English–Middle English Dictionary

Browse common English words and their Middle English translations, with parts of speech and example sentences. Use this dictionary to look up everyday vocabulary or as a starting point for learning Middle English.

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Browse common Middle English vocabulary

Word	Part of speech	Translation	Example
I	pronoun	ich	I am here now. Ich am here now.
you	pronoun	þou	You are my friend. Þou art my frend.
he	pronoun	he	He walks to town. He walketh to toun.
she	pronoun	she	She sings every morning. She singeth every morwe.
we	pronoun	we	We work together daily. We werken togidere daily.
they	pronoun	þei	They live near here. Þei liven nygh here.
what	pronoun	what	What do you see? What seest þou?
where	adverb	where	Where do they go? Where gon þei?
when	adverb	whanne	When will he come? Whanne shal he come?
who	pronoun	who	Who is at the door? Who is at the dore?
why	adverb	why	Why are you sad? Why art þou sory?
how	adverb	how	How do you know? How knowest þou?
to be	verb	ben	They are very happy. Þei ben ful glad.
to have	verb	han	I have a book. Ich have a book.
to do	verb	don	We do our work. We don oure werk.
to go	verb	gon	They go to school. Þei gon to scole.
to come	verb	comen	Come to my house. Com to myn hous.
to see	verb	seen	I see the moon. Ich se the mone.
to know	verb	knowen	They know the truth. Þei knowen the sothe.
to think	verb	thenken	I think of home. Ich thenke of hom.
to want	verb	wanten	We want more bread. We wanten more breed.
to need	verb	neden	I need your help. Ich nede thy help.
to make	verb	maken	They make good bread. Þei maken good breed.
to take	verb	taken	Take this book home. Tak this book hom.
to give	verb	given	Give me the bread. Yif me the breed.
to say	verb	seien	I say the truth. Ich seye the sothe.
to tell	verb	tellen	Tell me your name. Telle me thy name.
to ask	verb	asken	They ask for water. Þei asken for water.
to find	verb	finden	We find the way. We finden the wey.
to look	verb	loken	Look at the sky. Loke at the sky.
to use	verb	usen	I use this knife. Ich use this knyf.
to work	verb	werken	They work every day. Þei werken every day.
to eat	verb	eten	We eat warm bread. We eten warm breed.
to drink	verb	drinken	I drink cold water. Ich drinke cold water.
to sleep	verb	slepen	Children sleep at night. Children slepen at nyght.
to walk	verb	walken	We walk to town. We walken to toun.
to run	verb	rennen	Boys run very fast. Boys rennen ful faste.
to read	verb	reden	I read this book. Ich rede this book.
to write	verb	writen	She writes a letter. She writeth a lettre.
to speak	verb	speken	They speak with us. Þei speken with us.
to listen	verb	herknen	Listen to my words. Herkne to my wordes.
to hear	verb	heren	I hear the wind. Ich here the wind.
to buy	verb	byen	We buy fresh fish. We byen fresh fish.
to sell	verb	sellen	They sell good bread. Þei sellen good breed.
to pay	verb	paien	I pay the man. Ich paye the man.
to help	verb	helpen	Help your old friend. Helpe thy olde frend.
to love	verb	loven	We love our child. We loven oure child.
to live	verb	liven	They live in London. Þei liven in London.
to die	verb	dien	All men must die. Alle men moten dien.
to learn	verb	lernen	Children learn at school. Children lernen at scole.
to teach	verb	techen	They teach young children. Þei techen yonge children.
to open	verb	openen	Open the wooden door. Opene the houten dore.
to close	verb	shutten	Close the door now. Shutte the dore now.
person	noun	persone	Each person has a name. Ech persone hath a name.
man	noun	man	The man is tall. The man is heigh.
woman	noun	womman	The woman speaks softly. The womman speketh softe.
child	noun	child	The child is sleeping. The child is slepinge.
boy	noun	boy	The boy runs home. The boy renneth hom.
girl	noun	girle	The girl reads well. The girle redeth wel.
family	noun	familie	Our family lives here. Oure familie liveth here.
mother	noun	moder	My mother is kind. My moder is kinde.
father	noun	fader	His father works hard. His fader werketh hard.
friend	noun	frend	My friend comes today. My frend cometh today.
house	noun	hous	The house is new. The hous is newe.
home	noun	hom	We go home now. We gon hom now.
school	noun	scole	The school is large. The scole is large.
city	noun	citee	This city is busy. This citee is bisy.
country	noun	contree	The country is peaceful. The contree is pesible.
world	noun	world	The world is wide. The world is wide.
street	noun	strete	The street is long. The strete is long.
room	noun	roum	The room is warm. The roum is warm.
time	noun	time	Time passes very quickly. Time passeth ful quickly.
day	noun	day	The day is bright. The day is bright.
night	noun	nyght	The night is cold. The nyght is cold.
morning	noun	morwe	The morning is clear. The morwe is clere.
evening	noun	even	The evening grows dark. The even waxeth derk.
week	noun	weke	A week passes soon. A weke passeth sone.
month	noun	month	This month is cold. This month is cold.
year	noun	yeer	The year ends now. The yeer endeth now.
today	adverb	today	I work today. Ich werke today.
tomorrow	adverb	tomorwe	We leave tomorrow morning. We leven tomorwe morwe.
yesterday	adverb	yisterday	He came yesterday evening. He cam yisterday even.
now	adverb	now	Come here now. Com hider now.
sun	noun	sonne	The sun is hot. The sonne is hoot.
