Old Low German

proper noun

Old Saxon and Old Low Franconian combined

“Old Low German developed after the Frankish subjection of the Saxons.”

Meanings

proper noun

alternative OLG

  1. a grouping of continental West Germanic, not affected by the High German consonant shift, spoken before the 12th century; depending on the definition specifically
    1. Old Saxon and Old Low Franconian combined

      The most important isogloss dividing Old Low German is the plural conjugation of the verb.

      1 more example

      In particular, we will cover Old High German (OHG), Old Low German (OLG, including Old Saxon/OS and Old Low Franconian/OLFr, sometimes also referred to as Old Dutch), Old English (OE), and Old Frisian (OFri).

      2021, Agnes Jäger, George Walkden, West Germanic, p. 281; in: Götz Keydana, Wolfgang Hock, Paul Widmer (eds.), Comparison and Gradation in Indo-European, p. 281ff.
    2. a Franconian-influenced form of Old Saxon that is at the basis of Middle Low German, distinct from “classical” Old Saxon e.g. in its treatment of the Ingvaeonic nasal spirant law (pure Old Saxon ōðar vs. Old Low German andar)

      Old Low German developed after the Frankish subjection of the Saxons.

Origin

  1. GermanAltniederdeutsch
  2. EnglishOld Low German

Calque of German Altniederdeutsch.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 古低地德語 /古低地德语
  • 古低地德語 /古低地德语 (gǔdīdìdéyǔ)Translations
Dutch Oudnederduits
  • OudnederduitsTranslations
German Altniederdeutsch
  • AltniederdeutschTranslations
Polish język starodolnoniemiecki
  • język starodolnoniemieckiTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

Old Low German. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Old%20Low%20German

MLA

“Old Low German.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Old%20Low%20German. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Old Low German,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Old%20Low%20German.

Source: Old Low German on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.