English Wordbook/M
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< English Wordbook
Staff M of the English Wordbook.
Basic abbreviations: att'd=attested, OE=Old English, NHG=New High German, Du.=Dutch
For a full list of etymological and other abbreviations used in these wordlists, see Forshortenings.
| English | Word Class | Anglish | ||
| Attested | Not attested | |||
| macabre | adj | grisly, grim | - | |
| macerate | vb | steep | - | |
| machine | n | gearwork, gearware, clockwork | gearware, clockware, workware, workrig | |
| magazine | n | - | 1. gossipwrit 2. warehouse, weaponhoard | |
| magic | n | dwimmer | spellcraft, witchcraft, wizardcraft, hexcraft, dwimmercraft, galdercraft (<OE) | |
| magic (study of) | n | - | galderlore, hexlore, witchlore, wizardlore, dwimmerlore, spell-lore | |
| magic art | n | - | dwimmercraft (dwimmer "illusion, spectre" <OE gedwimor+craft) | |
| magician | n | wizard, witch | hexer (<Nw. hekser), dwimmercraftsman | |
| magistrate | n | deemer/deemster | - | |
| magnesium oxide | n | - | bitter earth | |
| magnate | n | - | mickman | |
| magnet | n | - | Sailstone (cf. Icl. segull) | |
| magnitude | n | mickle | mete | |
| magnolia | n | - | beaverbloom | |
| maggot | n | - | mathe (<OE maþa, Scots mathe; c.f. Du made, NHG Made) | |
| mail (armor) | n | mesh, byrnie | - | |
| maim | vb | cripple | - | |
| maintain | vb | keep up, kemp, upkeep | - | |
| maintenance | n | upkeep | - | |
| maître d'hôtel | n | - | houserede | |
| majestic | adj | awesome | - | |
| majesty | n | oreworthness, awesomeness, greatness, highness, lordship | thrim (<OE þrymm), overmight (cf. NHG Übermacht) | |
| major | n | thane | - | |
| major | adj | greater, overling | - | |
| majority | n | greater share, morehood, manifoldness | mostness | |
| maladjusted | adj | misfit | - | |
| malady | n | sickness, illness | addle, cothe | |
| malapert | adj | brazen | unbeshamed (cf. Du. onbeschaamd) | |
| male | adj | he-kind, (pref.) he-, manful, manly, werly, werely | - | |
| male | n | buck | - | |
| male sex | n | manhood | werehood | |
| malefactor | n | lawbreaker, wrongdoer, evildoer | - | |
| malevolence | n | ill will, evil will | - | |
| malevolent | adj | ill-hearted, illwilling | - | |
| malfeasance | n | wrongdoing, misdeed | - | |
| malfunction | n | glitch | - | |
| malfunction | vb | misbehave | miswork | |
| malice | n | wrath, evilwilledness | evest, nithecraft | |
| malicious | adj | evil, wicked, argh, evilful | - | |
| malign | adj | evil, slander, backbite | - | |
| malnourish | vb | underfeed, ill-feed, misfeed | - | |
| malnourished | adj | underfed, ill-fed, misfed | - | |
| maltose | n | - | maltsweet | |
| maltreat | vb | manhandle (roughly), tousle, misnutt, misbrook, misbrouk | - | |
| malware | n | badware, evilware | ||
| mammal | n | - | milchwight, suckdeer, suckledeer | |
| mammary | n | breast, tit | - | |
| manage | vb | handle, run, deal with, fare, keep, keep up | - | |
| manager | n | besteerer (cf. Dan. bestyrer) | fore(wo)man | |
| mandrake | n | - | screamwort, shriekwort | |
| mandrill | n | - | rainbow ape, hueleer ape, huemug ape | |
| manga | n | - | dawnlandish talestrips, dawnlandish livestrips | |
| manger | n | trough | - | |
| mangrove | n | - | seamarsh, shrubmarsh | |
| mania | n | madness | - | |
| maniac | adj | mad, crazy | - | |
| manifest(ed) | adj | - | swettle (<OE sweotol) | |
| manifest | vb | - | swettle (<OE sweotolian) | |
| manifestation | n | swettling (<OE sweotolung) | ||
| manifesto | n | - | swettling (<OE sweotolung) | |
| manner | n | - | lund | |
| mansion | n | - | hireyard (cf. Swe. herrgård) hire = mister | |
