User:Widsith

UTC+1

This user's time zone is UTC+1 and observes Daylight Saving Time.

en	This user is a native speaker of English.

fr-4

Cet utilisateur parle français à un niveau comparable à la langue maternelle.

es-3

Este usuario puede contribuir con un nivel avanzado de español.

de-2

Dieser Benutzer hat fortgeschrittene Deutschkenntnisse.

sco-2

This uiser can contreibute wi a middlin level o Scots.

ang-2

Þes nēotend cann hine seolf mid middelre mǣþe Englisces ferian.

pl-1

Ten użytkownik posługuje się językiem polskim na poziomie podstawowym.

ar-1

هذا المستخدم يعرف مبادئ العربية.

gsw-1

Dä Benutzer hät grundlegendi Alemannischkenntnis.

lo-1

ຜູ້ໃຊ້ຄົນນີ້ສາມາດໃຊ້ພາສາລາວໃດ້ໃນລະດັບເບື້ອງຕົ້ນ.

Search user languages or scripts

Ƿidsið maðolade, ƿordhord onleac,

se þe monna mæst mæᵹþa ofer eorþan,

folca ᵹeondferde. . .

Hello, I'm Widsith, I'm an administrator here and I'm English. I currently live in Zürich. I work on English pages as well as several foreign languages, and I'm particularly into etymologies, especially for non-English words.

Here I call myself Widsith, which is an Old English word that means literally ‘long journey’, but it's used as a poetic name for someone who's travelled widely. I use it because I've lived abroad quite a lot, at various times in Morocco, Ecuador, and parts of Europe. There's an Old English poem called Widsið, too - someone at Wikipedia wrote an article about it here.

In real life I am a video journalist.

Template:mid2

Scripts

A
Latn

This user's native script is the Latin alphabet.

/ʑ/
IPA-3

This user has an advanced understanding of the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Я
Cyrl-3

This user has an advanced understanding of the Cyrillic alphabet.

ض
Arab-3

This user has an advanced understanding of the Arabic script.

Ω
Grek-3

This user has an advanced understanding of the Greek alphabet.

ລ
Laoo-2

This user has an intermediate understanding of the Lao alphabet.

ᚠ
Runr-2

This user has an intermediate understanding of the Runic alphabet.

ⵙ
Tfng-2

This user has an intermediate understanding of Tifinagh script.

𒈠
Xsux-1

This user has a basic understanding of Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform.

漢
Hani-1

This user has a basic understanding of Hanzi.

Search user languages or scripts

Some historical French dictionaries

1816, Thomas Nugent, The New Pocket Dictionary of the French and English Languages (Paris)
1849, Boyer's French Dictionary (Boston)
1855, Alfred Elwes, French-English Dictionary (London)
1862, Smith & Hamilton, The International English & French Dictionary ("all words in common use or to be found in polite literature"...damn), (Paris)

Word of the day

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for November 23
rachitic adj
(pathology) Of or pertaining to, or affected by, rickets (“a disorder of infancy and early childhood due to a deficiency of vitamin D, causing soft or weak bones”). (figurative) In a precarious or weak condition; likely to break down or collapse; feeble, rickety.
← yesterday \| About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback \| tomorrow →

Wonderful OE words

sinniht: everlasting night
uhtcearu: pre-dawn anxiety
angenga: lone traveller
yþlaf: detritus left by the waves

My accent

South-East England, "modern RP" / weak Estuary:

tissue but tuna: [ˈtɪʃjuː], [ˈtjuːnə] invalid IPA characters (][) (some yod-coalescence!)
me: [mɪi] (diphthongisation of /iː/)
you: [jʊu] (diphthongisation of /uː/)
man: [man] (open short a-sound)
water: [ˈwɔːtə] (I don't usually glottalise intervocalic Ts)
poor: [pɔː] (poor and paw are homophones)
put your umbrella up: [pʊʔjəɹʌmˈbɹɛləɹʌp] (tendency to use intrusive R)

Interesting (English) words

For a few years now I've been making a note of any word I have to look up while I'm reading (I read a lot). I'm putting them all into Wiktionary. Edit: All done! (Apart from a few dodgy forms that need some verification). I can maintain the list here at Wiktionary now – hurrah.