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I. Beowulf

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Ea

eafoð, st. n., power, strength: nom, sg. eafoð and ellen, 603, 903; acc. sg. eafoð and ellen, 2350; wē frēcne genēðdon eafoð uncūðes, we have boldly ventured against the strength of the enemy (Grendel) have withstood him, 961; gen. sg. eafoðes cræftig, 1467; þæt þec ādl oððe ecg eafoðes getwǣfed, shall rob of strength, 1764; dat. pl. hine mihtig god... eafeðum stēpte, made him great through strength, 1718.

eafor, st. m., boar; here the image of the boar as banner: acc. sg. eafor, 2153.

eafora (offspring), w. m.: 1) son: nom. sg. eafera, 12, 898; eafora, 375; acc. sg. eaferan, 1548, 1848; gen. sg. eafera, 19; nom. pl. eaferan, 2476; dat. pl. eaferum, 1069, 2471; uncran eaferan, 1186.—2) in broader sense, successor: dat. pl. eaforum, 1711.

eahta, num., eight: acc. pl. eahta mēaras, 1036; ēode eahta sum, went as one of eight, with seven others, 3124.

eahtian, w. v.: 1) to consider; to deliberate: pret. pl. w. acc. rǣd eahtedon, consulted about help, 172; pret. sg. (for the plural) þone sēlestan þāra þe mid Hrōðgāre hām eahtode, the best one of those who with Hrōðgār deliberated about their home (ruled), 1408.—2) to speak with reflection of (along with the idea of praise): pret. pl. eahtodan eorlscipe, spoke of his noble character, 3175.

eal, eall, adj., all, whole: nom. sg. werod eall, 652; pl. eal bencþelu, 486; sg. eall ēðelwyn, 2886; eal worold, 1739, etc.; þæt hit wearð eal gearo, healærna mǣst, 77; þæt hit (wīgbil) eal gemealt, 1609. And with a following genitive: þǣr wæs eal geador Grendles grāpe, there was all together Grendel’s hand, the whole hand of Grendel, 836; eall... lissa, all favor, 2150; wæs eall sceacen dōgorgerīmes, 2728. With apposition: þūhte him eall tō rūm, wongas and wīcstede, 2462; acc. sg. bēot eal, 523; similarly, 2018, 2081; oncȳððe ealle, all distress, 831; heals ealne, 2692; hlǣw... ealne ūtan-weardne, 2298; gif hē þæt eal gemon, 1186, 2428; þæt eall geondseh, recedes geatwa, 3089; ealne wīde-ferhð, through the whole wide life, through all time, 1223; instr. sg. ealle mægene, with all strength, 2668; dat. sg. eallum... manna cynne, 914; gen. sg. ealles moncynnes, 1956. Subst. ic þæs ealles mæg... gefēan habban, 2740; brūc ealles well, 2163; frēan ealles þanc secge, give thanks to the Lord of all, 2795; nom. pl. untȳdras ealle, 111; scēotend... ealle, 706; wē ealle, 942; acc. pl. fēond ealle, 700; similarly, 1081, 1797, 2815; subst. ofer ealle, 650; ealle hīe dēað fornam, 2237; līg ealle forswealg þāra þe þǣr gūð fornam, all of those whom the war had snatched away, 1123; dat. pl. eallum ceaster-būendum, 768; similarly, 824, 907, 1418; subst. āna wið eallum, one against all, 145; with gen. eallum gumena cynnes, 1058; gen. pl. æðelinga bearn ealra twelfa, the kinsmen of all twelve nobles (twelve nobles hold the highest positions of the court), 3172; subst. hē āh ealra geweald, has power over all, 1728.

Uninflected: bil eal þurhwōd flǣschoman, the battle-axe cleft the body through and through, 1568; hæfde... eal gefeormod fēt and folma, had devoured entirely feet and hands, 745; sē þe eall geman gār-cwealm gumena, who remembers thoroughly the death of the men by the spear, 2043, etc.

Adverbial: þēah ic eal mǣge, although I am entirely able, 681; hī on beorg dydon bēg and siglu eall swylce hyrsta, they placed in the grave-mound rings, and ornaments, all such adornments, 3165.—The gen. sg. ealles, adverbial in the sense of entirely, 1001, 1130.

eald, adj., old: a) of the age of living beings: nom. sg. eald, 357, 1703, 2211, etc.; dat. sg. ealdum, 2973; gen. sg. ealdes ūhtflogan (dragon), 2761; dat. sg. ealdum, 1875; geongum and ealdum, 72.—b) of things and of institutions: nom. sg. helm monig eald and ōmig, 2764; acc. sg. ealde lāfe (sword), 796, 1489; ealde wīsan, 1866; eald sweord, 1559, 1664, etc.; eald gewin, old (lasting years), distress, 1782; eald enta geweorc (the precious things in the drake’s cave), 2775; acc. pl. ealde māðmas, 472; ofer ealde riht, against the old laws (namely, the Ten Commandments; Bēowulf believes that God has sent him the drake as a punishment, because he has unconsciously, at some time, violated one of the commandments), 2331.