| mansuetude | adj | mildness | - | |
| manta | n | - | flatfish | |
| mantis | n | - | beadbug | |
| mantle | n | hackle | - | |
| manual | n | handbook | - | |
| manual | adj | hand(-) | - | |
| manually | adv | by hand | - | |
| manufacture' | vb | make, shape, handmake, smithy, craft | - | |
| manure | n | dung, | rother-soil | |
| manuscript | n | handwrit | - | |
| map | n | landdraught, land-drawing | mete (<OE metan: to measure "to scale") | |
| marble | n | - | Shinestone (Greek) | |
| march | n/vb | - | warstep, warwalk | |
| March | n | - | Roughmonth, Pringmonth, Loud (<OE Hlýda / Hlúd), Winmonth (<OE Hreðmonað) | |
| marijuana | n | hemp, hemphay, grass (street-talk), weed (street-talk) | - | |
| marine | adj | sea-, mer(e)- | - | |
| marine park | n | - | water-frith | |
| maritime | adj | sea | - | |
| marjoram | n | - | kingswort (<OE cyningeswyrt) | |
| market | n | - | chepstow (town on the Welsh border) | |
| market town | n | chepingtown | - | |
| marquess | n | - | ethelman | |
| marriage | n | wedding, handfast, wedlock | gathership (<OE gaderscipe) | |
| marry | vb | wed | - | |
| marsupial | n | - | pungdeer/pungsucker (pung "pouch" + deer "animal" or sucker, cf. Dan. pungdyr; NHG Beutelsäuger "pouch-sucker" and Du. buideldier "pouch-animal") | |
| martyr | n | - | bloot (<OE (ge)blot, "sacrifice"), rood-bearer, cuther/cyther (<OE cyðere), witness (Grk 'martyreo' means "I witness, I tell about") | |
| martial art(s) | n | - | fightingcraft(s) | |
| marvel | n & vb | wonder | - | |
| marvelous | adj | wonderful, wulderly, selcouth | - | |
| mask | n | - | mesh | |
| masochism | n | achelove, achelust | - | |
| masochist | n | seeksorrow, achelover, acheluster | - | |
| mason | n | stonewright | - | |
| masonry | n | stonecraft, stonework | - | |
| masque | n | - | meshplay | |
| masquerade | n | - | meshtumb | |
| mass | n | bulk, inweight | - | |
| mass (religious) | n | - | thiewot / thewet (<OE þēowot) goddisthane/god's-thane (<NHG "Gottesdienst") (Mass is from OE Latin maesse) | |
| massacre | n | slaughter | overkill, bloodbath | |
| mass murderer | n | - | death dealer | |
| masticate | vb | chew | - | |
| master | n | head | reve | |
| masturbate | vb | wank, toss off, beat off | selfhandstir (made of component parts akin to latin) | |
| match | n | light(stick) | - | |
| material | adj | bodylike, bodilike | - | |
| maternal | adj | motherly | - | |
| mathematics | n | - | scorelore, reckonlore | |
| matrimony | n | wedlock | - | |
| matter | n | stuff | andwork (<OE andweorc), inting (<OE intinga) | |
| mature | adj | grown, ripe | - | |
| maximum | n | uttermost | - | |
| maximum | adj | utmost | - | |
| May | n | - | Threemilk/Threemilkmonth, (<OE Þrimeolce, Þrimilcemonað) Merrymonth | |
| mayhem | n | crippling | - | |
| mayonnaise | n | yolkdip | - | |
| mayor | n | - | town-reeve (<OE portgeréfa), townsteerer, townsteersman | |
| measure | n | - | met (<OE met) | |
| measure | vb | - | mete (<OE metan, cf. Du. meten, NHG messen, Swed. mäta), meal (<OE mǣl) | |
| mechanical | adj | - | workcraftly (see mechanics) | |
| mechanics | n | - | workcraft (<OE weorccræft) | |
| mechanised | vb | clockwork, workwaren, workwared | - | |
| mediate(-tion) | vb | settle(-ing) | formiddle(-ing) (Calque of NHG vermitteln) | |
| mediator | n | - | formiddler, gobetween, makefrith, middleman | |
| medicine | n | - | leechwort, leechdom (field of.), leechcraft (field of.), leechlore (field of.) | |
| medieval | adj | - | middle eldth, middletimely, middletimeish, middletidely, middletidish, middleolderly, middeleolderish, dark eldth, unenlightened times | |
| mediocre | adj | middling, halfway | - | |
