aglæca

Old English

FWOTD – 8 March 2014

Alternative forms

ǣglǣċa, āhlǣċa, āglǣċea, āglēċa, ǣclǣċa

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

IPA^(key): /ˈɑːˌɡlæː.t͡ʃɑ/

Noun

āglǣċa m

(poetic) an awesome or formidable opponent, ferocious fighter
a miserable being, wretch, monster

Declension

Declension of aglæca (weak)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	āglǣċa	āglǣċan
accusative	āglǣċan	āglǣċan
genitive	āglǣċan	āglǣċena
dative	āglǣċan	āglǣċum

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).