Background Notes - Common Medieval Terms

Or atleast medieval-style terms that get used in historical/fantasy settings enough that they hopefully won't leave the reader going "wtf is that?" Some of these terms tend to pop up in old Arthurian lore quite a bit.

• Alack!/Alas!  : oh no!

• Anon: (see you) later

• Belike: maybe, perhaps

• Chide: to scold or nag

• Churl/Churlish: impolite or mean-spirited person, implying low birth

• Coat/Cote of arms: heraldic design often on shield, tabard, or surcoat

• Comely: pretty

• Cutpurse: thief

• Damask: fancy fabric (woven + patterned, often silk or fine linen)

• Doxy: prostitute

• Ere: before

• Ermine: stoat, its fur is often used in high quality clothing (ie "a long cloak lined with ermine")

• Fie: a curse (fie upon you = damn you!)

• Girded: encircled with belt (often used for belting on a knight's sword)

• Hark: listen, pay attention

• Heraldry: pageantry, armorial design or insignia

• Hither: here

• Huzzah!: a cheer (whoo!)

• Indeed/In Truth: really

• Irascible: hot tempered

• Jest: joke

• Knave: deceitful fellow, implying low birth

• Knight: (usually) high born warrior sworn to the service of a royal, noble, or religious order

• Looby: fool

• Marry!:  an exclamation of shock

• Mayhap(s): perhaps

• Men-at-arms/Man-at-arms: sworn soldier

• Morrow: days or tomorrow

• N’er: never

• Ostler/Hostler: one who takes care of equines (particularly at inns & waystations)

• Oft: often

• Page: young servant attendant to nobility, first step in being trained as a knight

• Parchment: old-style paper made from untanned animal skins

• Parti-coloured Cloth: clothing quartered or split in half with different colors or designs (popular late medieval style)

• Perchance: maybe, possibly

• Poppet: a doll, a young child

• Pray tell: please tell me

• Privy: bathroom (outhouse)

• Serf: a peasant

• Sommat: something

• Squire: younger attendant to a knight, second step in becoming knight

• Steward: supervisor of the lord's estate

• Surcoat: outer garment with insignia worn over armor (to help identify warrior)

• Sweeting/sweetling: pet name for both lovers and children

• Tabard: short sleeveless coat, often displaying coat-of-arms when worn by knights

• Thee: you (singular objective)

• Thine: your (used before word beginning with vowels or h or without following noun)

• Thither: there

• Thou: you (singular subjective)

• Thy: your

• Thyself: yourself

• Tosspot: drunkard

• Vellum: higher quality parchment, often made from calfskin

• Vexed: annoyed

• Wassail!: cheer/toast/drink to the health of something

• Wench: a young woman

• Wolfess: archaic term for she-wolf

• Wherefore: why?

• Ye: 1 - you (plural subjective) 2 - the (ie ye olden times)

• Yonder: over there