20.4k views
2 votes
What are the English equivalents for the following Latin and Anglo-Saxon forms?

Latin: diabolos
Anglo-Saxon: deofol
Modern English:

Latin: presbyter
Anglo-Saxon: preost
Modern English:

Latin: ministrare
Anglo-Saxon: mynster
Modern English:

Latin: praedicare (verb)
Anglo-Saxon: praedician
Modern English:

User GuiGS
by
6.2k points

2 Answers

6 votes

Answer:

1. Devils

2. Priest

3. To minister

4. To preach

User Littlebyte
by
6.9k points
4 votes
Modern English words can derive from many different sources. Many have roots that are Latin or Greek.

The word diabolos is from the Greek word meaning "devil". In Latin it is commonly spelled as diabolus or diabulus. The Anglo-Saxon word deofol has the same meaning. The modern English word is devil.

Presbyter is late Latin and borrowed from the Greek word 'presbyteros'. The Anglo-Saxon word preost as the same meaning. In modern English, we use the word priest.

In Latin, the word ministrare is a conjucation of the word for minister. The Anglo-Saxon word mynster has a different spelling than the modern English word with the same meaning. The modern English word is "minister".

The verb praedicare in Latin means "to preach". The word praedician doesn't seem to exist in Anglo-Saxon dictionaries (mine included). I would determine that the modern English word would either be the verb "preach" (as the Latin one is) or the noun "preacher".

This exercise was slightly misleading with its information, but I hope you enjoy learning the history of the English language!
User Elyase
by
6.4k points