In 1066, the Norman king, William the Conquerer, invaded England. Many Norman French words entered the language after this. In general, the Normans were the nobility, while the native English were their servants. The names of domestic animals and their meats show this relationship. The animal name is English ("cow", "sheep", "pig") while the names of the meats derived from these animals is French ("beef", "mutton", "pork").
Many words have been borrowed from Norman French. These can be grouped into several types:
Legal terms ("adultery", "slander"), military words ("surrender", "occupy"), names of meats ("bacon", "venison") and words from the royal court ("chivalry", "majesty"). The non-metric unit of volume (the "gallon") is Norman French. There are many other words.
The Normans introduced the QU spelling for words containing KW ("question").
Word | Meaning | Notes |
---|---|---|
accuse | One of many legal words from Norman French. | |
adultery | ||
archer | One of several military words from Norman French. | |
assault | ||
asset | enough | |
bacon | Cured pig's meat. One of many names for meats from Norman French. | |
bail | to take charge | Security for a prisoner's appearance. |
bailiff | carrier | Officer who executes writs. |
beef | Meat of ox or cow. | |
butcher | seller of goat flesh | A dealer in meat. |
button | ||
chivalry | horseman | One of many words used in royal life from Norman French. |
comfort | strengthen | |
court | retenue | |
courtesy | ||
cricket | A ball game played in the UK, Caribbean, parts of Africa and Asia, Australia, New Zealand. | |
crime | judgement | |
curfew | cover fire | Period to be off the streets. |
custard | Baked mixture of eggs and milk. | |
defeat | ||
dungeon | Underground prison. | |
duty | ||
eagle | Large bird of prey. | |
elope | run away | |
embezzle | ravage | |
enemy | non friend | |
error | ||
evidence | ||
exchequer | A national treasury. | |
fashion | make | |
felony | A serious crime. | |
fraud | ||
gallon | jug | A unit of liquid volume (= 4.546 x 10-3 m3 in UK; = 3.785 x 10-3 m3 in USA) |
goblin | ||
gourd | ||
grammar | art of letters | |
grease | fat | |
grief | ||
grocer | Food dealer. Originally 'one who deals in the gross'. | |
gutter | drop | Track for water. |
haddock | A type of fish. | |
havoc | ||
hogmanay | Now a Scottish festival at New Year. | |
honour | ||
injury | wrong | Wrongful action or damage. |
jettison | throw overboard | |
joy | ||
judge | right speaking | |
jury | swear | |
justice | ||
larceny | The crime of theft. | |
launch | hurl | |
lavender | Perfumed shrub. | |
lease | leave | |
leisure | allowed | Free time. |
lever | to raise | |
liable | may be bound | |
libel | little book | |
liberty | free | |
liquorice | sweet root | Originally from a Greek root, 'glico riza'. |
mackerel | A type of fish. | |
majesty | ||
mangle | ||
manor | remain | |
marriage | ||
matrimony | From the same root as 'matriarch' (mother). | |
mayhem | ||
mutton | Meat of sheep. | |
noble | ||
noun | name | |
nurse | nourish | |
occupy | seize | |
odour | smell | |
parliament | speaking | Ruling council in countries like UK. |
pedigree | crane's foot | From 'pe de gru'. Because bird's feet marks resemble a family tree. |
penthouse | ||
perjury | False statement under oath. | |
pinch | As in 'grip tightly'. | |
platter | big plate | |
pleasure | ||
small bag | ||
pork | The meat of the pig. | |
prison | lay hold of | |
profound | deep | |
purloin | put away | |
purveyor | Supplier of food. | |
push | ||
quarter | The Normans introduced the QU spelling for the KW sound. | |
question | ||
quiet | ||
quiver | The arrow case. | |
rape | take by force | |
reason | ||
rebuke | Originally 'to cut down wood'. | |
rebut | ||
recover | ||
remedy | to heal | |
renown | to make famous | |
rent | The same root as 'render'. | |
repeal | ||
reprieve | send back | |
reprisal | ||
retail | piece cut off | |
reward | ||
river | ||
robe | ||
royal | ||
rummage | ||
salary | salt | Soldiers used to be paid with salt. |
salmon | A type of fish. | |
scavenger | tax collector | |
scullery | maker of dishes | |
search | ||
sermon | ||
sewer | Originally a channel to carry off overflow from a fishpond. | |
share | ||
shop | cobbler's stall | |
sir | From 'sire'. | |
slander | ||
soil | Called 'dirt' in the USA. | |
sovereign | ||
spawn | ||
spy | ||
squirrel | little shadow tail | |
stubble | grain stalks | |
subsidy | support | |
suitor | ||
surname | Family name. | |
surplus | ||
surrender | ||
survey | ||
survive | over live | |
syllable | ||
tally | mark on a stick | Tally sticks were used to record financial transactions. |
tax | to charge | |
toil | stir | |
treason | ||
treaty | ||
uncle | ||
usher | door keeper | |
valley | ||
veal | ||
veil | ||
venison | to hunt | Deer meat |
vicar | assistant | |
vice | ||
view | ||
virgin | ||
vulture | Large bird of prey. | |
wafer | ||
waive | ||
warden | Same root as 'guardian'. | |
wicket | gate | Wooden sticks used in the game of cricket. |
wreck |