Chapter M (3)

_Wickman._ _Wic_, a camp; _man_, a man. A camp-man; a soldier.

_Widdall._ _Wíd_, grass; _dál_, a valley. A grass-valley.

_Widdifield._ _Wídisc_, grassy; _feld_, a field, a plain. A grassy plain.

_Widdis._ _Wíd_, grass; _ísc_, an adjective termination denoting like. Grassy.

_Widdows._ _Widewe_, a widow; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of a widow. Widdoes, a cognate term.

_Wideman._ _Wíd_, wide, broad, famous; _man_, a man. A broad man; a famous man. Widemann, Widman, Widmann, of like import.

_Widemer._ _Wíd-mǽre_, from _wíd_, far, and _mǽre_, famed. Far-famed. Widmer, from the same roots.

_Widener._ _Wíd_, grass; _nere_, a refuge. A grass-refuge. Widner, a cognate term.

_Widger._ _Wicg_, a horse, a steed; _ere_, an agent. A horseman; a warrior.

_Widley._ _Wíd_, wide; _líc_, like. Widely.

_Wiese._ _Wiese_, wise, prudent.

_Wigand._ _Wigend_, a warrior, a soldier.

_Wiggan._ _Wiggan_, to carry on war, to fight, to contend.

_Wiggins._ _Wiggin_, Wiggan; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Wiggan.

_Wigham._ _Wig_, war; _hám_, a house. A war-house; castle; tower; fortress.

_Wight._ _Wiht_, a creature, wight, animal.

_Wightman._ _Wiht-man_, from _Wiht_, the Isle of Wight, and _man_, a man. A man of the Isle of Wight.

_Wigley._ _Wig-líc_, from _wig_, war, and _líc_, like. Warlike.

_Wigman._ _Wig-mann_, from _wig_, war, and _mann_, a man. A warlike man; a warrior; a soldier.

_Wigmore._ _Wig_, battle; _mór_, a moor. A battle-moor.

_Wigo._ _Wiga_, a soldier, a warrior.

_Wigton._ _Wig_, a battle; _tún_, town. A battle-town.

_Wike._ _Wic_, a dwelling-place, mansion.

_Wilbank._ _Wil_, a prefix denoting pleasant; _banc_, a bank. A pleasant bank.

_Wilbraham._ _Wilbra_, Wilbur; _hám_, house. House of Wilbur.

_Wilbur._ _Wil_, pleasant; _búr_, a bower. A pleasant bower. Wilber, from the same roots.

_Wilby._ _Wil_, pleasant; _bý_, dwelling. A pleasant dwelling.

_Wilcock._ _Wil_, good, well; _cocc_, a cock. A well-bred cock.

_Wilcocks._ _Wilcock_, Wilcock; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Wilcock. Wilcox, a kindred term.

_Wild._ _Wíld_, following its own will and impulse, wild, powerful. Wilde, of similar meaning.

_Wildermore._ _Wíld_, wild; _mór_, a moor. A wild moor; an uncultivated moor.

_Wilder._ _Wíld_, wild; _ere_, an agent. One who, or that which, is wild.

_Wildes._ _Wild_, Wild; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Wilde. Wilds, of like derivation.

_Wildey._ _Wíld-ig_, from _wíld_, wild; _ig_, an adjective termination. Wild-like; wildly. Willdey, from the same roots.

_Wilding._ _Wíld_, wild; _ing_, expressing action. Growing wild.

_Wildman._ _Wíld_, wild; _man_, a man. A wild man. An uncivilized man.

_Wile._ _Wíle_, a wile, craftiness.

_Wileman._ _Wíle_, a wile, craftiness. A wily man; a crafty man.

_Wilen._ _Wilen_, or _wilhen_, a maid, a foreign woman, a female slave.

_Wiler._ _Wíle_, a wile; _ere_, an agent. A trickster.

_Wiles._ _Wile_, Wile; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Wile.

_Wiley._ _Wíle_, wile; _ig_, an adjective termination. Wily; tricky; crafty. Wilie, from the same roots.

_Wilfong._ _Wil_, well; _fong_, received. Well-received.

_Wilfonger._ _Wil_, well; _fong_, received; _ere_, an agent. One who is well received.

_Wilford._ _Wil_, pleasant; _ford_, a ford. A pleasant ford.

_Wilgus._ _Wiliges_, genitive of _wilig_, a willow. Belonging to a willow.

_Wilhare._ _Wil_, pleasant; _harra_, a lord. A pleasant lord. Wilher, from the same roots.

_Wilhelm._ _Wil_, well, pleasant; _helm_, a crown. An easy crown; a happy monarch. Or, from _will_, a will, and _helm_, a helmet. A will-helmet; an undaunted helmet.

_Wilkening._ _Wil_, pleasant; _cyn_, people; _ing_, offspring. Descendant of pleasant people.

_Wilkens._ _Wilken_, pleasant people; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of pleasant people. Wilkes, Wilks, possibly, contractions of the same name.

_Wilkinson._ _Wilken_, pleasant people; _sun_, son. Son of pleasant people.

_Will._ _Will_, will, mind, disposition, affection, consent.

_Willahan._ _Will-an_, of one’s will, willingly. Willian, from the same root.

_Willand._ _Willende_, willing, wishing. Willang, doubtless, from the same radix.

_Willans._ _Willan_, Willahan; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Willahan.

_Willard._ _Wil-laueord_, from _wil_, good, pleasant, and _laueord_, a lord. A kind lord; a beneficent master. Willauer, Williard, from the same.

_Willdon._ _Wil-dón_, from _wil_, well, and _dón_, to do. To do well; well-done.

_Willeman._ _Wille_, a well; _man_, a man. A well-man; a well-borer. Williman, Willman, of like import.

_Willemin._ _Willan_, to will; _mine_, the mind. A willing mind. Willimen, a kindred term.

_Willems._ _Willem_, Wilhelm; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Wilhelm.

_Willer._ _Willan_, to will, to wish; _ere_, an agent. One who wills, or wishes; a willer; a wisher. Willar, another form of the name.

