False Friends Flashcards
agayn, agaynes, ayein, against
agwainst, towards, in return
anoon
straightaway, immediatelly
areden
to advise, explain
arn
are
auctoritee
authority, authoritative, text, judgement
avys
advice
avysen
to consider, reflect, understand
ay
always, all the time
ben
to be
bet
better
bidden (past: bad)
to command, order, ask
biden, byden (past: bood)
to wait, delay
biheten, bihoten (past: bihighte)
to promise
bihoven (past: bihoof)
to be necessary
brouken
to enjoy, profit by
can, connen, cunnen (past: coude)
to know how to
cas, caas
affair, chance
per cas
by chance
catel
goods, property
clepen
to call, name
crafty
skillful, clever
curteisye
generosity, nobility (stronger than ‘courtesy’)
daunger
disdain, stand-offishness (not ‘danger’)
descryven
to describe
disese
discomfort, displeasure (rarely ‘disease’)
douten
to fear, doubt
ech, ich, ych
each (but ‘ich’ can mean ‘I’)
eek, eke
also, furthermore
eft
afterwards, again
ensample, ensaumple
example, warning, model, pattern, moral tale
entente
intention, meaning, desire
er, or
earlier, before
eschewen
to escape, avoid
everich
every
faren (past: ferde)
to travel, behave, happen
fayn, feyn
glad(ly), eager(ly)
fer
far
ferre(r)
farther
ferreste
farthest
for
for, because of, in spite of
fre
noble, generous (rarely ‘free’)
ful
very
ful wel
very much
gentil, gentillesse
noble, nobility (of rank or character)
ginnen (past: gan, gon)
to begin; also a general auxiliary (e.g ‘she gan wepe’ = ‘she did weep’)
glosen
to comment, interpret, decieve
goon (past: yede)
to go
habit
dress, mood (rarely ‘habit’)
hap
happy occurence
happy
fortunate
hastow
you have
haten, heten, hoten
to promise, command, be called
heigh, hey, hy
high, noble
henten
to seize, obtain, attack
here, hire
her, their (depending on context)
hit
it
hool
whole, perfect, healthy
ich
I (but can also mean ‘each’)
ilik, yliche
alike, similar(ly)
ilke, thilke
same, the same, that very
iwis, ywis
indeed, certainty
kerven (past: karf)
to cut, carve
leten, laten (past: leet)
to allow (not to be confused with ‘letten’)
letten (past: lette)
to prevent, desist (not to be confused with ‘leten’)
lever(e)
rather
him was levere
he would rather
lewed
uneducated, coarse
listeth, lesteth, lusteth
it is pleasing, desirable to
looth
displeasing, undesirable to
merye, murye, myrie
merry, pleasant
mete (past: mette)
to meet, to dream
moot
must, may
mowen
to be able, to be allowed
nadde
had not
neigh, ney
near
nerre
nearer
nexte
nearest
nere
was not (but can also mean ‘near’, ‘nearer’)
niste
did not know
nyce
ignorant, foolish, meticulous (not ‘nice’)
o, oo, on, oon
one, the same one
or
before
paraunter, paraventure
perhaps, by chance
preef
proof, test, experience
preven
to prove, test, experience
privee, privy
secret, private, intimate
queynte
skillful, cunning, elaborate
quyten (past: quitte)
to reward, pay back, set free
reven (past: rafte, refte)
to take away, rob
seistow
you say (singular)
sely
happy, innocent (not ‘silly’)
siker(ly), seker(ly)
sure(ly)
sin, syn, sithen
since
sooth, soothly
true, truth, truly
sote, swote, swete
sweet
soveraynetee, sovereyntee
power, sovereignty
speden (past: spedde)
to carry out, succeed
swich
such
thider
thither
thilke
the same, that very
tho
those, then
threuthe, throuthe
fidelity, a promise, truth
waxen, wexen (past: wax, wex, wox)
to grow
wenden (past: wente)
to go, depart (not to be confused with ‘wenen’)
wenen (past: wende)
to suppose, imagine, expect (not to be confused with ‘wenden’)
whider
whither
whilom
once upon a time, formerly
witen, weten (present: woot, past: wiste)
to know, find out
wonen (past: woned)
to dwell, stay, be used to
yede
went (past tense of ‘goon’)
yeven, yiven (past: yaf)
to give
yif
if
yliche
like, alike, similar(ly)
ynough, ynowe
enough, plenty
yvel(e)
evil
me thinketh
it seems to me
me semeth
it seems to me
-ande [on verbs]
equiv of -ing
y- [on verbs]
Often at the start of past participles
for- [on verbs]
most often an intensifier
to- [on verbs]
apart, away
-ich
Sign of an adverb
Double negative
Stays negative (does not cancel out)
Nam
Am not
Nys
Is not
Nad
Had not
Nyl
Will not
Artow
Art thow
Woltow
Wolt thow
Thilke
the ilke (the/that same)
Theech
Thee ich (I swear)
Sit
Sitteth
Bit
Biddeth
-en
Sign of a past participle (i.e like ‘taken’)
Icham
I am
Forsothe
Indeed, certainly
