A Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

by Christopher Coredon, Ann Williams

An interest in the middle ages often brings the non-specialist reader up short against a word or term which is not understood, or only imperfectly understood. This dictionary is intended to put an end to all that - though such a claim is inevitably rash. However, it has been designed in the hope that it will be of real help to non-academic readers, and in some cases maybe even to specialists.

The dictionary contains some 3,400 terms as headwords, ranging from the legal and ecclesiastic to the more prosaic words of daily life. Latin was the language of the church, law, and government, and many Latin terms illustrated here are frequently found in modern books of history of the period; similarly, the precise meaning of Old English and Middle English terms may elude today's reader: this dictionary endeavors to provide clarity. In addition to definition, etymologies of many words are given, in the belief that knowing the origin and evolution of a word provides a better understanding. There are also examples of medieval terms and phrases still in use today, further aiding in clarifying meaning.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Research, Reference, Language, Linguistics, Medieval

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Sydney Gilliam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend for world building, every word is a jumping off point.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a lot of fun for me. A lot of terms that I wasn't familiar with, some that I was. This is a pretty good help for writers or if you just want to study into the medieval period a little more.

One drawback is that it's not really set up like a dictionary, but more like a book; less easy to navigate around to keep coming back for reference.

[Liam Guilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this had been available when I was un undergraduate. If you know anyone studying the middle ages, this would make a great gift.