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.
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
As the painter notes: “Woods, from the Old English wode . . . also meaning ‘mad.’”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 19, 2023
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
She learned French, German, Latin and some Old English and Spanish to expand her reading.
From New York Times • Mar. 21, 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
