#historical languages

these are several mining- and building-related words of the anglo-norman language, the form of french brought by conquests and normalized as its own distinct language over generations. some words, as you'll see, are still used or at least recognized today, particularly in modern french; others, not whatsoever.

whether you're looking for inspiration for a D&D dwarf name, town name, LOTR oc name, or just for something interesting, read on!

abaissur - blacksmith

aftirwas - remnants of (precious) metal left after washing the mineral ore

acerin - of steel

andaine - type of fine steel mainly used for making weapons; shattered diamond pieces used for cutting precious stones

archal - copper alloy, brass, bronze

bashalle - cellar, undercroft

ceruse - white lead

corbe - curved or arched piece of timber or stone

faitiz - well constructed, beautifully built

ferrin, fereyn - of iron; hard, unyielding

lai - allay, admixture of a precious metal with a less valuable one

lorimer - maker of small iron-ware

marbrin - marble, made of marble

martel - stone-cutter's hammer, smith's hammer

merimer - the placing of timber supports or props

orin - golden, made of gold

orsaudy - alloy of copper and zinc used in imitation of gold leaf

orsmyth - goldsmith (used as a surname)

osmond - smund (a superior kind of iron from the Baltic)

redesmyth - coppersmith (used as a surname)

shotentyn - globular pieces of smelted tin

stel - steel one (used as a surname)

surbatu - overlaid metal

ustum - calcined copper (i.e. burnt to a powder)

these are several tree-related words of the anglo-norman language, the form of french brought by conquests and normalized as its own distinct language over generations. some words, as you'll see, are still used or at least recognized today, particularly in modern french; others, not whatsoever.

if you're looking for inspiration for your characters' surnames, first names, or place names, I hope you can find it in this list:

[source]

acinus - hawthorn

alier - mulberry, service tree

arbreille - shrub

aune - alder tree

banastun - bough

baumer - balm tree

boscain - wooded area

boschel - small wooded area

bremel - blackberry bush

ceneler - hawthorn

cenelle - hawthorn

cedre - cedar

chasteine - chestnut tree

cormer - service tree

espinage - thicket of thorns

fier - fig tree

fresne - ash tree

fresnin - of the ash tree

genevre - juniper

helme - elm

linde - linden, limetree

lorme - elm

lynde - linden, limetree

mure - mulberry

raim - branch

raimaille - small branch

ramier - wild, of the woods, branch

ramus - branch

salha - of the willow genus

sarail - of the willow genus

savin - pine

savine - pine

selve - woodland

tillier - linden, limetree

This started as some light research for a BBC Merlin fic and kinda spiraled into my obsession of the week...oops. Anyway, these are several geography-related words of the anglo-norman language, the form of french brought by conquests and normalized as its own distinct language over generations. Many of the ones here were used as surnames back then, too. Some, as you'll see, are still used or at least recognized today, particularly in modern french; others, not whatsoever.

If you're looking for inspiration for your characters' surnames, first names, or place names, I hope you can find it in this list or in the other ones I'll be making!

[source]

You have heard the phrase “dead languages”, but what killed them and are they now indeed nonexistent? Let’s find out.

Dead languages are dialects that we no longer used. They are associated with religion, history, and ancient cultures. Many people can tell you about a language that was once a part of their ancestors’ daily life but is now nonexistent. The once familiar and frequently-heard language is that is now considered a small part of their heritage and might be given a small reference in a history book.