Barbary, sb. == foreign lands. Ps. cxiii. 1

Barbet, sb. == a hood, or muffler. Pol. S. 154

Barbican, sb. Alys. 1591. Fr. barbacan. Vid. Roq. s. v.; and see Phil. Soc. Proc. vol. iii. p. 156

Bare, sb. == tree. O. and N. 56. ON. Barr

Bare, adj. == naked. RG. 514

-- == mere, single. M. Ode, 70

-- == destitute, impoverished. RG. 511, 388

Barefoot, adj. RG. 434

Baret, sb. == quarrel. O. and N. 408. HD. 1932. ON. baratta

Barge, sb. Alys. 852

Bark, v. n. Alys. 1935

Barking, sb. Alys. 4966

Barm, sb. == yeast. Rel. S. vii. 30. AS. bearme

Barm, == bosom. K. Horn. 728. AS. bearm

Barman, sb. == kitchen-porter. HD. 868. See 'bermannen,' in Gloss. to La?.

Barmhatres, == breast-cloths. Rel. Ant. ii. p. 176. AS. bearm, hæter

Barn, sb. RG. 496

Baron, sb. RG. 369, 511

Baronage, sb. [barnage]. HD. 2947

Barony, sb. == estate of a baron. RG. 479

-- == order of barons. RG. 535

Barrel, sb. Alys. 28

Barrow, sb. == wheel cart. 899 B.

Baru, sb. == a gelt boar. RG. 207

Basilisk, sb. == a kind of serpent. Ps. xc. 13

Basin, sb. == helmet. Pol. S. 189. Alys. 2333. Fr. bacinet

Basnet, sb. == a light helmet. Alys. 2234

Bast, == bastard. RG. 431, 516. Always preceded by 'a'

Bastard, adj. RG. 412

Baston, sb. == a kind of verse. Rel. Ant. ii. p. 175

Bat, sb. == club. Alys. 78

Batchelor, sb. RG. 453

Batchelry, sb. == order of batchelors, the youth. RG. 76

-- == prowess. RG. 192

Bate, v. a. == make to abate, put an end to. Body and Soul, 167

Bath, sb. RG. 7

Bathe, v. a. Alys. 2708

-- v. n. Rel. S. v. 210

Battailing, sb. == fighting. Alys. 100

Battailer, [batelur], sb. == warrior. Alys. 1433

Battle, sb. RG. 369, 514

Baudekyn, sb. == a stuff made of silk and gold, so called from Bagdad, Ital. Baldacco, where it was made. Alys. 202

Bawmed, == embalmed. Alys. 4670

Bay, v. a. == listen to, render fortunate. Wright's L. P. p. 27. Fr. bayer. Vid. Roq.

-- v. a. == to bait (a boar), pret. 'bede.' Wright's L. P. p. 27

-- sb. == baiting, 'bay of bor.' Alys. 4376

Bay, == boy. Alys. 4376

Be, v. n. 402 B. [beo], 403 B. [beon], 404 B. [bon], O. and N. 262. [ben], Wright's L. P. p. 24. [buen], ib. p. 25

-- pres. ind. 1 s. 'am.' O. and N. 276

2 s. 'art.' O. and N. 561. 'is.' Ps. 1. 6

3 s. 'is.' O. and N. 570. 'esse.' Ps. xci. 16. 'bes.' Ps. cxlvi. 10; cxxvii. 2

1 pl. 'buen.' Wright's L. P. p. 25

3 pl. 'aren.' Wright's L. P. pp. 34, 22; 'both.' O. and N. 568. 'beth.' RG 368. 'beoth.' 411 B.