_Willers._ _Willer_, Willer; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Willer.

_Willes._ _Wille_, Will; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Will.

_Willess._ _Will_, a will; _leas_, free from. Free from will.

_Willet._ _Wil_, a well, a fountain; _lyt_, little. A small fountain. Or, from _will_, mind, and _lyt_, little. A little mind. Willett, of like derivation.

_Willets._ _Willet_, Willet; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Willet. Willetts, Willitts, from the same roots.

_Willey._ _Will-íce_, contraction of _willendlíce_, from _willende_, willing, and _líce_, like. Willing-like; willingly. Willi, Willie, perhaps, corruptions of the name.

_William._ Old History German for Wilhelm. See Wilhelm.

_Williams._ _William_, William; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of William.

_Williamson._ _William_, William; _sun_, son. Son of William.

_Willig._ _Will_, will; _ig_, an adjective termination. Willing; desirous; prone. Willey, Willi, and Willie, may be derived from the same roots. See Willey.

_Willimeit._ _Willa_, will; _miht_, might, power. Will-power.

_Willing._ _Will_, will; _ing_, an offspring. Descendant of Will.

_Willinger._ _Willing_, willing; _ere_, an agent. A servant of Willing.

_Willingmyre._ _Willing_, from _willende_, willing; _myre_, a mare. A willing mare; a ready mare. Willingmeyer, from the same roots.

_Willings._ _Willing_, Willing; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Willing.

_Willis._ _Willíce_, willingly.

_Willman._ _Will_, a will; _man_, a man. A will-man; a man of will; a resolute man. Willeman, Williman, may be traced to the same roots. See Willeman.

_Willmanns._ _Willmann_, Willman; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Willman.

_Willmarth._ _Will_, mind; _mǽrdh_, wonders. Mind-wonders. Wilmarth, a kindred name.

_Willmunder._ _Will_, mind; _mundian_, to protect; _ere_, an agent. A mind-protector; an instructor; a teacher; a physician.

_Willoughby._ _Wilige_, what is made of willow, a basket; _bý_, a habitation. A house where baskets are made; a basket-factory.

_Willow._ _Wilig_, or _wileg_, a willow.

_Wills._ _Will_, Will; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Will.

_Willsey._ _Willes_, Will’s; _ig_, an island. Will’s island. Wilsey, from the same roots.

_Willson._ _Will_, Will; _sun_, son. Son of Will. Wilson, from the same roots.

_Wilmer._ _Wil_, well; _mǽre_, famed. Well-famed; distinguished; illustrious.

_Wilmerton._ _Wilmer_, Wilmer; _tún_, house. Home of Wilmer.

_Wilmoore._ _Wil_, pleasant; _mór_, a moor. A pleasant moor. Wilmore, from the same roots.

_Wilmot._ _Wil_, pleasant; _mót_, an assembly. An agreeable assembly. Wilmott, a kindred term.

_Wilsher._ _Wilsc_, Welsh; _ere_, an agent. A Welshman.

_Wilsky._ _Wilsc-ig_, from _Wilsc_, Welsh, and _ig_, an adjective termination. Welsh.

_Willsleger._ _Willes_, genitive of _will_, mind, affection; _leger_, disease, couch. Disease of the mind; couch of affection.

_Wilsman._ _Willes_, genitive of _will_, mind; _man_, a man. A man of mind.

_Wilstach._ _Wil_, a well; _stác_, a pole. A well-pole.

_Wilt._ _Wilt_, from _willan_, to will, to wish. Wilt; willest; wishest.

_Wiltbank._ _Wilt_, willest; _banc_, a bank. A bank thou willest, or wishest; a wished-for bank.

_Wilten._ _Wiltún_, contraction of _Willy-tún_, from _Willy_, the name of a river, and _tún_, town. Town on the river Willy. Willy is, perhaps, from _wilie_, a basket, or _wilig_, a willow.

_Wiltshire._ _Wiltún-scíre_, from _Wil_, Willy, and _tún_, town; _scíre_, a shire, a district. Wiltonshire; Wilton-district.

_Winch._ _Wince_, a winch, a reel to wind thread upon. Winsch, from the same root.

_Winchell._ _Wincel_, a corner. Winsel, doubtless of like import.

_Winchester._ _Win-ceaster_, from _wín_, wine; _ceaster_, a castle. A wine-castle.

_Wind._ _Windan_, to wind, to bend, to twist, to twine.

_Winder._ _Winde_, what winds round, a winder, a reel. Or, from _windan_, to wind, and _ere_, an agent. One who winds; a winder.

_Windisch._ _Windan_, to wind; _isc_, an adjective termination denoting external quality of a thing. Winding; flexuous.

_Windle._ _Wíudel_, dative _wíndle_, anything twined, a basket.

_Windpipe._ _Wind_, wind; _píp_, a pipe, a flute. A wind-pipe.

_Windrim._ _Wyn-drím_, or _wyn-dreám_, from _wyn_, joy, and _drím_, or _dreám_, joy, rejoicing. Great joy, exultation.

_Windsor._ _Wind_, wind; _sór_, sorrow, grief. Wind-sorrow. Windser, from the same roots.

_Wine._ _Wín_, wine.

_Wineland._ _Wín_, wine; _land_, a region. Wine-region.

_Winelander._ _Wín_, wine; _land_, a region; _ere_, an agent. A resident of a wine region.

_Winfield._ _Wín_, wine; _feld_, a field. A wine-field; a vineyard.

_Winfree._ _Wín_, wine; _freó_, free. Wine free; abstaining from wine.

_Wing._ _Winge_, a wing.

_Wingart._ _Wín-geard_, from _wín_, wine, and _geard_, a garden. A wine-garden; a vineyard. Wingert, a kindred name.

_Wingate._ _Wín_, wine; _geát_, a gate, a door, an opening. A wine-gate; an opening to a wine-cellar.

_Winig._ _Wín_, wine; _ig_, an adjective termination. Wine-like; vinous.

_Wink._ _Wincian_, to bend one’s self, to nod, to wink.