| meditate | vb | - | gost (<OE gastan)
hidge, huy (<OE hycgan) sin/sun (<OE sinnan, cf. NHG sinnen; "sun" by analogy to "run" - <OE rinnan to avoid, negative connotation with "sin") smigh (<OE smeagan) smy (<OE smean) threed (<OE þreodian) forsenk (calque of NHG versenken, senken "to lower" being a causative form of sinken "to sink" akin to Old English sencan) | |
| Mediterranean Sea | n | - | Wendlesea | |
| medium | adj | - | evenspan, midbulky | |
| mega- | pre | great, mickle (<OE micel) | - | |
| megalopolis | n | - | mickleborough, mickelborough, greatborough, greattown, mickletown | |
| megaphone | n | - | loudhailer, bullhorn | |
| meiosis | n | - | halfordealing | |
| melancholy | adj | gloomy, sad, dreary, woeful, sorrowful, downhearted, heavy-hearted, blackbrowed, blackmoodish, black, blue, lifeweary, twanketen | - | |
| melee | n | fistfight, hand-to-hand fight, fight, clash, rumble (colloq.) | - | |
| melody | n | - | gleestaff (<OE gliwstæf) lin (that is melody, tune, theme; <OE hlynian; c.f. Ic. hljómr) | |
| melon | n | - | rindberry, shellberry, barkberry | |
| member | n | limb, fellow, belonger, link | belongand | |
| membrane | n | film | - | |
| memory | n | mind's eye, mind's ear | eftminding, bemindings, inmind | |
| meningitis | n | - | brainskinbetindering, brainfilmbetindering, hernfilmbetindering | |
| menstrual | adj | monthly | - | |
| menstruate | vb | monthbleed | moonbleed | |
| mental | adj | mindly, inward, mindlike | - | |
| mentality | n | mindset | - | |
| mention | vb | name, speak of, say something of, bring up, hint at | - | |
| menu | n | - | walecard, walelist | |
| mercenary | n | - | hired gun, hireling, hessian | |
| merchant | n | chapman, trader | - | |
| merchandise | n | wares, goods, stocks | - | |
| merchandising | n | - | (direct to public): delling | |
| merciful | adj | forgiving, mildhearted | - | |
| merciful, honorable' | aj | - | oreful, arefull | |
| merciless | aj | - | ruthless | |
| mercy | n | ruth | armheartness, ar, kindness, arfastness milds (<OE milts, ME mildse) | |
| merge | vb | blend, meld | - | |
| meridian | n | - | middayline, sileline, timedeal line | |
| merit | n | mede, worth | forthainst/forthanest (cf. NHG Verdienst, Du. verdienste, Swed. förtjänst)
winst (cf. Du. winst), forethane | |
| Mesolithic | n | - | Middle Stone Eldth | |
| Mesopotamia | n | - | Twistreamland/Twostreamland (cf. Frisian 'Twastreamelân', Du 'Tweestromenland', Ger 'Zweistromland', Swe 'Tvåflodslandet') | |
| meson | n | - | midmote | |
| message | n | earful, tiding, wire, word | errandwrit, boding, errandbook (<OE ǽrendbóc) | |
| Metal | n | - | blome (<OE blóma), orestuff | |
| metamorphosis | n | - | forwandling (Calque of NHG Verwandlung) | |
| metaphor | n | - | kenning | |
| meteor | n | falling star, shooting star | welkinfire | |
| meter (poetry) | n | - | etell (<OE getæl [as "rhythm, harmony"]) | |
| methane | n | - | firedamp | |
| method | n | way, means | - | |
| metropolis | n | - | mickleborough | |
| metropolitan area | n | - | burgstead | |
| mezozoicum | n | - | Midlife eldth | |
| microscope | n | - | speckseer, tinyseer | |
| Midgard | n | - | Midgarth | |
| migrate | vb | - | outshrithe, outwander (cf. NHG auswandern) | |
| militarist(ic) | n (adj) | hawk(ish) | - | |
| military | n (adj) | landmight(ly) | -campdom, camply | |
| military expedition | n | fird | axfaring (<OE æxfaru), axgoing | |
| militia | n | folkward | - | |
| millenium | n | thousandyear | - | |
| million | num | - | micklered ('much, mickle' <OE mycel "much, great" cognate to Greek megas, "mega-" being the SI prefix for "million" + '-red,' the numeral suffix found in 'hundred' <OE -red <PG *-raþ), muchred | |
