English 3200
Chaucer
A Handful of Words
That Occur on Almost Every Page of The Canterbury Tales
Clepen ‘to call,’ y-cleped ‘called’
Couthe ‘known, knew’
Coude ‘knew how’
For the nones ModE for the nonce ‘for the particular purpose, on purpose, for its own sake’; nonce word a word coined and used for a single occasion.
Gentil ‘noble, well-born,’ 'gentle' in the
Shakespearean sense.
Goon, wente Can mean generic 'go,' but usually specifically 'walk,
walked.'
Highte ‘called, named’
Kinde ‘nature, sort’
-liche ‘-like, -ly’
Ny ‘nigh’
Povre ‘poor’
Quite, quyte ‘quit, reward, get even’
Sith, Sin ‘since’
Sterten ‘start, leap’
Sterven ‘die,’ starve in ModE
Swich ‘such’
Wiste ‘knew’
Wood ‘mad, crazy’