eldertongue

Old English · noun

wyrmcynn

Part of speech
noun, neuter
Declension
strong a-stem
IPA
/ˈwyrmˌkynn/
[ˈwyrˠmˌkyn]
Syllables
ˈwyrm · ˌkynn (2 syllables)
Modern English
reptilessnakesreptilesnake

Meaning

  1. reptiles, snakes

  2. a kind of reptile or snake

    Hwæt ðā God ġeworhte ðurh his wunderlīċan mihte eall nȳtencynn on heora cynrynum, and ðā wildan dēor ðe on wudum eardiað, and eall ðæt fīðerfōte byð of ðǣre foresǣdan eorðan, and eall wyrmcynn ðā ðe crēopende bēoð, and ðā rēðan lēon, ðe hēr on lande ne bēoð, and ðā swiftan tigres, and ðā syllican pardes, and ðā eġeslīċan beran, and ðā ormǣtan ylpas.

    Then, through his wonderful might, God created all the kinds of animals according to their kinds, and the wild animals that dwell in the woods, and all the four-footed creatures of the aforementioned earth, and all the kinds of creeping reptiles, and the savage lions, which do not live here, and the swift tigers, and the marvelous leopards, and the fearful bears, and the huge elephants.

    c. 1000, Ælfric of Eynsham, transl., Hexameron of St. Basil:

Declension

Declension of wyrmcynn
SingularPlural
Nominative wyrmcynnwyrmcynn
Accusative wyrmcynnwyrmcynn
Genitive wyrmcynneswyrmcynna
Dative wyrmcynnewyrmcynnum

All forms (5)

Etymology

Equivalent to wyrm + cynn.

Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wyrmcynn · CC BY-SA 4.0 licence · Attribution