yldra, compar. older: mīn yldra mǣg, 468; yldra brōðor, 1325; oð þæt hē (Heardrēd) yldra wearð, 2379.

yldesta, superl. oldest, in the usual sense; dat. sg. þām yldestan, 2436; in a moral sense, the most respected: nom. sg. se yldesta, 258; acc. sg. þone yldestan, 363, both times of Bēowulf.

eald-fæder, st. m., old-father, grandfather, ancestor: nom. sg. 373.

eald-gesegen, st. f., traditions from old times: gen. pl. eal-fela eald-gesegena, very many of the old traditions, 870.

eald-gesīð, st. m., companion ever since old times, courtier for many years: nom. pl. eald-gesīðas, 854.

eald-gestrēon, st. n., treasure out of the old times: dat. pl. eald-gestrēonum, 1382; gen. pl. -gestrēona, 1459.

eald-gewinna, w. m., old-enemy, enemy for many years: nom. sg. of Grendel, 1777.

eald-gewyrht, st. n., merit on account of services rendered during many years: nom. pl. þæt nǣron eald-gewyrht, þæt hē āna scyle gnorn þrowian, that has not been his desert ever since long ago, that he should bear the distress alone, 2658.

eald-hlāford, st. m., lord through many years: gen. sg. bill eald-hlāfordes (of the old Bēowulf(?)), 2779.

eald-metod, st. m., God ruling ever since ancient times: nom. sg. 946.

ealdor, aldor, st. m., lord, chief (king or powerful noble): nom. sg. ealdor, 1645, 1849, 2921; aldor, 56, 369, 392; acc. sg. aldor, 669; dat. sg. ealdre, 593; aldre, 346.

ealdor, aldor, st. n., life: acc. sg. aldor, 1372; dat. sg. aldre, 1448, 1525; ealdre, 2600; him on aldre stōd herestrǣl hearda (in vitalibus), 1435; nalles for ealdre mearn, was not troubled about his life, 1443; of ealdre gewāt, went out of life, died, 2625; as instr. aldre, 662, 681, etc.; ealdre, 1656, 2134, etc.; gen. sg. aldres, 823; ealdres, 2791, 2444; aldres orwēna, despairing of life, 1003, 1566; ealdres scyldig, having forfeited life, 1339, 2062; dat. pl. aldrum nēðdon, 510, 538.—Phrases: on aldre (in life), ever, 1780; tō aldre (for life), always, 2006, 2499; āwa tō aldre, for ever and ever, 956.

ealdor-bealu, st. n., life’s evil: acc. sg. þū... ondrǣdan ne þearft... aldorbealu eorlum, thou needest not fear death for the courtiers, 1677.

ealdor-cearu, st. f., trouble that endangers life, great trouble: dat. sg. hē his lēodum wearð... tō aldor-ceare, 907.

ealdor-dagas, st. m. pl., days of one’s life: dat. pl. nǣfre on aldor-dagum (never in his life), 719; on ealder-dagum ǣr (in former days), 758.

ealdor-gedāl, st. n., severing of life, death, end: nom. sg. aldor-gedāl, 806.

ealdor-gewinna, w. m., life-enemy, one who strives to take his enemy’s life (in N.H.G. the contrary conception, Tod-feind): nom. sg. ealdorgewinna (the dragon), 2904.

ealdor-lēas, adj., without a ruler(?): nom. pl. aldor-lēase, 15.

ealdor-lēas, adj., lifeless, dead: acc. sg. aldor-lēasne, 1588; ealdor-lēasne, 3004.

ealdor-þegn, st. m., nobleman at the court, distinguished courtier: acc. sg. aldor-þegn (Hrōðgār’s confidential adviser, Æschere), 1309.

eal-fela, adj., very much: with following gen., eal-fela eald-gesegena, very many old traditions, 870; eal-fela eotena cynnes, 884.

ealgian, w. v., to shield, to defend, to protect: inf. w. acc. feorh ealgian, 797, 2656, 2669; pret. siððan hē (Hygelāc) under segne sinc eal-gode, wælrēaf werede, while under his banner he protected the treasures, defended the spoil of battle (i.e. while he was upon the Viking expeditions), 1205.

eal-gylden, adj., all golden, entirely of gold: nom. sg. swȳn ealgylden, 1112; acc. sg. segn eallgylden, 2768.

eal-īrenne, adj., entirely of iron: acc. sg. eall-īrenne wīgbord, a wholly iron battle-shield, 2339.

