orsorg

Old English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *uʀsorg, from Proto-Germanic *uzsurgaz, equivalent to or- +‎ sorg.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈorˌsorɡ/, [ˈorˌsorˠɣ]

Adjective

orsorg (superlative orsorgost)

  1. (with genitive) free from care or anxiety; worry-free
    • Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church
      Đā andwyrde Martinus unforht ðām cāsere, "Iċ wille ðurhgān orsorh ðone here, mid rōde tācne ġewǣpnod, nā mid rēadum sċylde, oððe mid hefeġum helme, oððe heardre byrnan." Đa hēt sē hǣðena cyning healdan Martinum, þæt hē wurde āworpen unġewǣpnod ðām here. Þā nolde sē Hǣlend his ðeġen forlǣtan, ac ġesibbode þæt folc sōna þǣs on merien, þæt hī tō þǣs cāseres cyneġyrde ġebugon.
      Then the bold Martinus answered the emperor "I will go fearlessly through the army, armed with a crucifix, not with a red shield, or with a heavy helmet, or a hard corselet." So the heathen king ordered that Martinus be held so he could be thrown unarmed into the army. But the Savior would not abandon his servant, and in the morning soon pacified the people so that they submitted to the emperor's scepter.
  2. (by extension) secure; prosperous

Declension

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Middle English: orseoruh

References