yfel
Middle English edit
Adjective edit
yfel
- (Early Middle English) Alternative form of yvel (“evil”)
Old English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-West Germanic *ubil, from Proto-Germanic *ubilaz.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
yfel (comparative wiersa, superlative wierrest)
Usage notes edit
- Yfel was the general word for “bad,” not just “evil.” Hence phrases such as yfel ġesihþ (“bad eyesight”), yfel hlyst (“bad hearing”), yfel wyrd (“bad fortune”), and yfel bȳsn (“bad example”).
Declension edit
Declension of yfel — Strong
Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
---|---|---|---|
Nominative | yfel | yfel | yfel |
Accusative | yfelne | yfele | yfel |
Genitive | yfeles | yfelre | yfeles |
Dative | yfelum | yfelre | yfelum |
Instrumental | yfele | yfelre | yfele |
Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
Nominative | yfele | yfela, yfele | yfel |
Accusative | yfele | yfela, yfele | yfel |
Genitive | yfelra | yfelra | yfelra |
Dative | yfelum | yfelum | yfelum |
Instrumental | yfelum | yfelum | yfelum |
Declension of yfel — Weak
Descendants edit
Noun edit
yfel n
- something bad or bad things collectively; harm, misfortune
- evil
- late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Saint Augustine's Soliloquies
- ...;sē ūs ġescylt wið eallum yfellum.
- ...;He shieldeth us against every evil.
- late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Saint Augustine's Soliloquies
Declension edit
Declension of yfel (strong a-stem)
Synonyms edit
Antonyms edit
- gōd (“good”)
Derived terms edit
- yfele (“badly”)
- yfelian (“to wrong”)
- yfelsacian (“to blaspheme”)
- yfelwillende (“malicious”)
Descendants edit
Categories:
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English adjectives
- Early Middle English
- Old English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Old English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Old English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Old English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Old English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Old English lemmas
- Old English adjectives
- Old English nouns
- Old English neuter nouns
- Old English terms with quotations
- Old English neuter a-stem nouns
- Old English suppletive adjectives