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.

Tolkien, a scholar of Old English, studied the “theory of courage” found in poems such as the ancient epic “Beowulf,” redeeming what he called the “noble northern spirit” from the fascists who would pervert it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

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

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