ealu, st. n., ale, beer: acc. sg. ealo drincende, 1946.

ealu-benc, st. f., ale-bench, bench for those drinking ale: dat. sg. in ealo-bence, 1030; on ealu-bence, 2868.

ealu-scerwen, st. f., terror, under the figure of a mishap at an ale-drinking, probably the sudden taking away of the ale: nom. sg. Denum eallum wearð... ealuscerwen, 770.

ealu-wǣge, st. n., ale-can, portable vessel out of which ale is poured into the cups: acc. sg. 2022; hroden ealowǣge, 495; dat. sg. ofer ealowǣge (at the ale-carouse), 481.

eal-wealda, w. adj., all ruling (God): nom. sg. fæder alwalda, 316; alwalda, 956, 1315; dat. sg. al-wealdan, 929.

eard, st. m., cultivated ground, estate, hereditary estate; in a broader sense, ground in general, abode, place of sojourn: nom. sg. him wæs bām... lond gecynde, eard ēðel-riht, the land was bequeathed to them both, the land and the privileges attached to it. 2199; acc. sg. fīfel-cynnes eard, the ground of the giant race, place of sojourn, 104; similarly, ælwihta eard, 1501; eard gemunde, thought of his native ground, his home, 1130; eard gīt ne const, thou knowest not yet the place of sojourn. 1378; eard and eorlscipe, prǣdium et nobilitatem, 1728; eard ēðelwyn, land and the enjoyment of home, 2494; dat. sg. ellor hwearf of earde, went elsewhere from his place of abode, i.e. died, 56; þæt wē rondas beren eft tō earde, that we go again to our homes, 2655; on earde, 2737; nom. pl. ēacne eardas, the broad expanses (in the fen-sea where Grendel’s home was), 1622.

eardian, w. v.: 1) to have a dwelling-place, to live; to rest: pret. pl. dȳre swyrd swā hīe wið eorðan fæðm þǣr eardodon, costly swords, as they had rested in the earth’s bosom, 3051.—2) also transitively, to inhabit: pret. sg. Heorot eardode, 166; inf. wīc eardian elles hwergen, inhabit a place elsewhere (i.e. die), 2590.

eard-lufa, w. m., the living upon one’s land, home-life: acc. sg. eard-lufan, 693.

earfoð, st. n., trouble, difficulty, struggle: acc. pl. earfeðo, 534.

earfoð-līce, adv., with trouble, with difficulty, 1637, 1658; with vexation, angrily, 86; sorrowfully, 2823; with difficulty, scarcely, 2304, 2935.

earfoð-þrāg, st. f., time full of troubles, sorrowful time: acc. sg. -þrāge, 283.

earh, adj., cowardly: gen. sg. ne bið swylc earges sīð (no coward undertaken that), 2542.

earm, st. m., arm: acc. sg. earm, 836, 973; wið earm gesæt, supported himself with his arm, 750; dat. pl. earmum, 513.

earm, adj., poor, miserable, unhappy: nom. sg. earm, 2369; earme ides, the unhappy woman, 1118; dat. sg. earmre teohhe, the unhappy band, 2939.—Comp. acc. sg. earmran mannan, a more wretched, more forsaken man, 577.

earm-bēag, st. m., arm-ring, bracelet: gen. pl. earm-bēaga fela searwum gesǣled, many arm-rings interlaced, 2764.

earm-hrēad, st. f., arm-ornament. nom. pl. earm-hrēade twā, 1195 (Grein’s conjecture, MS. earm reade).

earm-līc, adj., wretched, miserable: nom. sg. sceolde his ealdor-gedāl earmlīc wurðan, his end should be wretched, 808.

earm-sceapen, pret. part. as adj. (properly, wretched by the decree of fate), wretched: nom. sg. 1352.

earn, st. m., eagle: dat. sg. earne, 3027.

eatol. See atol.

eaxl, st. f., shoulder: acc. sg. eaxle, 836, 973; dat. sg. on eaxle, 817, 1548; be eaxle, 1538; on eaxle ides gnornode, the woman sobbed on the shoulder (of her son, who has fallen and is being burnt), 1118; dat. pl. sæt frēan eaxlum nēah, sat near the shoulders of his lord (Bēowulf lies lifeless upon the earth, and Wīglāf sits by his side, near his shoulder, so as to sprinkle the face of his dead lord), 2854; hē for eaxlum gestōd Deniga frēan, he stood before the shoulders of the lord of the Danes (i.e. not directly before him, but somewhat to the side, as etiquette demanded), 358.

eaxl-gestealla, w. m., he who has his position at the shoulder (sc. of his lord), trusty courtier, counsellor of a prince: nom. sg. 1327; acc. pl. -gesteallan, 1715.

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