English Wordbook/B
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< English Wordbook
Staff B of the English Wordbook.
Basic abbreviations:
- OE=Old English
- NHG=New High German
- Du.=Dutch
For a full list of etymological and other abbreviations used in these wordlists, see: Offshortenings.
| Modern English Words | Word Class | Anglish Proposals | ||
| Attested in Modern English | Unattested in Modern English | |||
| babble | n | clatter, drivel | - | |
| baboon | n | - | dog-ape/houndape | |
| baby | n | suckling | - | |
| bacchanal | n | - | berryswiving, drunkenfest | |
| bacil | n | - | rodling, rodmoss | |
| bacon | n | spick | back meat | |
| bacteria | n | - | splitmoss | |
| badger | n | brock | - | |
| badminton | n | - | featherball | |
| baggage | n | packing | bundlepack | |
| baguette | n | french loaf | stickbread | |
| bail up | vb | hold up (by highwaymen) | - | |
| bailiff | n | sheriff | shire reeve | |
| bakery | n | bakehouse | - | |
| balaclava | n | - | head-sock, woolhat | |
| balance (device) | n | - | meter (<OE metan 'to measure, mete out, mark off, compare, estimate; pass over, traverse') | |
| balance (equilibrium) | n | evenness | (physics) (a) evenweight (Cf. WFris. evenwicht, Du. evenwicht, early mod. Dan. jævnvægt, Swe. jäm(n)vikt, Icel. jafnvægi < ON jafnvægi)
alikeweight (calque of German Gleichgewicht) | |
| bald | adj | hairless | - | |
| baleen | n | whalebone | - | |
| ballad | n | - | strollsong | |
| ballet | n | waltz | tumbler fairtumb | |
| ballistics | n | - | guncraft, shootlore | |
| balloon | n | - | fullball, loftball (cf. NHG Luftballon) | |
| baloney | n | gammon | - | |
| Baltic Sea | n | - | Beltsea | |
| baluster | n | - | holdershaft | |
| bamboo | vb | - | tree reed | |
| banana | n | - | moonbairn, moonapple, moonpod | |
| bandage | n | swaddle | woundband
wreath | |
| bandage | vb | swathe | wreathe (cf. NE breath and breathe) | |
| bandit | n | outlaw | - | |
| banish | vb | drive out, drive away send out, send away run out, thrust out fire, sack, spurn, outlaw, do away with | fleme | |
| banister | n | - | handsill | |
| banknote | n | - | greenback (Ameriksland) | |
| bankrupt | adj | broke, spent | benchbreak, geldbreak | |
| banner | n | - | fane | |
| banquet | n | - | benchsnack, guestmeal | |
| baobab | n | - | apebreadtree (cf. Ic. apabrauðstré, Fin. apinanleipäpuu, NHG Affenbrotbaum) | |
| baptise(ism) | n/vb | christen(ing) | fullought(ing) (<OE fulwiht) forwashing dip/depe (cf. Du. doop, NHG Taufe) | |
| bar | vb | ban, forbid | - | |
| barb | n | prick | beardling | |
| barbar | adj | heathen wild | fremd | |
| barbarian | n | heathen, northman | - | |
| barbarous | adj | - | reethy (<OE reðig "savage") | |
| barbeque | n | cookout | stickwork | |
| bargain | vb | cheapen, haggle | - | |
| barge | n | scow, lighter | leat boat, flatboat | |
| baritone | adj | deep (pitched) | - | |
| barium | n | - | heavy earth | |
| barometer | n | weatherglass | loftthrush-meter | |
| baron(ess) | n | - | freelord(lady) athel(-ing/-in) thane | |
| barracks | n | - | wyehut | |
| barracuda | n | - | toothfish | |
| barrage | n | - | streamblock | |
| barrel | n | coop, tub, tun, drum, keg, vat | - | |
| barrelmaker | n | cooper | - | |
| barren | adj | childless, unbearing | bairnless | |
| barricade | n | bar, block, bulwark | - | |
| barrier | n | bar | block | |
| bartender | n | barman | - | |
| basalt | n | - | heapstone | |
| base | n | bottom (for Basis see staddle) | - | |
