What affect did Old English and Middle English have on Anglo-Norman French?

by grainassault

A great number of French words entered English after the Norman conquest. Did it also go the other way, or was French not susceptible to English influence because of being the language of power?

ape_unit

This is essentially a linguistics question. I recommend submitting to /r/linguistics.

Ragleur

Here are some words from Old English that have survived into Modern French. All were first cited in the 12th century unless otherwise indicated. I found these by searching for "ancien anglais" on larousse.fr and double-checking it in my French etymological dictionary.

  • Nord, sud, est, and ouest (the cardinal directions) were all borrowed from English in the 12th century.
  • Gourmet in French originally referred to a valet of a wine merchant (hence the association with the finer things in life) and was borrowed from an English word meaning "boy" in the 14th century.
  • Mouette (gull) was borrowed in the 14th century from Old English, though the word was originally Frankish.
  • A few sailing terms: bouline (bowline knot) and étai (support for a mast) from the 12th century, beaupré (a kind of mast) and arrimer (to stow, to tie down cargo) from the 14th.
  • Loquet (latch) was borrowed from a Germanic source, possibly English, in the 12th century
  • Paletot (a kind of long coat), 14th century
  • Bréchet (a specific term for the breastbone of a bird) comes from the same root as brisket and was borrowed in the 14th century.