-- pres. subj. 2 s. 'bo.' O. and N. 566

3 s. 'bo.' O. and N. 1376. 'beo.' O. and N. 1531

3 pl. 'be.' RG. 369. 'bo.' O. and N. 567

-- pret. ind. 1 s. 'wes.' Wright's L. P. p. 97

3 s. 'wes.' Wright's L. P. p. 25. 'was.' RG. 374

3 pl. 'were.' Rel. S. v. 178

-- pret. subj. 2 s. 'were.' O. and N. 1312

3 s. 'were.' O. and N. 1299

3 pl. 'were.' RG. 374

-- imper. sing. 'be.' Wright's L. P. p. 97

-- part. 'ibeo.' 434 B.

Beadle, sb. HD. 266. [budel.] Wright's L. P. p. 22. pl. 'bedeles.' 987 B. AS. bydel

Beam, sb. RG. 288

Bean, sb. RG. 497

Bear, sb. (the animal). HD. 573

Bear, v. n. == incline towards. 362 B.

Bear, v. a. == carry. RG. 375. pret. 'bar.' 224 B.

-- == pay, render. RG. 378

-- == produce (as fruit). RG. 352

-- == bring forth a child, part. 'i-bore.' RG. 516. O. and N. 716

Beard, sb. 611 ß

Bearing, sb. == birth. Alys. 636

Beast, sb. RG. 375, 376

Beat, v. a. HD. 2763. RG. 453. 3 pl. pret. 'beoten.' St Andr. 69. part. 'bete' == beaten, of gold. Wright's L. P. p. 35

Beauty, sb. [bealté]. Wright's L. P. p. 53

Beaver, sb. M. Ode, 182

Bebled, == covered with blood. Alys. 3813

Beck, sb. == brook. Ritson's AS. viii. 63 AS. becc. Germ. bach

Beck, v. n. == beckon. Ps. xxxiv. 19

Beckon, [bocken] v. n. Pol. S. 149. AS. bécnan

Beclip, v. a. == embrace. RG. 469. Alys. 7416. AS. beclyppan

Becoll, v. a. == blacken. pret. 'becolmede.' K. Horn, 1096. AS. col

Become, v. n. == come into existence. RG. 15

-- == suit a person, with 'to.' RG. 36

Bed, sb. RG. 377

-- == bedfellow. O. and N. 1498

Bed, v. a. HD. 1237

Bedag, v. a. == bedew with mud; part. 'bydagged.' Alys. 5485. ON. dögg. Sw dagg. == dew. Not connected with 'dagged' == cut into slips; vandyked, as applied to clothing, which comes from AS. dág

Bede, v. a. == pray. RG. 547. 2 s. pres. 'byst.' RG. 337. 3 s. 'bit.' O. and N. 571. 3 pl. pret. 'baden.' Ps. cv. 19

-- == offer. Ps. lxxi. 10

-- sb. == prayer. RG. 571

Bedgang, sb. == going to bed. Ps. liv. 3

Bedsister, sb. == concubine. RG. 27

Bedyner, sb. == servant, officer. Wright's L. P. p. 49. Germ. bedienen

Bee, sb. Ps. cxvii. 12

Beech, sb. Alys. 5242. [breche]. O. and N. 14? Compare for the insertion or omission of the r, AS. 'spræcan,' Engl. 'speak,' 'gin' and 'grin' or 'grinew,' 'groom' and AS. 'guma'

Beef, sb. Alys. 5248

Beer, sb. [bor], O. and N. 1009

Befal, v. n. pret. 'bivel.' RG. 556

Before, prep.-of place. RG. 443

-- adv.-of time. RG. 443. [biforen] Wright's L. P. p. 24

-- == foreward, onward. O. and N. 774

Beget, v. a. == obtain. O. and N. 726. RG. 516

-- == procreate. RG. 516. part. 'by?yte.' RG. 388

Begetting, sb. Alys. 6866

Beggar, sb. Body and Soul, 139

Begin, v. n. RG. 380

Beginning, sb. RG. 384

-- == (of a country.) RG. 399

Begon, part. == adorned, or covered with. Ritson's AS. viii. 35. Cf. 'woebegone'

Begrown, part. [bi-growe]. O. and N. 27

Beguile,...