Old English
noun
Also called Anglo-Saxon. the English language of a.d. c450–c1150. OE, O.E.
Printing. a style of black letter.
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Origin of Old English
First recorded in 1845–50
Words nearby Old English
Old Dominion, Old Dutch, olden, Oldenbarneveldt, Oldenburg, Old English, Old English pattern, Old English sheepdog, older, old-established, olde-worlde
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for Old English
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
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Cultural definitions for Old English
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.
notes for Old English
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.