Old English

noun

Also called Anglo-Saxon. the English language of a.d. c450–c1150. Abbreviation: OE
Printing. a style of black letter.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for old english

Anglian, OE

Examples from the Web for old english

Historical Examples of old english

The man who first said that it had had simply not learned his Old-English grammar.
The Growth of the English Constitution
Edward A. Freeman
The want of an introduction to the study of Old-English has long been felt.
Anglo-Saxon Primer
Henry Sweet
The local legislation of the mark appears in the tunscipesmot,--a word which is simply Old-English for "town-meeting."
American Political Ideas Viewed From The Standpoint Of Universal History
John Fiske
At this time of day I suppose it is hardly necessary to prove the elective character of Old-English kingship.
The Growth of the English Constitution
Edward A. Freeman
I went on the principle of altering the Old-English text no more than was actually necessary to make it intelligible.
The Growth of the English Constitution
Edward A. Freeman

British Dictionary definitions for old english

Old English

noun

Also called: Anglo-Saxon the English language from the time of the earliest settlements in the fifth century ad to about 1100. The main dialects were West Saxon (the chief literary form), Kentish, and AnglianAbbreviation: OE Compare Middle English, Modern English
printing a Gothic typeface commonly used in England up until the 18th century

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

old english in Culture

Old English

The English language from the fifth century until about 1150. In the fifth century, the Angles and Saxons of Germany settled in Britain and established their language in the southern part of the island — the region that was called “Angle-land,” or “England.” After 1150, the Norman French language introduced after the Norman Conquest influenced Old English, and Middle English developed.

Note

Old English resembles the language spoken in Germany in the same period and is impossible for a present-day user of English to read without training. Beowulf is written in Old English.