| mince | vb | smallcut, smallcarve | - | |
| mine (explosive) | n | - | stillblaster, stealth blaster | |
| mine | n | - | delf | |
| mine | vb | delve | - | |
| mineral | n | ore, delfstuff | delfstuff (Du. delfstof) | |
| minimize | vb | lessen | - | |
| minister | n | trustman | thaner, ambighter | |
| minstrel | n | gleeman, folksinger | - | |
| minor | n | youngster, overyoung, undereldth | - | |
| minority | n | - | lesserness | |
| minotaur | n | - | mazebull | |
| minute | n | - | shortlog (calque of L. 'minuta' or 'short note'), titchen (titchy + -en) | |
| miracle | n | - | wonderwork, wonder | |
| mirror | n | - | looking-glass, glancer | |
| misandrist | n | man-hater | - | |
| miscellaneous | adj | sundry | - | |
| misdemeanour | n | wrongdoing | - | |
| miser | n | tightwad, skinflint, niggard | - | |
| miserable | adj | mirthless, mournful, sad, sorrowful, sorryish, sorrisome, unhappy, glum, gloomy, downhearted, unmirthful, woeful, unworthy, untoward, worthless, wretched | woebegone | |
| misery | n | distress, weakness | ermeth (<OE iermðu) | |
| misfortune | n | unspeed, bad luck, ill-fare, ill-hap, dole, wanluck | - | |
| mismanage | vb | misdight, mishandle | - | |
| misogynist | n | woman-hater | - | |
| misotheism | n | mistroth | - | |
| misplace | vb | lose, mislay | - | |
| missile | n | warhead | - | |
| mission | n | errand, undertaking, goal | - | |
| missionary | n | sendling, errander | - | |
| mitigate | vb | soften | - | |
| mitochondrium | n | - | mightcorn | |
| mitosis | n | - | brickdealing | |
| mix (Germanic) | vb | blend, mingle | - | |
| mixture | n | blend, mixing | mixeld | |
| mobile(phone) | n | handset, handcaller | handblower | |
| mock | vb | geck, be merry with, crackwise, dig at, hit off, put down, send up, take off, betwit, hoke | - | |
| model | n | - | (pattern): forelie (cf. NHG Vorlage)dummy, forebeing | |
| modern | adj | new, new-like, nowa, nowalike, ourtimely | nowtide (calque of Swed. nutida) | |
| Modern English | n/adj | New-English | - | |
| modernise | vb | - | benew | |
| modest | adj | shamefast | cush (<OE cúsc) | |
| modify | vb | - | wend to | |
| modulation | n | - | stringbending
(music):tonebending (technic): wavebending | |
| moist | adj | damp, wet | - | |
| molar | n | axle-tooth, cheektooth | wongtooth (<OE wangtoð) grindtooth (<OE grindetoð) | |
| mold | vb | build, make, shape | - | |
| moment | n | - | nutlog, throw, trice, beat, twinkling of an eye, blinktime
breakwhile (<OE brachwil), brightwhile (<OE beorhthwil) eyeblick (cf. Dan. øjeblik, Du. ogenblik, NHG Augenblick, Ic. augnablik, Lux. Abléck, Norw. øyeblikk, Swed. ögonblick) | |
| monarch | n | king, queen/cween | onewald (<OE anwealda) | |
| monarchism | n | kingdom | sunderwaldom (sunderwald [see "monarchy"] + -dom), onewielding, sundernwaldtroth | |
| monarchy | n | - | sunderwald (calque of OHG suntarwalt, cf. OE sundoranweald), sunderonewald (<OE sundoranweald), kingship | |
| monastery | n | - | bedestowe | |
| monasticism | n | - | monkhoodship | |
| money | n | fee (OE feoh), geld, brass, copper, mint, siller, silver, sterling, yield, penny, tradeworth, tradetoken, tradestuffslang: kale, dough, buck | - | |
| monitor | vb | watch, oversee | - | |
| monk | n | - | brother [pl brether/brethren] (<OE) | |
| monologue | n | - | alonespeech (cf. W.Fris. allinnespraak, Du. alleenspraak) | |
| monster | n | fiend | nicker (<OE nicor) | |
| Montenegro | n | - | Blackhill, Blackberg, Swarthbarrow, Swarthberg(<OE Sweartbeorg) | |
| monument | n | - | thinktoken (cf. W.Fris. tinkteken) | |
| monumental | adj | overwhelming | awe-inblowing | |
| moor | n | heath | - | |