_Winkel._ _Wincle_, a wilk, cockle, shell-fish.

_Winkelmann._ _Wincle_, a wilk, a cockle; _mann_, a man. A wilk-man; a cockler.

_Winkler._ _Wincle_, a wilk, a cockle; _ere_, an agent. A wilk-man; a cockler.

_Winkley._ _Wincle_, a cockle; _líc_, like. Resembling a cockle.

_Winline._ _Winn_, acquisition, possession, winning; Latin _linea_, a line. Acquisition-line; border-line; winning-line.

_Winn._ _Winn_, contention, strife, war, trouble, acquisition, possession, winning. Winne, from the same radix.

_Winnel._ _Winn_, a contest; _el_, implying a person. A contestant; a rival; a fighter.

_Winnemoore._ _Winn-an_, to win, to conquer, to subdue; _mór_, a moor. A conquered moor.

_Winner._ _Winna_, a rival, an enemy, a fighter. Or, from _winn_, contest, war, and _ere_, an agent. A contestant; a warrior.

_Winners._ _Winner_, Winner; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Winner.

_Winnett._ _Win_, pleasure; _nett_, a net. A pleasure net.

_Winnig._ _Winn_, contention, war, labor; _ig_, an adjective ending. Contentious; warlike; laborious. Winnie, a slightly modified form of the name.

_Winning._ _Winn_, Winn; _ing_, offspring. Descendant of Winn.

_Winpenny._ _Winn_, labor, winning; _pening_, a penny. Labor-penny; win-penny; winning penny.

_Winrick._ _Win_, winning; _ríce_, power, kingdom. Winning power.

_Winring._ _Win_, winning; _hring_, a ring. Winning ring. Or, from _win_, pleasure, and _hring_, a ring. A pleasure-ring; a wedding-ring.

_Winship._ _Wine-scipe_, from _wine_, a friend, and _scipe_, a termination denoting form, condition, state, office, dignity. A society of friends; a fraternity.

_Winslow._ _Win_, contest; _sláw_, slow, idle, lazy. A slow contest. Or, from _win_, pleasure, and _sláw_, idle. An idle pleasure.

_Winsmore._ _Wines_, genitive of _win_, contention; _mór_, a moor. A contending moor.

_Winstanley._ _Wine_, a friend; Stanley, Stanley. Stanley’s friend. See Stanley.

_Winston._ _Wínes-tún_, from _wínes_, genitive of _wín_, wine, and _tún_, a house. A house of wine; a wine-house; a tavern.

_Wint._ _Wint_, from _wintan_, to wind. Winds.

_Winter._ _Winter_, winter, a year. The Anglo-Saxon, and other northern nations, reckoned by winters instead of years.

_Winterbottom._ _Winter_, winter; _botm_, bottom. Winter’s close.

_Winterbourn._ _Winter_, winter; _burne_, a brook. A winter brook.

_Winterer._ _Winter_, winter; _ere_, an agent. One who, or that which, winters in a certain place.

_Winterfield._ _Winter_, winter; _feld_, a field, a plain. A wintry field.

_Winterhall._ _Winter_, winter; _heal_, a palace. Winter-palace.

_Winterhalter._ _Winter_, winter; _healtian_, to halt; _ere_, an agent. One who, or that which, halts for the winter; a winter sojourner.

_Winterholer._ _Winter_, winter; _hole_, a hole; _ere_, an agent. One who, or that which, seeks winter-quarters in holes.

_Winternight._ _Winter_, winter; _niht_, night. A winter night.

_Winters._ _Winter_, Winter; _s_ for _sun_. Son of Winter.

_Wintersteen._ _Winter_, winter; _stǽn_, or _stén_, stone. A winter stone.

_Winther._ _Windh_, from _winnan_, to labor; _ere_, an agent. A laborer.

_Winton._ _Wín-tún_, from _wín_, wine, and _tún_, a house. A wine-house; a tavern.

_Wire._ _Wír_, wire.

_Wireback._ _Wír_, wire; _bæc_, a back. A wire-back. Wirebach, from the same roots.

_Wireman._ _Wír_, wire; _man_, a man. A worker in wire.

_Wirgman._ _Wirg_, wicked, cursed; _man_, a man. A wicked man.

_Wirsing._ _Wirs_, worse; _ing_, expressing action. Making worse.

_Wirth._ _Wirdh_, from _weordhan_, to be made. Is made.

_Wischan._ _Wiscan_, to wish, to adopt.

_Wischman._ _Wiscan_, to wish; _man_, a man. A man that wishes; a wisher. Wischmann, Wishman, from the same roots.

_Wisdom._ _Wís-dóm_, from _wísa_, a sage, and _dóm_, opinion. Opinion of a sage; wisdom.

_Wise._ _Wís_, wise, prudent; a wise man, a hero, a prince.

_Wisely._ _Wís-líce_, from _wís_, wise, prudent, and _líce_, like. Wise-like; wisely; prudently.

_Wiseman._ _Wís_, wise, prudent; _man_, a man. A wise man; a prudent man. Wisman, from the same roots.

_Wiser._ _Wísa_, a sage, a philosopher, a wise man, a leader, guide, director. Or, from _wís_, wise, and _ere_, an agent. One who, or that which, is wise or prudent.

_Wisham._ _Wís_, wise, prudent; _hám_, home. A wise home.

_Wishart._ _Wís_, wise, prudent; _heort_, a termination denoting hearty, hearted, brave. Wise-hearted.

_Wisher._ _Wisc-ere_, from _wiscan_, to wish; _ere_, an agent. A wisher.

_Wisenger._ _Wísung_, making wise, instruction, command, a governing, regulator; _ere_, an agent. Wisdom-maker; instructor; commander; governor; regulator.

_Wisler._ _Wís_, wise, prudent; _lár_, doctrine. Wise doctrine. Wissler, a kindred term.

_Wismer._ _Wís_, wise; _mǽre_, famed. Wise-famed; famous for wisdom.

_Wisner._ _Wís_, wise; _nere_, a refuge. A wise refuge.

