See cafte in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_links": [
[
"cāf",
"caf#Old_English"
],
[
"-þ",
"-þ#Old_English:_o-stem"
],
[
"cof",
"cof#Middle_English"
],
[
"-the",
"-the#Middle_English:_abstract_nominal"
],
[
"chevese",
"chevese#Middle_English"
],
[
"ákefð",
"ákefð#Old_Norse"
]
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "ang",
"3": "",
"4": "*cǣfþ"
},
"expansion": "Old English *cǣfþ",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "cāf",
"3": "-þ",
"id2": "o-stem",
"nocat": "1",
"pos2": "abstract nominal suffix",
"t1": "nimble, bold"
},
"expansion": "cāf (“nimble, bold”) + -þ (abstract nominal suffix)",
"name": "af"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "cof",
"3": "-the",
"id2": "abstract nominal",
"pos2": "abstract nominal suffix",
"t1": "nimble, bold"
},
"expansion": "cof (“nimble, bold”) + -the (abstract nominal suffix)",
"name": "af"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "dum",
"2": "",
"3": "*kafte"
},
"expansion": "Middle Dutch *kafte",
"name": "m+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "borrowed",
"2": "borrowing"
},
"expansion": "borrowing",
"name": "glossary"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "non",
"3": "",
"4": "*kefð",
"nocat": "1"
},
"expansion": "Old Norse *kefð",
"name": "bor"
}
],
"etymology_text": "As suggested by Dance, probably from Old English *cǣfþ, from cāf (“nimble, bold”) + -þ (abstract nominal suffix); thus equivalent to cof (“nimble, bold”) + -the (abstract nominal suffix). The following previous etymologies exist:\n* Jordan posits borrowing from Middle Dutch, providing no further explanation; a Middle Dutch *kafte, *kefte is unattested.\n* The MED proposes a connection with chevese (“concubine”), but this is phonologically impossible (*cheft would be expected in the AB language).\n* Zettersten suggests borrowing from a Old Norse *kefð (compare attested ákefð), but as Dance points out, this is also phonologically unlikely (*keft would be expected in the AB language)",
"forms": [
{
"form": "caft",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "keaft",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "noun",
"g": "",
"g2": "",
"g3": "",
"head": "",
"sort": "",
"var": ""
},
"expansion": "cafte",
"name": "head"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "cafte (uncountable)",
"name": "enm-noun"
}
],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Early Middle English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Middle English terms suffixed with -the (abstract nominal)",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 2 entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "West Midland Middle English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"langcode": "enm",
"name": "Ethics",
"orig": "enm:Ethics",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"langcode": "enm",
"name": "Sexuality",
"orig": "enm:Sexuality",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
46,
51
]
],
"bold_translation_offsets": [
[
36,
54
]
],
"english": "[…] enjoying the time or place such unchaste behaviour might arise, and other precursors that you must necessarily avoid so you won't fall miserably into the great swamp.",
"ref": "c. 1225, Ancrene Ƿiſſe (MS. Corpus Christi 402), Ludlow, Shropshire, published c. 1235, folios 55, recto – 55, verso, lines 336-338; republished at Cambridge: Parker Library on the Web, 19 January 2018:",
"text": "[…] luuie tıde oðer ſtude foꝛte cumen ı ſƿuch keaft ⁊ oþre foꝛerıdleſ þe me mot nede foꝛbuhen. þe ı þe muchele fulðe nule fennılıche fallen.",
"translation": "[…] enjoying the time or place such unchaste behaviour might arise, and other precursors that you must necessarily avoid so you won't fall miserably into the great swamp.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Unchaste behaviour."
],
"id": "en-cafte-enm-noun-1KH4XZHX",
"links": [
[
"Unchaste",
"unchaste"
],
[
"behaviour",
"behaviour"
]
],
"qualifier": "West Midland",
"raw_glosses": [
"(Early Middle English, West Midland, rare) Unchaste behaviour."
],
"tags": [
"Early-Middle-English",
"rare",
"uncountable"
],
"wikipedia": [
"AB language",
"Middle Dutch",
"sv:Arne Zettersten"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈkaft(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈkɛft(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈkæftə/",
"note": "AB language"
}
],
"word": "cafte"
}
{
"etymology_links": [
[
"cāf",
"caf#Old_English"
],
[
"-þ",
"-þ#Old_English:_o-stem"
],
[
"cof",
"cof#Middle_English"
],
[
"-the",
"-the#Middle_English:_abstract_nominal"
],
[
"chevese",
"chevese#Middle_English"
],
[
"ákefð",
"ákefð#Old_Norse"
]
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "ang",
"3": "",
"4": "*cