feoh
/fe͜ox/neuter
The English word money is translated as feoh in Old English.
feoh is used to refer to currency.
Meaning: currency (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term literally means cattle, property or money, reflecting the fact that cattle were a primary form of wealth in early Germanic societies.
How does it change in a sentence?
feoh is a neuter noun. It does not change its form when used in the nominative or accusative singular cases.
How do you pronounce it?
/feox/
Did you know?
- In the early Runic alphabet used by Germanic peoples, the first letter 'f' (fehu) was named after feoh and symbolized 'wealth'.
- The English word 'fee' is a direct descendant of the Old English feoh, which originally meant 'cattle'.
- In modern German, the descendant of feoh is Vieh, which now refers specifically to 'cattle' or 'livestock' rather than money.
Examples in context
- Hē tōc ūre feoh.He took our money.Tatoeba #13841918 by rul, translation #13840023 by rul
- c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English
Ēalā ġif iċ hæfde feoh.If only I had money. - Feoh biþ nāwiht.Money is nothing.Tatoeba #13897073 by rul, translation #13136475 by rul
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Eadric and Mildryth are discussing trade at a market.
- EadricHæfst þū feoh for þissum hīde?Do you have money for this hide?
- MildrythNā, iċ ne hæbbe nū feoh.No, I have no money now.
- EadricHū begeat sē mann his feoh?How did the man get his money?
- MildrythHē sealde his hors wiþ feo.He sold his horses for money.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “money” translations and entries feoh, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries feoh, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