_Wisse._ _Wisse_, for _wiste_, past of _witan_, to know, to be conscious. Knew; was conscious.

_Wissman._ _Wisse_, knew, was conscious; _man_, a man. A man that knew; a wise man.

_Wist._ _Wiste_, past of _witan_, to know. Knew; was conscious.

_Wister._ _Wiste_, knew; _ere_, an agent. One that knew. Wistar, from the same root.

_Wiswell._ _Wís_, wise; _well_, much. Exceedingly wise.

_Witchel._ _Wicce_, a witch, an enchantress; _el_, a termination denoting a person. A witch; an enchantress.

_Witcher._ _Wicce_, a witch, an enchantress. Witscher, of kindred derivation.

_Witcraft._ _Wit_, mind, wit, understanding; _cræft_, continuance. Mind-continuance; invention.

_Witham._ _Wit_, mind, wit; _hám_, house. Home of wit; the brain.

_Witheat._ _Wit_, mind; _hát_, heat, fervor. Mind-fervor.

_Witman._ _Wit_, wit; _man_, a man. A witman; a man of wit. Wittman, of kindred significance.

_Witmer._ _Wit_, wit; _mǽre_, famed. Wit-famed. Wittmer, a cognate term.

_Witsil._ _Wit_, wit; _sel_, best. Best wit.

_Witt._ _Witt_, wit, mind, understanding. Witte, from the same radix.

_Wittig._ _Witt-ig_, from _witt_, wit, and _ig_, an adjective termination. Witty; wise.

_Wittingham._ _Witting_, Wittig; _hám_, house. Home of Wittig.

_Wittkamp._ _Witt_, wit; _camp_, a contest. A wit-contest.

_Wittkorn._ _Witt_, wit; _corn_, a grain. A wit-grain; a grain of wit.

_Wittland._ _Witt_, wit; _land_, a land. A land of wit.

_Wittrook._ _Witt_, wit; _róc_, a rook. A witty rook.

_Witts._ _Witt_, Witt; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Witt.

_Wittwer._ _Witt_, wit; _wer_, a man. A witty man. Witwer, from the same roots.

_Woddrop._ _Wod_, a wood; _drop_, a drop, a spot. A wood-spot.

_Wogan._ _Wógan_, to woo, to marry.

_Wolbert._ _Wól_, mischief; _beorht_, glistening. Glistening with mischief.

_Wolbold._ _Wól_, mischief; _báld_, audacious. Audacious mischief.

_Wolcott._ _Wól_, disease; _cóte_, a couch, a bed. A diseased couch.

_Wolf._ _Wulf_, a wolf. Wolfe, Wolff, Woolf, Wulf, Wulff, from the same root.

_Wolfel._ _Wulf_, wolf; _el_, a termination denoting a person. A wolfish person; a ravenous person.

_Wonder._ _Wunder_, a wonder, a miracle.

_Wonderly._ _Wunder-líc_, from _wunder_, wonder, and _líc_, like. Wonder-like; wonderful; wondrous.

_Wondle._ _Wúnd-el_, a wound.

_Wonhart._ _Won_, lacking; _heort_, heart. Lacking heart; faint-hearted.

_Wood._ _Wude_, wood.

_Woodall._ _Wude_, wood; _eall_, all. Well-wooded.

_Woodbridge._ _Wude_, wood; _bricg_, a bridge. A wooden bridge.

_Woodburn._ _Wude_, wood; _burne_, a stream. A wooded stream.

_Woodbury._ _Wude_, wood; _bury_, from _byrig_, a city, a town. A wooded town.

_Woodcock._ _Wude_, wood; _coc_, or _cocc_, a cock, a male fowl, or bird. A woodcock; a bird that affects wooded places.

_Woodelton._ _Wudelíc-tún_, from _wudelíc_, woody, wild; _tún_, a farm. A woody, or wild farm.

_Wooder._ _Wudere_, a wooden shoe.

_Woodfall._ _Wude_, a wood; _fealle_, a trap. A wood-trap.

_Woodhead._ _Wude_, a wood; _heáfd_, head. A wood-head; a wooden head.

_Woodhouse._ _Wude_, wood; _hús_, a house. A wood-house.

_Woodhull._ _Wude_, wood; _hul_, a hill. A wooded hill.

_Woodington._ _Wudiende_, present participle of _wudian_, to cut wood; _tún_, a farm. A wood-cutting farm.

_Woodland._ _Wudu-land_, from _wudu_, or _wude_, wood, and _land_, land, region. A woodland; a wooded region.

_Woodlands._ _Woodland_, Woodland; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Woodland.

_Woodley._ _Wudu-líc_, from _wudu_, wood, and _líc_, like. Wood-like; woody; wild.

_Woodman._ _Wudu-mann_, from _wudu_, wood, and _mann_, a man. A woodman; a wood-ward.

_Woodmansee._ _Wudu-mann-seo_, from _wudu-mann_, a woodman, and _seo_, the sight of the eye. A woodman’s vision.

_Woodnutt._ _Wude_, wood; _hnut_, a nut. A wood-nut.

_Woodring._ _Wude_, wood; _hring_, a girdle. A wood-belt; a belt of woods.

_Woodrow._ _Wude_, wood; _ræwa_, a row. A wood-row; a line of woods.

_Woodruff._ _Wude_, wood; _róf_, a roof. Woodroof, Woodroff, Woodroffe, from the same roots.

_Woods._ _Wood_, Wood; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Wood.

_Woodside._ _Wude_, wood; _síde_, side. Side of a wood.

_Woodsides._ _Woodside_, Woodside; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Woodside.

_Woodson._ _Wood_, Wood; _sun_, son. Son of Wood. Or, from _wude_, wood, and _sun_, son. Son of the woods.

_Woodstocker._ _Woodstock_, from _wude_, wood, and _stóc_, a place; _ere_, an agent. A resident of Woodstock—a woody place.

_Woodward._ _Wudu-weard_, from _wudu_, wood, and _weard_, a ward, a guardian. A wood-ward; a woodman.

