A Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

An interest in the middle ages often brings the non-specialist reader up short against a word or terra 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 to specialists as well. The dictionary contains some 3,400 terms as headwords, ranging from legal and ecclesiastical to the more humdrum 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 endeavours 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 gives a better understanding. There are also examples of medieval terms and phrases still in use today, a further aid to clarifying meaning.