| moral | adj | - | sidely (cf. Du. zedelijk, NHG. sittlich) sidesome (cf. NHG sittsam)thowfast (<OE geþéawfæst), thowful | |
| morality | n | - | zedelihood, zedesomehood | |
| morbid | adj | unhealthy, sickly, unwell, unsound, unwholesome | addlesome | |
| mordant | adj | biting | - | |
| morgue | n | deadhouse | - | |
| moribund | adj | dying, deathbound | - | |
| morphine | n | - | dreamdrug | |
| mortal | n | - | deathling | |
| mortal | adj | deadly | - | |
| mortality | n | death, end, ending, endless sleep, forthfaring, bane, Grim Reaper | - | |
| mortgage | n | wadset, homeloan | - | |
| mortify | vb | deaden, adead | - | |
| mother nature | n | - | Lady Lund, motherkin | |
| mortuary | n | - | deadhouse, undertaker's, bodyroom, bodyhouse | |
| mosaic | n | - | shardbild | |
| mosquito | n | gnat, midge, midgy | bloodfly | |
| moth (native) | n | - | nightflinder (cf. NHG Nachtfalter) | |
| motion | n | - | shrithing | |
| motionless | adj | still, stock-still, at rest | - | |
| motive | n | - | rethe, frume | |
| motive, ulterior | n | - | hinderthought (cf. NHG Hintergedanke) | |
| motor | n | - | drivework, spincraft, iron horse | |
| motorcycle | n | - | halfwain, halfwagon | |
| motorway | n | highway | - | |
| mound | n | - | borwen | |
| mount | n | hill, barrow, berry, down | - | |
| mountain | n | bergh, fell, borg, berg, berrow | - | |
| moustache | n | - | overbeard upperlipbeard (calque of NHD Oberlippenbart) | |
| move (oneself, ie. reflexive) | vb | go rush>br/>wander glide | shrithe (go, pass, relapse) beway (cf. NHG bewegen) wade (through water; of the sun and moon "apparently" through clouds or mist lake (fast) besteal (stealthily) | |
| move (something, ie. transitive) | vb | shift stir flit drive braid | wend (move or turn) | |
| movement | n | - | shrithing, bewaying, beweighing, drive, folkbody | |
| movie | n | film, flick | - | |
| Mr., Sir | n | - |
Hire, Harr (<OE hearra) | |
| Mrs., Miss | n | - |
Frow (<OE frówe) | |
| mucus | n | slime, snot | - | |
| muffle | vb | shroud | - | |
| multiculturalism | n | - | felemenning (cf. Ic. fjölmenning) | |
| multiple | adj | many, manifold | - | |
| multiply | vb | manifold | - | |
| multi- | prefix | cluster-, mani- | fele- (<OE fela-), fay (<OE fag fah brightly multicoloured) | |
| multi-language word | n | - | wanderword | |
| multi-purpose | adj | all-in-one | - | |
| multitude | n | crowd, throng, flock, folk, cluster, wave, mow, manifoldness | - | |
| mummy | n | - | forlasting lich, linwrapped body | |
| municipality | n | - | meanth (cf. NHG Gemeinde) | |
| muscle | n | brawn, thew, sinew | - | |
| muscular | n | brawny, thewy, sinewy, thewsome | - | |
| museum | n | - | crafthall, yorehall | |
| mushroom | n | toadstool | mosswort, mosswamb | |
| music | n | - | tunecraft, tonecraft, songcraft
swincraft (<OE geswin "song" + craft) earsport (for pop or entertainment music) gleamlist (cf. Ic hljómlist) | |
| musical | adj | - | gleamwise (cf. Ic hljómvís) | |
| musician | n | - | (tune/toe)smith, swinsmith, (tune/tone)craftsmen, songcraftsmen swincraftsmen | |
| musicology | n | - | swinlore, songlore, (tune/tone)lore | |
| muster | n & vb | gather(ing) | fay | |
| mutate | vb | - | shrithe, yondshape, wandle | |
| mute | adj | dumb, hushed, speechless | - | |
| mutilate(tion) | n/vb | - | overcripple(ing) | |
| mutton | n | sheepflesh | - | |
| mutual | adj | evenway | - | |
| mystery | n | wonder, brain twister, beyond man's ken, hidden thing | rune (<PG) ghost-wonder (cf. OE gástgeryne) hiddle, mist hearing | |
| myth | n | dreamtale | mith (shortening of mist + th) | |
| mythology | n | folklore, dreamlore | mistlore | |
