AB language

noun

A variety of Middle English found in the Corpus manuscript and characterized by French and Norse loanwords, colloquial expressions, conservative spelling, and similarities to Old English syntax.

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Meanings

nounAB language (uncountable)
  1. uncountablehuman sciencesA variety of Middle English found in the Corpus manuscript and characterized by French and Norse loanwords, colloquial expressions, conservative spelling, and similarities to Old English syntax.

Origin

Coined in 1929 by J. R. R. Tolkien, from the first letters of Ancrene Wisse and Bodleian Library.

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Cite this entry
APA

AB language. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/AB%20language

MLA

“AB language.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/AB%20language. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “AB language,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/AB%20language.

Source: AB language on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.