heard
/xæ͜ɑrd/
The Old English word for "hard" is heard.
heard is an adjective used to describe things that require a lot of effort to do or understand.
Meaning: requiring a lot of effort to do or understand (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
/xæɑrd/
Did you know?
- Because Old English was highly inflected, the form heard would change its ending based on the gender and case of the noun it described.
- The word heard is closely related to the Gothic hardus, one of the oldest recorded Germanic languages.
- The Old English heard is a direct ancestor of the modern English 'hard', but its pronunciation shifted from a more open sound to the one used today.
Examples in context
- Þis wudu nis heard.This wood isn't hard.This sentence shows the word heard used to describe the physical property of wood.Tatoeba #13853778 by rul, translation #13852158 by rul
Example conversation
Mildryth and Godric are studying an old manuscript.
- MildrythIs þēos bōc heard tō rǣdan?Is this book hard to read?
- GodricĠēa, hēo is swīðe heard.Yes, it is very hard.
- MildrythIc wille hīe rǣdan.I want to read it.
- GodricÞū eart wīs, Mildryth.You are wise, Mildryth.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry heard, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries heard, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
