The work, in fact, contains a very large collection of words, in many variant forms, appearing in English literature and in Glossaries between A.D. 1150 and A.D. 1580. The glossaries in S2, S3 (Specimens of English, 1298-1393, and 1394-1579) have furnished a considerable number of words belonging to the Scottish dialect, which most dictionaries (excepting of course that of Jamieson) omit.

The words are so arranged that even the beginner will, in general, easily find what he wants. We have included in one article, together with the Main Word, all the variant spellings of the glossaries, as well as the etymological information. We have also given in alphabetical order numerous cross-references to facilitate the finding of most of the variant forms, and to connect them with the Main Word. In this way, the arrangement is at once etymological and alphabetical—adapted to the needs of the student of the language and of the student of the literature.

The meanings of the words are given in modern English, directly after the Main Word. The variant forms, as given in their alphabetical position, are frequently also explained, thus saving (in such cases) the trouble of a cross-reference, if the meaning of the word is alone required.

An attempt is made in most cases to give the etymology, so far at least as to shew the immediate source of the Middle-English word. Especial pains have been taken with the words of French origin, which form so large a portion of the vocabulary of the Middle-English period. In many cases the AF (Anglo-French) forms are cited, from my list of English Words found in Anglo-French, as published for the Philological Society in 1882.

The student of English who wishes to trace back the history of a word still in use can, in general, find the Middle-English form in Skeat’s Etymological Dictionary, and will then be able to consult the present work in order to obtain further instances of its early use.

The relative share of the authors in the preparation of this work is easily explained. The whole of it in its present form (with the exception of the letter N) was compiled, prepared, and written out for press by Mr. Mayhew. The original plan was, however, my own; and I began by writing out the letter N (since augmented) by way of experiment and model. It will thus be seen that Mr. Mayhew’s share of the work has been incomparably the larger, involving all that is most laborious. On the other hand, I may claim that much of the labour was mine also, at a much earlier stage, as having originally compiled or revised the glossaries marked S2, S3, C2, C3, W, W2, P, and G, as well as the very full glossarial indexes cited as B, PP, and WA, and the dictionary cited as SkD. The important glossary marked S was, however, originally the work of Dr. Morris (since re-written by Mr. Mayhew), and may, in a sense, be said to be the back-bone of the whole, from its supplying a very large number of the most curious and important early forms.

The material used has been carefully revised by both authors, so that they must be held to be jointly responsible for the final form in which the whole is now offered to the public.

1. A new and thoroughly revised edition of Stratmann’s Dictionary is being prepared by Mr. Henry Bradley, for the Delegates of the Clarendon Press.

Note On The Phonology Of Middle-English.

One great difficulty in finding a Middle-English word in this, or any other, Dictionary is due to the frequent variation of the symbols denoting the vowel-sounds. Throughout the whole of the period to which the work relates the symbols i and y, in particular, are constantly interchanged, whether they stand alone, or form parts of diphthongs. Consequently, words which are spelt with one of these symbols in a given text must frequently be looked for as if spelt with the other; i.e. the pairs of symbols i and y, ai and ay, ei and ey, oi and oy, ui and uy, must be looked upon as likely to be used indifferently, one for the other. For further information, the student should consult the remarks upon Phonology in the Specimens of English (1150 to 1300), 2nd ed., p. xxv. For those who have not time or opportunity to do this, a few brief notes may perhaps suffice.

The following symbols are frequently confused, or are employed as equivalent to each other because they result from the same sound in the Oldest English or in Anglo-French:—

i, y;—ai, ay;—ei, ey;—oi, oy;—ui, uy.

a, o;—a, æ, e, ea;—e, eo, ie;—o, u, ou;—(all originally short).

a, æ, ea, e, ee;—e, ee, eo, ie;—o, oo, oa;—u, ou, ui;—(all long).

These are the most usual interchanges of symbols, and will commonly suffice for practical purposes, in cases where the cross-references fail. If the word be not found after such substitutions have been allowed for, it may be taken for granted that the Dictionary does not contain it. As a fact, the Dictionary only contains a considerable number of such words as are most common, or (for some special reason) deserve notice; and it is at once conceded that it is but a small hand-book, which does not pretend to exhibit in all its fulness the extraordinarily copious vocabulary of our language at an important period of its history. The student wishing for complete information will find (in course of time) that the New English Dictionary which is being brought out by the Clarendon Press will contain all words found in our literature since the year 1100.

