Page:Sir Martyn (1777).djvu/15

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GLOSSARY.


Vild, vile.


Uneath, not easy, difficult.


Wareless, unsuspecting.

Wassal, festive.

Ween, weend, or wend, think, deemed.

Wend, move, go.

Weet, much the same as ween.

Weetless, thoughtless.

Whilom, formerly, hƿilum.

a Whitt, a jot, any thing, a hƿre, aliquid.

Whyleare, erewhile, hƿilæn.

Wight, Person, ƿiht.

Wilding, the Crab-tree.

Wonne, to dwell.

Wreakfull, revengeful.


Yblends, mixes.

Yblent, blinded.

Ybrent, burnt.

Yclept, called, named.

Yfere, together.

Ygoe, formerly.

Yode, went.

Youthede, quasi Youthhood.

Youthly, lively, youthful.

Ypight, placed, fixed.

Ywis, truly, verily.

The letter Y in all the old English Poets is frequently prefixed to verbs and verbal adjectives, but without any particular signification. The use of it is purely Saxon, though after the Conquest the ᵹe gave place to the Norman y. It is always to be pronounced as the pronoun ye.

Spenser has also frequently followed the Saxon Formation, in adding the letter N to his verbs, as tellen, worken, &c. When affixed to a substantive, it forms the plural number, as Eyen, Eyes, &c.