The Wordhord
In Old English, a wordhord was a hoard of words — a store of language kept close, ready to be drawn on when it mattered most. To unlock the wordhord was to begin to speak with purpose and skill.
One of the earliest and most evocative uses comes from Beowulf, just as the hero prepares to speak for the first time:
Him se yldesta andswarode, The eldest of them answered,
werodes wīsa, wordhord onlēac: the leader of the warriors, unlocked his wordhoard:
“Wē synt gumcynnes Gēata lēode “We are men of the Geatish people,
and Hīgeles heoras; Beowulf is mīn nama…” Hygelac’s hearth-companions; my name is Beowulf…”
To open one’s wordhord is not simply to speak — it is to draw on knowledge, memory, and meaning, and shape them into something that can be shared.
This section gathers reflections on the structure, history, and meaning of English words. You’ll find etymology cards, seasonal explorations, and word-family notes that trace how language grows — not at random, but through stories, roots, and sound.
Each entry examines how a word was built, where it came from, and how its meaning has shifted through time, translation, and use. It’s a place for wordcraft grounded in history — practical, curious, and shaped by the belief that language is not just learnt, but forged.
Conker: from snail shells to horse chestnuts
Across Europe the horse chestnut is named plainly, but English alone has ‘conker’. First used for snail shells in the 1840s, the word shifted to chestnuts, from ‘conquer’.
Horse chestnut – from Turkish horses to English conkers
The English name ‘horse chestnut’ is a 16th-century translation of Turkish ‘at kestanesi’, meaning ‘the horse’s chestnut’. From Ottoman horse doctors to autumn conkers, explore its story.
Harvest: words for the season of gathering
Explore the history of ‘harvest’, once the English word for autumn. From Old English ‘hærfest’ and German ‘Herbst’ to Italian ‘raccolto’, Spanish ‘cosecha’, Welsh ‘cynhaeaf’ and Europe’s harvest festivals, discover how languages reflect the season of gathering.
Bramble: thorns and berries across Europe
The word ‘bramble’ comes from Old English ‘bremel’, meaning thornbush. Discover its Germanic roots in Dutch ‘braam’ and German ‘Brombeere’, with parallels in French ‘ronce’, Italian ‘rovo’, Spanish ‘zarza’, Celtic ‘sméar’, and Greek ‘βάτος’.
Blackberry: a fruit with four naming traditions
Freshly picked blackberries in early August tell a simple story in English — a black berry — but the word’s roots run deep. Across Europe, languages link the fruit to brambles, bears, or mulberries. Discover the etymology of ‘blackberry’ from Old English blæcberie to Latin morum and beyond.
Autumn, Fall & Harvest
Discover the history of the season’s names — from Old English ‘hærfest’ and ‘hærfestmonað’ through Latin ‘autumnus’ to the English ‘fall of the leaf’. Learn how harvest, autumn, and fall each reflect different traditions.
September
Where does the word ‘September’ come from? From Latin ‘septem’ meaning ‘seven’, the name once marked the seventh month of Rome’s calendar. In Old English it was the holy month or harvest month, and in Norse tradition the autumn month — each pointing to September as a time of reaping, rites and new beginnings.
‘Sage’: a healing word across languages and leaves
Where does the word ‘sage’ come from? From Latin ‘salvia’ meaning ‘healing plant’, the name travelled through French into English, and has since appeared across dozens of languages — each with its own take on this resilient herb.