_Woodworth._ _Wude_, wood; _weordh_, value. Wood-value.

_Woody._ _Wudu-líc_, from _wudu_, wood, and _líc_, like. Wood-like; woody; wild. Or, from _wud_, wood, and _íg_, an adjective termination. Woody; wild.

_Wooldridge._ _Wold_, a wood; _hrycg_, a ridge. A wooden ridge.

_Woolery._ _Wúlle_, wool; _ríce_, a region. A wool-growing region. Woolrey, from the same roots.

_Woolford._ _Wúll_, wool; _ford_, a ford. A wool-ford; a place where the wool-bearers crossed the stream.

_Wooliscroft._ _Wúlles_, genitive of _wúll_, wool, sheep; _croft_, a croft, a field. A wool-field; a sheep-pasture.

_Woollard._ _Wúll_, wool; _hlaford_, a lord. A wool-lord; a wool-master.

_Woollerton._ _Wúll_, wool; _ere_, an agent; _tún_, house. Home of a wool-grower.

_Woolley._ _Wúll-íc_ from _wúll_, wool, and _íc_ for _líc_, like. Wool-like; woolly; hairy.

_Woolman._ _Wúll_, wool; _man_, a man. A woolman; a dealer in wool.

_Woolsey._ _Wúlles_, genitive of _wúll_, wool, sheep; _íg_, an island. Isle of wool, or sheep.

_Woolson._ _Wúll_, wool; _sun_, son. Son of wool; offspring of a sheep.

_Woolston._ _Wúlles_, genitive of _wúll_, wool; _tún_, town. A wool-town.

_Woolworth._ _Wúll_, wool; _weordh_, value. Wool-value.

_Wopson._ _Wóp_, a whoop, weeping, cry, bewailing, lamentation; _sun_, son. A weeping son.

_Worden._ _Worden_, or _weordhan_, to become, to be, to happen, to come to pass.

_Work._ _Weorc_, work, labor, fatigue, suffering, pain.

_Workman._ _Weorc_, work, labor; _man_, a man. A workman; a laborer.

_Worknot._ _Weorc_, work; _not_, for _nota_, office. A work-office.

_Wormley._ _Worm_, a worm; _líc_, like. Worm-like; spiral.

_Wormsley._ _Wormes_, genitive of _worm_, a worm; _líc_, form. Form of a worm; worm-like; spiral. Or, from _worms_, corruption, and _líc_, like. Corruption-like.

_Worn._ _Worn_, a number, multitude, body, company, band, troop, crowd, herd, power, force. Worne, from the same radix.

_Worrall._ _Worold_, the world. Worrell, Worl, from the same derivation.

_Worsley._ _Wyers_, worse; _líc_, like. Worse-like.

_Worst._ _Wærst_, or _wyrst_, worst.

_Worth._ _Weordh_, worth, value, price, honor, dignity.

_Worthington._ _Weordh-ung_, honoring, worshipping; _tún_, a house. A worshipping-house.

_Worthline._ _Weordh_, wealthy, honorable; _line_, a line. An honorable line.

_Wosser._ _Wosa_, a leader.

_Wotherspoon._ _Wodh-spónere_, from _wodh_, eloquence, song, and _spónere_, an enticer. Song-enticer.

_Wrangham._ _Wrang_, wrong; _hám_, house. Wrong home.

_Wrede._ _Wrǽde_, a latch, buckle, clasp, restraint, control, fastness, haft, handle.

_Wren._ _Wrenna_, a wren, a small bird.

_Wrench._ _Wringe_, an instrument to wring or strain, a press.

_Wrensley._ _Wrǽnnes_, extravagance, luxury, lust, lechery; _líc_, like. Extravagantly; luxuriously.

_Wright._ _Wryhta_, a wright.

_Wrightley._ _Wryhta_, a wright; _líc_, like. Resembling a wright.

_Wrightson._ _Wright_, Wright; _sun_, son. Son of Wright.

_Wrigley._ _Wríge_, covered, hidden; _líc_, like. Covered-like; hidden-like.

_Writt._ _Writ_, a writ, scripture, writing, letter.

_Wroth._ _Wrádh_, wrath, anger.

_Wulton._ _Wúll_, wool; _tún_, town. A wool town.

_Wunder._ _Wundr_, or _wundor_, wonder.

_Wunderly._ _Wundr_, wonder; _líc_, like. Wonder-like. Wunderle, from the same roots.

_Wunning._ _Wun-ung_, from _wun-ian_, to won, to dwell, to inhabit. A woning; a dwelling; a habitation.

_Wurst._ _Wurst_, worst. Wust, a kindred term.

_Wurster._ _Wurst_, worst; _ere_, an agent. One who, or that which, is the worst. Wuster, perhaps, from the same radix.

_Wurtele._ _Wurt_, a wort, an herb; _el_, implying a person. An herb collector; an herbalist.

_Wurts._ _Wurtes_, genitive of _wurt_, a wort, an herb. Belonging to an herb. Wurtz, another spelling of the name.

_Wyche._ _Wyc_, a habitation, city, castle, fortress.

_Wyckoff._ _Wyc_, a dwelling-place, habitation, city, castle, fortress; _cofa_, a room, a chamber. A castle-chamber.

_Wylie._ _Wyllíc_, from _wyl_, a well, a fountain, and _líc_, like. Like a well; as a fountain.

_Wyman._ _Wí_, an idol; _man_, a man. An idolater. Wymann, of like derivation.

_Wynkoop._ _Wyn_, joy, pleasure, light; _copp_, or _cuppa_, a cup. A pleasure-cup.

_Wynn._ _Wyn_, joy, pleasure, delight.

_Wynne._ _Wyne_, one that gives pleasure, a friend.

_Wyss._ _Wíss_, a wise man, a hero, a prince.

Y.

_Yard._ _Ierd_, a yard.

_Yardley._ _Ierd_, a yard; _líc_, like. Yard-like.

_Yarnall._ _Gearn_, yarn, spun wool; _eall_, all, whole. All yarn; entirely woollen.