Of course variations in the vowel-sounds are also introduced, in the case of strong verbs, by the usual ‘gradation’ due to their method of conjugation. To meet this difficulty in some measure, numerous (but not exhaustive) cross-references have been introduced, as when, e.g. ‘Bar, bare’ is given, with a cross-reference to Beren. Further help in this respect is to be had from the table of 183 strong verbs given at pp. lxix-lxxxi of the Preface to Part I of the Specimens of English (2nd edition); see, in particular, the alphabetical index to the same, at pp. lxxxi, lxxxii. The same Preface further contains some account of the three principal Middle-English dialects (p. xl), and Outlines of the Grammar (p. xlv). It also explains the meaning of the symbols þ, ð (both used for th), ȝ (used for y initially, gh medially, and gh or z finally), with other necessary information.

The Clarendon Press Glossaries.

This work gives all the words and every form contained in the glossaries to eleven publications in the Clarendon Press Series, as below:—

S.—Specimens of Early English, ed. Morris, Part I: from A.D. 1150 to A.D. 1300.

This book contains extracts from:—1. Old English Homilies, ed. Morris, E.E.T.S. 1867-8, pp. 230-241; 2. The Saxon Chronicle, A.D. 1137, 1138, 1140, 1154; 3. Old Eng. Homilies, ed. Morris, First Series, pp. 40-53; 4. The same, Second Series, pp. 89-109; 5. The Ormulum, ed. White, ll. 962-1719, pp. 31-57; 6. Layamon’s Brut, ed. Madden, ll. 13785-14387 [_add_ 13784 _to the number of the line in the reference_]; 7. Sawles Warde, from Old Eng. Homilies, ed. Morris, First Series, pp. 245-249, 259-267; 8. St. Juliana, ed. Cockayne and Brock; 9. The Ancren Riwle, ed. Morton, pp. 208-216, 416-430; 10. The Wooing of our Lord, from Old Eng. Homilies, ed. Morris, First Series, pp. 277-283; 11. A Good Orison of our Lady, from the same, pp. 191-199; 12. A Bestiary, the Lion, Eagle, and Ant, from An Old Eng. Miscellany, ed. Morris; 13. Old Kentish Sermons, from the same, pp. 26-36; 14. Proverbs of Alfred, from the same, pp. 102-130; 15. Version of Genesis and Exodus, ed. Morris, ll.1907-2536; 16. Owl and Nightingale, from An Old Eng. Miscellany, ed. Morris, ll. 1-94, 139-232, 253-282, 303-352, 391-446, 549-555, 598-623, 659-750, 837-855, 905-920, 1635-1682, 1699-1794; 17. A Moral Ode (two copies), from An Old Eng. Miscellany and Old Eng. Homilies, 2nd Series, ed. Morris; 18. Havelok the Dane, ed. Skeat, ll. 339-748; 19. King Horn (in full).

S2.—Specimens of English, Part II, ed. Morris and Skeat; from A.D. 1298-1393.

This book contains extracts from:—1. Robert of Gloucester’s Chronicle (William the Conqueror and St. Dunstan); 2. Metrical Psalter, Psalms 8, 14(15), 17(18), 23(24), 102(103), 103(104); 3. The Proverbs of Hendyng; 4. Specimens of Lyric Poetry, ed. Wright (Alysoun, Plea for Pity, Parable of the Labourers, Spring-time); 5. Robert Mannyng’s Handlynge Synne, ll. 5575-5946; 6. William of Shoreham, De Baptismo; 7. Cursor Mundi, ed. Morris, ll. 11373-11791 [_add_ 11372 _to the number in the reference_]; 8. Eng. Metrical Homilies, ed. Small (Second Sunday in Advent, Third Sunday after the Octave of Epiphany); 9. The Ayenbite of Inwyt, ed. Morris, pp. 263-9, and p. 262; 10. Hampole’s Prick of Conscience, ll. 432-9, 464-509, 528-555, 662-707, 728-829, 1211-1292, 1412-1473, 1818-29, 1836-51, 1884-1929, 2216-2233, 2300-11, 2334-55, 2364-73, 7813-24; 11. Minot’s Songs, Nos. 3, 4, 7; 12. William of Palerne, ed. Skeat, ll. 3-381; 13. Alliterative Poems, ed. Morris, Poem B, ll. 235-544, 947-972, 1009-1051; 14. Mandeville’s Travels, Prologue, part of Chap. 12, and Chap. 26; 15. Piers the Plowman, A-text, Prologue, Passus 1, part of Pass. 2, Pass. 3, Pass. 5, parts of Pass. 6 and 7; 16. Barbour’s Bruce, ed. Skeat, Book VII. ll. 1-230, 400-487; 17. Wyclif’s translation of St. Mark’s Gospel, Chapters 1-6; Hereford’s version of the Psalms, Ps. 14(15), 23(24), 102(103); 18. Trevisa’s translation of Higden’s Polychronicon, lib. i. c. 41, c. 59, lib. vi. c. 29; 19. Chaucer, Man of Law’s Tale; 20. Gower’s Confessio Amantis, part of Book V.