Worþ

According to the Old English Dictionary:

weorþ, wurþ, wierþ, wyrþ, e;

worþ

f; es; m. : wyrþe, wirþe (and first extract under I), es ; m. I. a close (?), an enclosed place (?) :-- Út on rigewyrðe (the rye-close ?] westeweardne, Cod. Dip. Kmbl. iii. 437, 35. Uppan rigeweorðe on ða ealdan díc; of ðære die út on rigewurðe heal, v. 377, 21. On lindwyrðe, iii. 375, 6. II. an enclosed homestead, a habitation with surrounding land :-- Be hagan on weorðe hege; forð be ðan hege on weorðapeldre, Cod. Dip. Kmbl. v. 381, 30. Tó ealdan wyrðe . . . wið westan ealdan wyrðe, 195, 3-5. Ondlang híweges tó Ecguuines wyrðe, iii. 437, 32. Tó Cumbran weorðe; of Cumbran weorðe tó ðære mǽran æc, 78, 35. ¶ perhaps in the last two passages weorþ may be regarded as the second part of a compound name: such expressions as 'in loco ubi soliculae illius regionis Ægeleswurð nomen imposuerunt' are not uncommon in the Charters, and such names seem to have remained. In the index of places given in Cod. Dip. Kmbl. vi. 251 sqq. about 70 combinations with weorþ occur, and for many of these modem representatives terminating in -worth are found. Already places whose names contain the form (cf. those with tún), when they are mentioned in the Charters, may have extended beyond their original limits and have become properties, whose arca was considerable (e. g. Hé gean ðæra hundtwýntiga hída æt Wyrðæ, Cod. Dip. Kmbl. in. 127, 15. Brinkewurða terra est . v. hidarum, iv. 167, 1. Æt Æscmǽres-weorðæ (-wyrðe, 1. 14), . x. hída, v. 218, 22), whose boundaries consequently had to be defined (e. g. Ðis syndon ða landgemǽro tó wyrðe, vi. 8, 25. Tó Ceorles-wyrðe, iii. 458, 3. Tó Ægeles-uurðe, 428, 18. Tó Æscméres-wierðe, v. 173, 36. Tð Peadan-wyrðe, 383, 8), and upon which a number of persons resided (e. g. .xxx. mansas illic ubi Anglica appellatione dicitur æt Wurðe (Weorðe, 329, 32), v. 395, 13. Quarta terra . iii. manentium, et uocatur Gislheresuuyrth, i. 44, 110. Monasterium quod situm est in loco qui dicitur æt Baedricesworth, ii. 258, 25: iii. 272, 10: 305, ii. In Blacewyrðe .v. mansas). Various Latin words are used in speaking of such places; Wealawyrð is a uillula, iii. 347, ii: v. 346, 33: Æbbewyrð is a uiculus, iv. 164, 8-10: Æscmeresweorð is a uilla, v. 216, 10 : Gislheresuuyrth is a terra, i. 44, 11. so also Brinkeuurða, iv. 167, 1, and Deceuurthe, ii. 367, 22-23 : Ceolwurð is spoken of as aliquantulum terrae, ii. 135, 16, 22 : and Oswald grants aliyuam telluris partem æt Bynnvncgwyrðe, iii. 177, 23. Corresponding to these last terms are the English forms with land: Ic gean ðara twégra landa Cæorlesweorþæ and Cochanfelde, iii. 274, 4. Ic gean ðara twégra landa æt Cohhanfeldæa and æt Cæorlesweorþe, 272,Ðæt land æt Ægeleswyrðe, 125, 10. Some passages are added which may further illustrate the different forms and the variation in gender :-- In loco quae dicitur Meranworð, Txts. 437, 10. Ab occidente Hodoworða, Cod. Dip. Kmbl. ii. 49, 18. Óslanwyrð and eall ðæt ðǽrtð gebyreþ, v. 267, 36. Andlang Æðeleswyrðe, 195, 3. Tó Lulleswyrðe hyrnan, iii. 343, 31. Tó Uffawyrða gemǽre, 428, 22. Tó ðan norðran Denceswurðe . . . ða þreó hída on ðan norðran Denceswnrðe, v. 310, 34-36. Deneceswyrðe, 400, 12. On Cwicelmeswyrðe eástwearde, iii. 344, 7: v. 121, 6. Óð Bulonweorðe; of Bulanweorðe, iii. 343, 37. On Hananwarðe, 403, 11. On túnlesweorþ eastweardne, 425, 22, 28. On Wulfrgdeswyrð; of Wulfrédeswyrðe, iv. 103, 13. III. a place enclosed by buildings, a court or hall of a house, a place or street of a town :-- Hé sæt úta in worðe sedebat foris in atrio, Mt. Kmbl. Lind. 26, 69: Mk. Skt. Rush. 14, 66, Óð tó on worðe usque in atrium, 14, 54: Jn. Skt. Lind. Rush. 18, 15. Bifora ðone (ꝥ, Lind. ) worð ante atrium, Mk. Skt. Rush. 14, 68. On word (atrium) ðæs dómernes, 15, 16. In hwommum worþana (huommum ðara plæcena l worðum, Lind.) in angulis platearum. Mt. Kmbl. Rush. 6, 5. On worðum in plateis eorum. Ps. Th. 143, 18 : Mt. Kmbl. Rush. Lind. 12, 19. Cf. In plægiword l on plæcum in plateis, Rtl. 36, 7, [O. -Sax. wurð :-- Thár that korn gikrund haliad ende imu thiu wurð bihagód, Hél. 2478. M. L. Ger. word, wurd an enclosed homestead, v. Leo, A. S. Names of Places, p. 60: Jellinhaus, Die Westfälische Ortsnamen, p. 134.] v. worþig, wyrþe-land. worþ

Related words: wyrþe-land,