_Yateman._ _Iát_, or _geát_, a gate; _man_, a man. A gate-keeper. Yeatman, Yetman, from the same roots.

_Yates._ _Iátes_, or _geátes_, genitive of _iát_, a gate. Belonging to a gate. Yeats, of like derivation.

_Yeager._ _Ia_, yea, yes; _gare_, ready. A ready yes; a ready reply.

_Yeagle._ _Iagul_, pronounced _yeagul_, a gargle.

_Yeakle._ _Iac_, a cuckoo; _el_, indicative of personality. A person like a cuckoo; a simpleton.

_Yeakley._ _Iac_, a cuckoo; _líc_, like. Cuckoo-like; wild; careless; lascivious. Yeckley, of similar meaning.

_Yeamans._ _Ie_, a river; _man_, a man; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of a river-man.

_Yeansson._ _Geean_, yearning; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of yearning.

_Yearick._ _Gear_, a year; _icg_, or _ig_, an adjective termination. Yearly. Yearicke, Yerrick, from the same roots.

_Yearly._ _Gear-líc_, from _gear_, a year, and _líc_, like. Year-like; yearly.

_Yearred._ _Geard_, or _yrd_, a hedge, enclosure, garden, yard, earth, world.

_Yearsley._ _Geares_, genitive of _gear_, a year; _líc_, form. Form of a year; yearly.

_Yeasler._ _Ysele_, a fire-spark, spark, ember, hot ashes; _ere_, an agent. A fire-maker; a fireman; a stoker.

_Yeather._ _Ýdh_, what rises up, a wave, a flood; _ere_, an agent. That which rises up; a wave; a flood.

_Yeaton._ _Geat_, a gate; _tún_, a house. A gate-house.

_Yeatts._ _Geátes_, genitive of _geát_, a gate. Belonging to a gate. See Yates.

_Yegen._ _Yg-búend_, from _yg_, or _ig_, an island, and _búend_, an inhabitant. An inhabitant of an island; an islander.

_Yeingest._ _Iungest_, or _geongest_, comparative of _iung_, or _geong_, young. Youngest.

_Yeiter._ _Ýtte_, past of _ýtan_, to out, to drive out, to expel, to banish; _ere_, an agent. One expelled; an exile.

_Yellard._ _Yl_, or _il_, a hedgehog, a porcupine; _land_, land. Land of the hedgehog, or porcupine.

_Yenner._ _Ynner_, inner.

_Yenz._ _Yntsa_, an ounce.

_Yeo._ _Ieo_, or _geo_, formerly, of old.

_Yeomans._ _Yeoman_, from _ieo_, or _geo_, of old; _man_, a man, and _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of a man of old; son of a yeoman; son of a tiller of the soil.

_Yeomanson._ _Yeoman_, a yeoman; _sun_, son. Son of a yeoman.

_Yepson._ _Yppe_, plain, open, manifest; _sun_, son. A plain, open, straightforward son.

_Yerg._ _Earg_, or _eorg_, inert, weak, timid, wretched.

_Yerger._ _Earg_, timid; _ere_, an agent. One who, or that which, is timid.

_Yerges._ _Yerg_, Yerg; _s_ for _sun_, son. Son of Yerg. Yerkes, perhaps, corruption of the same.

_Yergey._ _Earg_, inert, timid; _ig_, an adjective termination. Timid; inert.

_Yerpe._ _Eorp_, a wolf.

_Yettinger._ _Yting_, a way, a journey; _ere_, an agent. A wayfarer; a journeyer. Perhaps, from _get-ung_, getting, and _ere_, an agent. A getter.

_Yetter._ _Get_, imperfect of _getan_, to get; _ere_, an agent. A getter.

_Yewdall._ _Iw_, the yew tree; _dál_, a valley. The valley of the yew.

_Yheaulon._ _Hyew_, hue; _lon_, for _lond_, land. Land of hue.

_Yhost._ _Gást_, breath, spirit, ghost. Yoast, Yost, like it, a corruption of the original.

_Yingling._ _Ging_, young, tender; _ling_, a termination denoting state or condition of a person. Youth; tenderness.

_Yoce._ _Ioc_, or _geoc_, a yoke.

_Yochum._ _Ioc_, a yoke; _hum_, for _hám_, a house. A yoke-house. Yocam, Yocum, Yokam, from the same roots.

_Yockel._ _Ioc_, a yoke; _el_, a termination denoting a person. One who has charge of a yoke of oxen; a farmer; a bumpkin.

_Yoder._ _Gǽd_, a goad; _ere_, an agent. One who uses a goad.

_Yonker._ _Iunga_, or _geonga_, a youth. A young fellow; a youngster. Or, from _iuncer_, a younker, a young nobleman, one that is young, a young fellow. Younker, of like kinship.

_Young._ _Iung_, or _geong_, young, tender. Younk, from the same root.

_Youngblood._ _Iung_, young; _blódh_, or _blód_, blood. Young blood.

_Younger._ _Geongra_, comparative of _geong_, young, tender. Younger; more tender.

_Younginger._ _Young_, Young; _ing_, an offspring; _ere_, an agent. A descendant of Young.

_Youngling._ _Geong-ling_, a youngling, a boy.

_Youngman._ _Geong_, young; _man_, a man. A young man; a youth.

_Younk._ Corruption of Young. See Young.

_Yuker._ _Iuc_, a yoke; _ere_, an agent. One who, or that which, is yoked; a companion; a yoke-mate.

FROM THE ANGLO-NORMAN.

HISTORY—NORMAN CONQUEST.

The Normans, or Northmen, were primarily of the Norse, or Scandinavian, branch of the Teutonic race. They were active, enterprising men—merchants, navigators, soldiers. Restless under the restraints of a power that was slowly and surely consolidating the Scandinavian kingdoms, they broke away from its influence, and boldly ventured forth, conquered the Shetland Islands, the Orkneys, and the Hebrides, founded the kingdom of Caithness in Scotland, settled Iceland, discovered Greenland, and colonized Vinland, which is supposed to be on the coast of New England.

