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