moon	noun	mone	The moon shines tonight. The mone shineth tonyght.
star	noun	sterre	A star shines above. A sterre shineth above.
sky	noun	sky	The sky is blue. The sky is blew.
earth	noun	erthe	The earth is wide. The erthe is wide.
fire	noun	fir	The fire burns bright. The fir brenneth bright.
water	noun	water	The water is cold. The water is cold.
rain	noun	rein	The rain falls softly. The rein falleth softe.
wind	noun	wind	The wind is strong. The wind is strong.
tree	noun	tree	The tree is tall. The tree is tall.
flower	noun	flour	The flower smells sweet. The flour smelleth swete.
mountain	noun	mountain	The mountain is high. The mountain is heigh.
river	noun	river	The river runs fast. The river renneth faste.
sea	noun	see	The sea is rough. The see is rough.
food	noun	mete	The food is ready. The mete is redy.
bread	noun	breed	This bread is fresh. This breed is fresh.
meat	noun	flesh	The meat is hot. The flesh is hoot.
fish	noun	fish	We eat fish today. We eten fish today.
egg	noun	ey	The egg is broken. The ey is broken.
milk	noun	milk	The milk is warm. The milk is warm.
fruit	noun	fruit	The fruit is sweet. The fruit is swete.
head	noun	heed	My head aches today. My heed aketh today.
eye	noun	eye	Her eye is blue. Hire eye is blew.
ear	noun	ere	My ear hears well. Myn ere hereth wel.
mouth	noun	mouth	Open your mouth wide. Opene thy mouth wide.
nose	noun	nose	His nose is red. His nose is reed.
hand	noun	hand	My hand is cold. My hand is cold.
foot	noun	foot	My foot hurts now. My foot hurteth now.
heart	noun	herte	Her heart is strong. Hire herte is strong.
name	noun	name	My name is John. My name is John.
book	noun	book	This book is old. This book is olde.
word	noun	word	That word is true. That word is trewe.
language	noun	language	This language sounds beautiful. This language sowneth fair.
money	noun	moneye	I have no money. Ich have no moneye.
work	noun	werk	The work is hard. The werk is hard.
love	noun	love	Love makes life sweet. Love maketh lyf swete.
music	noun	musike	The music is lovely. The musike is lovely.
story	noun	tale	The story is long. The tale is long.
way	noun	wey	This way is short. This wey is short.
thing	noun	thing	This thing is useful. This thing is profitable.
life	noun	lyf	Life is very short. Lyf is ful short.
door	noun	dore	The door is open. The dore is open.
table	noun	table	The table is round. The table is round.
chair	noun	chaier	The chair is broken. The chaier is broken.
good	adjective	good	This bread is good. This breed is good.
bad	adjective	badde	This water is bad. This water is badde.
big	adjective	greet	The house is big. The hous is greet.
small	adjective	smal	The room is small. The roum is smal.
new	adjective	newe	I have a new book. Ich have a newe book.
old	adjective	olde	The old man walks. The olde man walketh.
long	adjective	long	The road is long. The road is long.
short	adjective	short	The story is short. The tale is short.
high	adjective	heigh	The mountain is high. The mountain is heigh.
low	adjective	lowe	The table is low. The table is lowe.
hot	adjective	hoot	The fire is hot. The fir is hoot.
cold	adjective	cold	The water is cold. The water is cold.
happy	adjective	glad	She is very happy. She is ful glad.
sad	adjective	sory	He feels sad today. He feleth sory today.
beautiful	adjective	fair	The flower is beautiful. The flour is fair.
easy	adjective	esy	This work is easy. This werk is esy.
hard	adjective	hard	This lesson is hard. This lesson is hard.
fast	adjective	swift	The horse is fast. The hors is swift.
slow	adjective	slow	The cart is slow. The cart is slow.
right	adjective	right	Your answer is right. Thyn answere is right.
wrong	adjective	wrong	That answer is wrong. That answere is wrong.
important	adjective	important	This work is important. This werk is important.
true	adjective	trewe	His words are true. His wordes ben trewe.
free	adjective	free	This man is free. This man is free.
full	adjective	ful	The cup is full. The cuppe is ful.
empty	adjective	empty	The room is empty. The roum is empty.
young	adjective	yong	The child is young. The child is yong.
strong	adjective	strong	The man is strong. The man is strong.
weak	adjective	weik	The old man is weak. The olde man is weik.
red	adjective	reed	The flower is red. The flour is reed.
blue	adjective	blew	The sky is blue. The sky is blew.
green	adjective	grene	The tree is green. The tree is grene.
yellow	adjective	yelowe	The flower is yellow. The flour is yelowe.
black	adjective	blak	The night is black. The nyght is blak.
white	adjective	whit	The milk is white. The milk is whit.
yes	interjection	yea	Yes, I will come. Yea, ich shal come.
no	interjection	nay	No, I do not know. Nay, ich knowe not.
not	adverb	not	I am not ready. Ich am not redy.
and	conjunction	and	Bread and milk are here. Breed and milk ben here.
or	conjunction	or	Tea or milk is fine.
but	conjunction	but	He is poor but honest. He is povre but honest.
if	conjunction	if	If he comes, we eat. If he cometh, we eten.
because	conjunction	for	I stay because it rains. Ich abyde, for it reineth.
with	preposition	with	I go with my friend. Ich go with my frend.
without	preposition	withouten	He left without money. He lefte withouten moneye.
for	preposition	for	This gift is for you. This yifte is for thee.
from	preposition	from	I come from town. Ich come from toun.
to	preposition	to	We go to school. We gon to scole.