Old English

noun

: the language of the English people from the time of the earliest documents in the seventh century to about 1100 see Indo-European Languages Table

: English of any period before Modern English

: black letter

Examples of Old English in a Sentence

Old English is very different from modern English.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Before farms and estates claimed the land, this area was covered by forest, or weald in Old English. — Amy Waldman, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2026 Known as wynn, the letter Ƿ is extremely common in our Old English sources. — Literary Hub, 25 June 2026 Even though two copies dated earlier had the poem in Old English, it wasn't included within the main text, but rather in the margins. — Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 24 May 2026 Old English was a precursor to modern English and was spoken in England during the early Middle Ages. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 18 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for Old English

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler

The first known use of Old English was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Old English.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Old%20English. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

Old English

noun

: the language of the English people before about 1100

Old English

noun

Examples of Old English in a Sentence

Word History

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Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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