| base | vb | bestaddle, ground | - | |
| base (as opposed to acid) | n | - | lyestuff | |
| baseball | n | - | hardball (& softball) | |
| baseless | adj | ungrounded groundless | - | |
| basement | n | underground | - | |
| basil | n | - | mistle (<OE mistel) | |
| basis | n | groundwork, staddle underpinning | - | |
| basket | n | - | cawl | |
| basketball | n | - | cawlball | |
| bass (singer) | n | - | deepsinger, deepsongtool | |
| bass (tone) | n | - | lowsound | |
| basset | n | - | shorthound | |
| basin | n | sink | - | |
| bastard | n | byblow, bye-blow | saddlechild, mixling, lovechild | |
| batik | n v | - | dotting waxdying waxdye | |
| batrachian | n/adj | - | tailless (calque of Gk. anura, syn. of batrachian) | |
| battalion | n | - | fightthrong | |
| batter | vb | beat, feeze | - | |
| battery | n | - | beater, streamblock, thorblock sparkhouse | |
| battery bear | n | moon bear | - | |
| battle | n | hurly-burly, clash | gouth, bedlake, bedew, stride (<OE stridan, cf. Dutch 'strijd') | |
| battlefield | n | - | wyefield, gouthfield, bedewfield | |
| battleship | n | warship | dreadn(o/a)ught | |
| Bavaria | name | - | Bayers, Baury/Baure/Baurne (cf. Bavarian dialect 'Boarn'), Byery/Byern/Byerne/Byeren (cf. NHG Bayern, Du. Beieren) | |
| bay | n | inlay, bight cove (sheltered) | - | |
| bayonet | n | goad | buss-stinger (cf. Ic. byssustingur)crossbow bolt gunknife | |
| bayou | n | - | marshstream, fenstream | |
| bazooka | n | - | rock shooter, rock thrower | |
| beach volley | n | - | beach block (cf. Ic. blak) | |
| beagle | n | - | snoophound | |
| beak | n | neb, bill | - | |
| beau | n | swain, ladfriend, fop | - | |
| beautiful | adj | comely, fair, sheen eyesome, eyeful, handsome | wlitty (<OE wlitig) | |
| beauty | n | comeliness fairhood, fairness sheen | wlittiness
sheenhood (c.f. NHG schönheit) | |
| because | conj | for for sake (of), for that since, as in behalf of forwhy, forthy | forof because of
afteras (calque of Swedish, “eftersom”) | |
| bedaub | vb | cleam, smear, stick on | - | |
| beef | n | cowflesh, cowmeat | - | |
| behavior | n | - | behaveness | |
| beige | n | - | yellowgray, yellowbrown | |
| Belarus(sian) | name | - | Whiterussland(er/ish) | |
| belfry | n | - | bergfrith | |
| Belgium | name | - | Belgland | |
| belladonna | n | - | deadly nightshade, dwale | |
| bellicose | adj | warlike | - | |
| belligerent | adj | - | war-waging, war-making | |
| benefit | n | behoof, welfare | foredeal (calque from other Gmc langs, e.g. Scot. fordel, Fr. foardiel, Du. voordeel, Ger. Vorteil)
public ~ folkrede (<OE folcrǽd) | |
| benefit | vb | bestead, behove, behoove so., do so. well/good
boot | - | |
| benevolent(ce) | n | goodwill(ing) | goodwilled(ness), wellwilled(ness) | |
| benign | adj | harmless | - | |
| berate (O. Norse) | vb | upbraid | - | |
| beret | n | - | flathat | |
| beryllium | n | - | agustearth | |
| besiege | vb | beleaguer beset leaguer | umset (<OE ymbsittan) | |
| bestiality | vb | - | deerlust, wightlust | |
| bestowal | n | bestowing | - | |
| betray(al) | vb | sellout, backstab(bing) | bewray(ing), belewe(ing)
forrede (<OE forrǽdan, cf. Du. verraden, NHG verraten) | |
| betrayer | n | unfriend two-timer | forreder (<OE forrǽda)
fairweather friend | |
| beverage | n | drink | - | |
| bi- | pref | - | two-, twi- | |
| biannual | adj | two-yearly | halfyearly | |
| bias | n | leaning, one-sidedness | - | |
| Bible | n | the book, the word | Cristenbooks | |