In 911, Rolf, or Rollo, the Ganger, with his daring band of vikings, obtained a footing in the fertile valley of the Seine. The province, which was afterwards called Normandy, was received by him as a fief from Charles the Simple. Friendly relations were soon established, and Rollo became the king’s vassal with the title of duke, and subsequently married his daughter. The Normans were brought under French law and customs, became Christians, adopted the French language, married into French families, and caught the French spirit.

Edward the Confessor dying without issue in 1066, Harold, his brother-in-law, succeeded to the throne. But William, seventh Duke of Normandy, whose aunt, Emma, had been married to Ethelred II of England, claimed it by hereditary right and by the promise of both Edward and Harold.

Determined to establish his claim, he set sail with thirty thousand followers for the coast of England. On October 14, 1066, he met and defeated Harold, near Hastings, and was soon afterwards crowned king at Westminster. This was the only conquest—and British soil has throbbed to the clatter and tramplings of four—that reached down to the people of the island and thoroughly leavened them. The admixture of a new blood and a new spirit with theirs proved the greatest good that ever befell them. It can be considered as nothing short of a regeneration, for it made the English nation of to-day, the English language, and the English literature.

The modern Englishman owes to his Teutonic ancestry his love of justice and fair play, his religious nature, his physical robustness and intellectual vigor, his love of liberty, and to his French lineage—and we must not lose sight of the fact that, though originally Teutonic, the Normans had been metamorphosed by their life in France—his manner, his tact, his administrative genius, his poetic skill, and his artistic nature. In him are most happily blended the two races, forming a composite better than either component, greater even than both elements while in separation. The changes which Anglo-Saxon thus underwent are vital, fundamental, and, we may say, revolutionary.

Expressive of the change thus effected, a new name is needed. Before 1066, writers refrained from calling the dominant people of the island, or their language, by any other term than Anglo-Saxon. But after the union of the people and of the languages, no name expresses the new condition of things so well as English. As thus applied, English denotes always the race resulting from the marriage of the two peoples, or the speech resulting from the union of the two tongues.

ANGLO-NORMAN LANGUAGE.

The Anglo-Saxons and the Normans lived side by side. It must not be supposed, however, that either the two peoples or the two languages were welded instantaneously. They grew together, and the growth was slow. There were special reasons why such should be the case. The conqueror was of alien blood. National animosity existed between him and the conquered. In the north, more especially than in the south, William’s conquest was ruthless. Harvests were destroyed, cattle killed or carried off, implements of husbandry sacrificed, towns and villages burned, and the inhabitants slain or driven across the border. The entire soil was confiscated, and the land, upon condition of military service, parcelled out among a score or more of great vassals, among hundreds of inferior crown vassals, and among the higher clergy. The meanest Norman was raised to opulence and influence in the new dominion. By the establishment of this modified feudal system, the masses were reduced to a species of serfdom. They became mere tillers of the soil. Shoals of Norman ecclesiastics came across the Channel, and the people were forced to accept religious instruction and consolation from the strangers. Everywhere, in the palace and among the nobility, in the law courts and the schools, as authority dictated, another language than their own prevailed. A keen sense of the scorn with which their lack of culture and their “barbarous tongue” were regarded, added to a painful consciousness of their social and political degradation, only served the more to heighten their aversion to the strangers, and to make the problem of coalescence slow and difficult.

But the influences at work were not wholly those of repulsion. Living together as they did, they had to meet each other in the field and in the town. They were forced to buy from each other and to sell to each other. Time could not but lessen the arrogance of the one, and modify the moroseness of the other. Definite rights were gradually acquired by the subject race. His services became limited, and could be commuted for money considerations. The ownership of his hut and of the plat of ground surrounding it, and the privilege of using the waste land of the manor for the pasturage of his cattle, which were mere indulgences at first, grew into rights that could be pleaded at law. The serf became a power. He was struggling to grow to a copyholder, and the copyholder, to a freeholder. Such things had their effects. The military strength of the nobles waned, the courts of the feudal baronage were shorn of their influence, and the feudal system was fast sinking into decay. In education, as well as in material things, the Anglo-Saxons were improving. Intermarriages were common, and strong social and national feelings were springing up, before which their mutual antagonism was giving away.

The vast possessions, partly hereditary and partly acquired by marriage, held by the English kings in France, served but to aid this feeling. To hold these against the French kings required not only a united people, but a people unified by the strong sentiment of nationality. And to make progress against the encroachments of their own kings the nobility were forced to make common cause with the people. To what extent the interests of barons and commons were identified may be seen from the provisions of the Great Charter extorted from King John in 1215.

For a long time after the Conquest there existed in England the singular spectacle of two languages declining to coalesce and yet spoken by two peoples living together. Neither language would give way to the other. How little these two languages had blended in the vocabulary of authors, may be seen when it is said that Layamon’s _Brut_, a poem of thirty-two thousand lines, written in 1205, does not contain a hundred and fifty French words; and that in the _Ormulum_, a poem of twenty thousand lines, which appeared in the year of Magna Charta, hardly fifty French words are found. But the difficulties in the way of coalescence were slowly diminishing. Such as were political have already been spoken of, but those more properly linguistic will now be considered.

This period was, to the subject race, one of general depression. Very little literature, and that of an indifferent quality, was produced. Their language was no longer spoken, and their standards in it forgotten. Anglo-Saxon had been banished from the schools, was no longer used at the palace and castles of the nobles, or in the courts. Few were writing it. It seems to have been left in the care, if care it can be called, of those ignorant of its literature and grammar, and familiar only with the vocabulary employed in colloquial speech. The effect of all this upon the language can be easily inferred. A large fraction of the vocabulary, the more dignified and scholarly portion, fell into neglect and then into oblivion. The grammatical inflections, denoting case, person, number, tense, of the words kept in circulation, almost entirely perished. These inflections would only be retained by those who knew their importance, but they sloughed off as the words fell from the tongues of those who were ignorant of them. When, then, this Anglo-Saxon speech had forced itself upon the Normans, as it had fairly done by the latter half of the fourteenth century, it was far easier to master than would have been the case immediately after 1066. Nearly one-half of the words in the vocabulary before the Conquest, it is estimated, dropped out of it in the three hundred years immediately following, and it is certain that the grammar had been vastly simplified. With one-half of its words lost, and the remaining half nearly flectionless, the work of learning the language was made comparatively easy for the Norman.

