bāt
masculine
The English phrase 'boat' is translated into Old English as bāt. Wiktionary also lists sċip.
Meaning: water craft (noun)
Ways to say it
| Old English | Note |
|---|---|
| bāt | masculine |
| sċip | neuter |
In Old English, a boat is a water craft. Segl refers to the sail, a component of a boat.
Which one should you use?
The Old English language provides two main words for vessels: the masculine bāt and the neuter sċip.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word bāt is a masculine noun, whereas sċip is a neuter noun.
Did you know?
- Old English poets often used kennings for a ship, such as sǣmearh, 'sea-horse', and ȳþmearh, 'wave-horse'.
- The Old English verb stēoran, 'to steer', is the ancestor of the modern English word 'steer'.
- The spelling of sċip uses the letter combination 'sc' to represent a sound similar to the modern English 'sh' in 'ship'.
Examples in context
- Se bāt is on þǣm wætere.The boat is on the water.
- Ic geseo þone bāt.I see the boat.
Example conversation
A woman and a man stand by a river.
- ÆthelflædHwær is se bāt?Where is the boat?
- ÆthelstanSe bāt is nēah þǣm wætere.The boat is near the water.
- ÆthelflædIs se bāt strang?Is the boat strong?
- ÆthelstanĠēa, se bāt is strang.Yes, the boat is strong.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “boat” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