| bibulous | adj | - | soaksome | |
| bicameral | adj | two-roomed | two-halled, twistalled, twostalled, twifack, twifackly | |
| biceps | n | - | twisinew, twihead | |
| bicycle | n | two-wheeler | faringrath (fare+ing+rathe; Cf. NHG Fahrrad)
wheel-saddle | |
| bidet | n | saddlebath | - | |
| bidirectional | adj | - | two-way, twiway twirightings (cf. NHG Zweirichtungs-) | |
| bidirectional printer | n | - | twirightingsthrutcher (cf. NHG Zweirichtungsdrucker) | |
| biennial(ly) | adj/adv | twoyearly | - | |
| biker | n | wheeler | rathe(wo)man | |
| bilateral | adj | two-sided | - | |
| bile bear | n | moon bear | - | |
| bill | n | reckoning, lawing | - | |
| billabong | n | oxbow | - | |
| billion (109) | nm | - | thrisand | |
| binoculars | n | field glasses | farlooker, farsights (calque of N.Pers. دوربین - dur "far" + bin "sight") | |
| bio- | pref | - | life- living quick- | |
| biography | n | - | lifetale, lifesdraught, lifewrit | |
| biology | n | - | lifelore | |
| bipedal | adj | two-legged | - | |
| biscuit | n | cookie | twibake cakeling | |
| bisect | vb | cleave, halve | halfcut, twicut | |
| bisemutum | n | - | weldstuff to make solders | |
| bisexual | adj | - | twicunward ("two-sex-oriented" [cun "sex" <OE cyn]) | |
| bisexual | n | - | twicunlover | |
| bisexuality | n | - | twicunwardness, twilust, twiswive | |
| bitumen | n | - | earthpitch | |
| bivalve | n | clam | - | |
| bizarre | adj | weird, freakish outlandish | - | |
| Blairite | n | - | Blairtrothen | |
| blame | vb | wite, guilt, chide | forscold, edwite | |
| blame | n | witing | forscolding, guilt, edwiting | |
| blasphemy | n | - | hosp (<ME) godsmear, holyheaning | |
| blatant | adj | glaring | - | |
| blemish | vb | mar | andmark (cf. Ic. and-marki) | |
| blemish | n | mar, flaw, fleck | - | |
| blemishless | adj | clean, fair flawless, fleckless | furb | |
| blizzard | n | - | hefty/forblinding snowstorm (calque Swe/Du.) | |
| blockade | n | - | blocking | |
| blockhead | n | woodenhead | - | |
| blockish | n | woodenheaded | - | |
| blond (Germanic) | adj | fair flaxen golden-brown light snowy | - | |
| blouse | n | keel | - | |
| bludgeon | vb | club, cudgel | - | |
| boa | n | - | bindsnake | |
| boast | vb | crow (over) | - | |
| bodyguard | n | minder triggerman trigger | bodyward | |
| bog | n | mire | - | |
| bogus | adj | wrong, fake | - | |
| boil | vb | seethe, bubble | - | |
| boilersuit | n | overall | - | |
| Bolivia(n) | name | - | Boliv(y/ish/iar) | |
| bomb | n | - | blastball, springball, fire-egg | |
| bonanza | n | - | richlode | |
| bondage | n | - | haft (<OE hæft, cf. NHG Haft "imprisonment") | |
| bong | n | - | waterpipe | |
| bonnet | n | - | automotive: hood fashion: brimless hat | |
| boomerang | n | - | andglider | |
| boomerang | vb | comeback, backfire | andcome | |
| boondocks | n | - | backwater, sleepy hollow, wanewick | |
| bootsector | n | - | bootgroove | |
| bordello | n | whorehouse brothel | - | |
| border (political) | n | threshold, mark | landmere seamere, landline fnad (<OE fnæd) | |
| boron | n | - | hardchark | |
| Bosnia(n) | name | - | Bosn(y/ish/iar) | |
| boss | n | knob overseer | overman foreman | |
| botany | n | - | wortlore, grasslore | |
| bother | n | ado | - | |
| bottle | n | flask | - | |
| bouillon | n | broth | - | |
| boulevard | n | broadway, bullwark | - | |
| boulevardier | n | man about town | - | |
| boundary | n | bounds, mere | landline | |
