# Common Chaucerian Words ## expand\_more The following is a list of Chaucerian words you should find helpful. They are arranged within their parts of speech. ### NOUNS Sort**Middle English** **Modern English** array condition, arrangement lust pleasure, desire bane destruction, killer lym limb boote remedy mete food conseil counsel, advice paas slow walk, pace deel part, bit rede advice degree rank, social condition routh pity devyse trick, device sleighte trick drede doubt, fear sooth truth ensample example vilenye churlishness estaat condition in life, rank viage expedition, voyage forward agreement werre war foule/fowel bird jape joke, trick ### ADJECTIVES Sort**Middle English** **Modern English** certeyn sure, certain povre poor fer, ferrer, ferrest far, farther, farthest siker certain, trusty fetis well made, graceful verray true feyn glad, willing wode/wood mad, crazy gentle noble hye/heigh high ny, near, next near, nearer, nearest hende handy, tricky, courteous leef dear looth hateful, loath ### VERBS Sort**Middle English** **Modern English** axe ask helpen, heelp/help, yholpe help, cure brenne burn lesen lose bresten, braste, ybrest burst reknen to reckon chesen, chees, ychose choose rennen, ran, yronne run clepen call rekne reckon deme(n) judge, consider wene suppose, consider dighten, dighte prepare, adorn, equip wedden pledge, marry duren endure, last wilnen desire, want fallen, fil/fel, yfalle happen, befall yeven/yiven, yaf, (y)yeven give gyen guide, direct witen, wot, wiste know highte be called \[also p.p of hoten, to promise\] ADVERBS Notice that many adverbs retain an old -s, -es genitive ending Sort**Middle English** **Modern English** after according to nedes by necessity agayns towards ones once agon ago, long ago overal everywhere atones at once, immediately owher anywhere ay ever, forever unethe(s) hardly blyve quickly there where certes truly, certainly yliche alike eft again yond yonder er ere, before, earlier whilom once, formerly erst first, at first DEMONSTRATIVES Sort**Middle English** **Modern English** ech, iche each everich each everichon every one ilk each swich such, some thilke the same, that same ### CONJUNCTIONS Be aware that a number of Chaucer's conjunctions do not survive in Modern English, and those that do often have different meanings. Sort**Middle English** **Modern English** al although, even if for, for that because als, al so as for to in order to and, and if if other, outher or but, but if if, unless or... or either... or eek/eke also sin/syn since forthy therefore sithe(n) since forwhy because ther(as) where wher whether; also used to introduce a question ### PREPOSITIONS These are the most common Chaucerian prepositions that differ in form or meaning from Modern English. Sort**Middle English** **Modern English** after according to. after maugree despite agayn, agaynes against, toward of by (when used as the agent of a passive) at Of, from, at atte at the thurgh through biforn before til toward bitwix, bitwinen between up upon fro from with by (when used as agent of a passive) inwith within withouten without (also as an adverb "outside" )