fruit
This is the third in a series of three Swadesh list posts:
- Middle English
- Norman French
- Why not both?
I saved the most interesting parts for last, the words at the intersection of those two trends. This first list is words where the Norman French word actually became the standard English word, implying that the Old English word either developed a different meaning or fell out of use.
| Norman French | Meaning | Old English |
|---|---|---|
| forest | forest | wood has different meaning |
| fruit | fruit | wastum was lost |
| flower | flower | blossom has more specific meaning |
| vomit | vomit | spew has more general meaning |
| push | push | shove has more specific meaning |
| count | count | tell has different meaning |
| river | river | ea was lost |
| round | round | sinewealt was lost |
Finally, there are concepts where there were three distinct words.
| Norman French | Former Meaning | Old English |
|---|---|---|
| grand | big | much has different meaning |
| petty | small | little has more specific meaning |
| dame | woman | wife has more specific meaning |
| marry | husband | churl has different meaning (!) |
| beast | animal | deer has more specific meaning |
| serpent | snake | adder has more specific meaning |
| pelt | skin | hide has more specific meaning |
| queue | tail | start has different meaning (!) |
| jamb | leg | shank has more specific meaning |
| entrails | guts | tharm was lost |
| respire | breathe | ethien was lost |
| doubt | fear | dread has more specific meaning |
| bat | hit | slay has more specific meaning |
| grate | scratch | claw has more specific meaning |
| pass | walk | go has more general meaning |
| return | turn | wend has different meaning |
| jet | throw | warp has different meaning |
| route | road | street and way have different meanings |
| soiled | dirty | horry was lost |
| just | correct | right has more general meaning |