118 Wiltshire Words. 
earliest English. Some of these words are found in 
literature, as in Wyclif’s translation of the New 
Testament, and Shakespeare, but not in modern 
writers. | 
2. Expressions forcible and imaginative. 
3. Words expressing specialised meanings, where the ordinary 
language has to couple words together, and so is less — 
terse. 
1.—The following are some of the words found in the oldest — 
English, though the impoverished polite language has lost them: 
the earliest form we give on the authority of the editors :— 
All-a-hoh. opsided. A. 8. awoh. 
Aps. The aspen tree. A. S. eps. 
Attercop. A spider. <A.S. dttor-coppe. 
Az. Toask. A.S. acsian. 
Biver. To tremble. cf. bifian, to tremble. 
Dawk. To prick. A.S. dale, a brooch. 
Frum. Of strong-growing plants. <A. S. from. ‘ 
Har. The hinder upright of a gate, by which it is hung to its 
post. A. 8S. heorr, hinge. 
Hele. To cover over; and un-hele, to uncover ; as of a rough wind — 
stripping off thatch. <A.S. helan. . | 
Dummel. Stupid. ¢f. the German dumm, with the same meaning. | 
En. The old plural termination is still in use, in nouns, housen, 
houses ; ,facen, faces; b/uen, blossoms: in adjectives, e/men, of 
elm; acorken leg; a papern bag; glassen slippers; a glassen 
cup; as a participle in boughten bread, opposed to home-made. 
Galley. To frighten ; galley-crow, a scarecrow. A. 8S. agaelwvan, to 
stupefy. 
Hinted. Of wheat ;* harvested, secured in barn. A. S. hentan, to 
secure. 
Oaves. The eaves of a house. “A good old form; Middle-English 
ovese.”” 
Pud-beggar. Water spider. Middle-English, padde, a toad. 
Ruddock. A robin red-breast. A. 8S. ruddue. 
