dysiġ
For "dumb" in the sense of stupid, Old English said dysiġ, "foolish". dol, "foolish", is also common.
Meaning: stupid (adj)
Ways to say it
| Old English |
|---|
| dysiġ |
| dol |
dysiġ describes foolish people and foolish deeds alike.
Which one should you use?
Old English dumb meant "unable to speak". It did not mean stupid.
How do you pronounce it?
ġ sounds like the y in "yes", so the word sounds roughly like "DIZ-ee".
Did you know?
- Old English dysiġ, "foolish", is the ancestor of modern "dizzy", and dol is the ancestor of "dull".
Examples in context
- late 10th century, Ælfric, Lives of Saints
Fif and twentiġ manna myslīċe ġeuntrume cōmon tō þām hālgan heora hǣle biddende, sum wǣron blinde, sume wǣron healte, sume ēac dēafe, and dumbe ēac sum and hī ealle wurdon ānes dæġes ġehǣlede þurh þæs hālgan þingunge and him hām ġewendon.Twenty-five men, sickened in various ways, came to the saint begging for the health, some were blind, some were lame, some were also deaf, and some were dumb, and they were all healed in one day through the intercession of the saint and went home. - Hē wæs dēaf, ne mēhte word bocian.He was dumb, unable to utter any words.
- Ne bēo þū dysiġ!Don't be dumb!
- Þæt wæs dysiġ dǣd.That was a foolish deed.
Sources
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
