Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
aglæca. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
aglæca, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
aglæca in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
aglæca you have here. The definition of the word
aglæca will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
aglæca, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Old English
Etymology
From āglāc (“distress, torment, misery”). A difficult and much-debated word. Possibly in origin a compound from the root of ece (“ache, pain”) + lāc (“ritual, performance, demonstration”) (Bosworth 1882), but this is disputed.
Found mostly in poetry, and there mostly of monsters and devils, but once of Beowulf and once of Sigemund.
The sole attestation in prose is also a unique relational adjectival use, in Byrhtferth's Enchiridion, where it refers to the scholar Bede as se æglæca lareow, making clear that the word is not inherently pejorative but carries a meaning of "awe-inspiring, formidable".
Pronunciation
Noun
āglǣċa m
- (poetic) an awesome or formidable opponent, ferocious fighter
- a miserable being, wretch, monster
Declension
Weak:
Derived terms
- Middle English: egleche (“warlike, brave”)
References
- Cameron, Angus, et al. "Aglac-Wif to Aglaeca." Dictionary of Old English. Toronto: Published for the Dictionary of Old English Project Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto by the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, 1986/1994.
- Gillam, "'Æglæca' in Beowulf" in: Studia Germanica Gandensia 6 (1964).
- A. Nicholls, "Bede: 'Awe-Inspiring', not 'Monstrous': some Problems with Old English aglæca", N&Q 236 (1991).
- M. S. Griffith, 'Some Difficulties in Beowulf, lines 894-902: Sigemund reconsidered' in: Lapidge et al. (eds.), Anglo-Saxon England, vol. 24, Cambridge University Press (1996), →ISBN, 11-42 (pp. 34-35).