This forcing of the tongue of a conquered people upon its conquerors was a signal achievement and of far-reaching consequences. Upon the authority of John of Trevisa, we are told that, after the great pestilence of 1349, the instruction of youth was revolutionized. John Cornwall changed the instruction in the grammar-school from French into English, and was followed by Richard Pencrich and others, so that in 1335 in all the grammar-schools of England the children were being taught English rather than French. In 1362 French was exchanged for English in the courts of law, Parliament having passed an act that year ordering that in all the courts “all pleas ... shall be pleaded, shewed, defended, answered, debated, and judged in the English tongue.” Great writers had now arisen—Wyclif, 1324-1384, in prose; Chaucer, 1340-1400, in poetry. They wrote in English, and their influence upon the plastic language of their day, and upon all subsequent writers, is simply incalculable.

The adoption of the Anglo-Saxon by the Norman was greatly facilitated by the fact that the French he was using was not the French of Paris, but the degenerate tongue of Normandy, which was at best but provincial. But during the centuries of its use in England it had been kept from free contact with the dialect of Normandy, and so had deteriorated even from the imperfect standard. Even the Norman himself had grown ashamed of it, and was not unwilling to part with it.

When it is said that by 1400, or even earlier, English was generally used, it is meant a speech not in existence by itself till long after the Norman Conquest, a speech neither Anglo-Saxon nor French, but Anglo-Saxon and French. It was a speech to which both of these languages contributed, to form which both of these were combined. The adoption of words was not all done by the Norman. While he borrowed many from the Saxon, the Saxon borrowed some from the Norman. English may, therefore, be considered a compromise, a compound. It is one speech after the union, but not univocal, not all of a piece, every speaker of which being bilingual.

The tongue brought over by the Conqueror has been called Norman-French. It is in reality Latin. Just before the Christian era Julius Cæsar subdued the people then in possession of Gaul, what is now France, and imposed upon them his language, which was that of Rome. This language, used for a thousand years by a people to whom it was not the vernacular, was acquired by the Normans, of still another alien stock, and by them introduced into England. Spoken a whole millennium by people whose mother-tongue it displaced, and from them learned by strangers, it is not at all unreasonable to suppose that the words had lost much of their original form and meaning. Proofs, in the words themselves, are not wanting to sustain the assertion. Outwardly they were almost invariably shortened. By a dropping of vowels or consonants, or of both, two or three syllables had been squeezed into one, as some examples will conclusively show. French _sûr_, our _sure_, came originally from the Latin _securus_; French _règle_, our _rule_, from Latin _regula_; French _île_, English _isle_, from _insula_. And not unfrequently the final and unaccented syllable or syllables seem not to have been caught by the subject Gaul, or, if caught by his ear, were not retained on his tongue. The Latin _domina_, for instance, appears in French as the truncated _dame_; _medius_ as _midi_; and _malum_, as _mal_. Though changed, yet it must be patent to all that the French words are Latin, as their essential identity with the words used by Horace and Virgil unmistakably show.

NAMES—THEIR DERIVATION.

A.

_Avis._ _Avis_, advice, opinion. Avise, from the same radix.

_Auter._ _Auter_, an altar.

_Ayler._ _Ayel_, a grandfather; _ere_, an agent. An active grandfather.

_Ayles._ _Ayeles_, genitive of _ayel_, a grandfather. Belonging to a grandfather.

B.

_Batchelor._ _Bachelor_, an unmarried man, a knight, one who has taken his first degree in a college.

_Bayard._ _Bayard_, a bay horse, a blood-horse; so called in Chaucer, and in old romances. Byard, abbreviation of the term.

_Beauford._ _Beau_, beautiful; _ford_, a ford. A beautiful ford.

_Belfield._ _Bel_, beautiful; _feld_, a field. A beautiful field.

_Belford._ _Bel_, beautiful, good; _ford_, a ford. A good ford.

_Bellamy._ _Bel amy_, from _bel_, good, and _amy_, a friend. A good friend.

_Bellenere._ _Belle_, beautiful; _nere_, a refuge. A beautiful refuge.

_Bokel._ _Bokel_, a buckle.

_Borell._ _Borel_, coarse cloth of a brown color, made of plain, coarse stuff. Borel folk, borel men, were laymen.

_Bortel._ _Bordel_, a brothel.

_Bos._ _Bos_, a protuberance.

_Bosek._ _Bos_, a protuberance; _ig_, an adjective termination. Bossy. Bose, Bosee, from the same roots.

_Boser._ _Bos_, a protuberance; _ere_, an agent. One who, or that which, has a protuberance.

_Boshart._ _Bos_, a protuberance; _heort_, a hart. A humped hart.

_Bossard._ _Bosard_, a buzzard, a species of hawk unfit for sporting. Bossart, Bossert, identical in derivation and meaning.

_Boswell._ Latin _bos_, an ox; _well_, a well, a fountain. An ox-well; a well where oxen are watered.

_Bosworth._ _Bos_, an ox; _weordh_, value, price. Ox-value.

_Botler._ _Botel_, or _botelle_, a bottle; _ere_, an agent. A bottler. Butler, from the same radix.

_Bottle._ _Botel_, or _botelle_, a bottle.

_Brear._ _Brere_, a briar, a bramble.

_Brearey._ _Brere_, a bramble; _ig_, an adjective termination. Briery; brambly; full of briars; rough.

_Brearley._ _Brere_, a bramble; _líc_, like. Bramble-like; briery.

_Brinton._ _Brin_, a sprig, a slip; _tún_, a house, an enclosure. A hot-bed; a green-house; a nursery.

_Buffett._ _Buffette_, a blow.

_Burdon._ _Burdoun_, a humming noise, the base in music.