micel
The English phrase "big" is translated into Old English as micel.
The word is an adjective used to describe something of a great size.
Meaning: of a great size (adj)
Which one should you use?
The form mæst is used to express the superlative degree, meaning "greatest" or "biggest".
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective has several forms depending on its role in a sentence: micel is the masculine singular nominative form, micelne is the masculine singular accusative form, micle is the masculine plural nominative form and miclum is the neuter singular dative form.
Did you know?
- While micel meant 'big', the Old English word mæst evolved into the modern English word 'most'.
- While 'big' describes size today, the root of micel is also closely linked to the Ancient Greek word mégas, meaning 'great'.
- The word micel is an ancestor to the word 'mickle', a term still used in some Northern English and Scottish dialects to mean 'great' or 'large'.
Example conversation
Eadgyth and Godric are looking at a large tree.
- EadgythHwæt, micel is þes trēow!Look, this tree is big!
- GodricGēa, hit is swīðe micel.Yes, it is very big.
- EadgythHwǣr is se micla stān?Where is the big stone?
- GodricHē is under þǣm trēowe.It is under the tree.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries micel, CC BY-SA 4.0.