| bountiful | adj | teeming overflowing manifold | este (of persons) | |
| bouquet | n | - | bloomset | |
| bourbon | n | - | kentucky lifewater | |
| bourgeois | n | - | highbred, highburger | |
| boutique | n | - | dress shop | |
| bovine | adj | cowlike | - | |
| bowel | n | gut | - | |
| boy | n | lad knave knape, guy bairn | - | |
| bra | n | breastshirt, breastholder | - | |
| bracelet | n | wristband armband | wristling | |
| braggart | n | know-all know-it-all big mouth blowhard loud mouth show off swell head mucklemouth | - | |
| braille | n | - | The Blind's rune | |
| branch | n | bough, twig fork, arm, offshoot | - | |
| brassiere | n | - | armward | |
| Braunschweig (Germany) | n | Brunswick | - | |
| brave | adj | daring, doughty fearless, bold, dow unfrightened stalworth | ellenly
egleche | |
| bravo! | int | - | well done! | |
| brawl | n | flite | free-for-all | |
| bray | n | heehaw | - | |
| breakable | n | brittle | brickle | |
| breeze | n | - | windlick | |
| breve | adj | short | - | |
| brewery | n | brewern brewhouse | - | |
| bribe | vb | buy off | - | |
| brick | n | - | bakestone (cf. NHG Backstein) | |
| briefs | n | - | legless undershorts | |
| brilliant | adj | shining | - | |
| brisk | adj | swift, frisky | ferk | |
| Britain/Britannia | n | - | Britland | |
| British Intelligence | n | - | British Anget | |
| broccoli | n | - | sproutcole | |
| brochure | n | flyer, handout | leafel | |
| bromium | n | - | stinkwater | |
| browser (web browser) | n | - | umshewer | |
| brunette | adj | - | brownhaired brownling | |
| brutal | adj | harsh | - | |
| brutality | n | harshness | - | |
| bryophyte | n | moss | - | |
| buccaneer | n | freebooter | seareaver | |
| Buddhism | n | - | buddhendom (analogy with christendom) | |
| Buddhist | n/adj | - | buddhish | |
| budget | n | - | householdplot | |
| buffalo | n | wild ox | - | |
| buffer (computer) | n | - | lanestow | |
| buffet | n | - | foodboard | |
| buffoon | n | clown | - | |
| buggery | n | - | arseswiving | |
| Bulgari(a/an) | name | - | Bulgar(y/ish/iar) | |
| bullet | n | slug | lead /l?d/, ball, streal (<OE strǣl), thother (<OE Þōðer, "ball") | |
| bulletin | n | - | newtidings | |
| bullion | n | ingots | - | |
| bulldozer | n | - | earthshrither, earthflitter, groundflitter | |
| bully | n | - | browbeater, strongarmer | |
| bully | vb | - | browbeat, strong-arm, ride roughshod over | |
| bun | n | puff | - | |
| bunch | n | lot | - | |
| bucket | n | stoup /stu?p/, stoop | - | |
| buckle | n | clasp | - | |
| buckle | vb | fasten, clasp | - | |
| bungalow | n | one floor house | lowhouse | |
| bungler | n | - | addlebrain, addlehead | |
| buoy (Germanic) | n | - | beacon, floattoken | |
| bureau | n | - | reevehouse, ambetehouse | |
| bureaucracy | n | - | reevedom (state) beadledom (church) | |
| burgeon | vb | bud, bloom, blossom | - | |
| burgle(ar/-y) | n/vb | - | housebreach(break/-er), thief | |
| burlesque | n | - | funnish (Italian burla "trick, fun" + -esque < PIE *-iskos > PG *-iskaz > OE -isc > NE -ish) | |
| bus | n | - | folkwain | |
| bust | n | chest, breast | - | |
| butcher | n | - | fleshmonger | |
| butler | n | steward | flasker, mugbearer | |
| button (trigger) | n | knob, key | trigger | |
| button (fastener) | n | snap, fastener | - | |
| buzzard | n | - | lesserhawk, mousehawk (<OE mushafoc) | |
| bypass (electricity) | n | shunt | - | |
| by-past | adj | bygone | - | |
| byte | n | - | eightcleft | |
