Old English

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It was written in Old English, the language spoken in England during the early Middle Ages.

From Science Daily • May 17, 2026

Though John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s books are in no way a retelling of “Beowulf,” echoes of the Old English epic occur throughout.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

Lal wrote back with superlatives of his own about Lawson, borrowing another word that Gandhi’s grandfather had often used, an Old English term for advocate, or follower:

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2024

For teachers, it can assist with curriculum writing or be a creative classroom aide, for instance creating introductions in Old English during a class on medieval times.

From Reuters • Nov. 16, 2023

One is dbghem, meaning earth; this became guman in Germanic, gumen in Old English, then homo and humanus in Latin, from which we have both “human” and “humus.”

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas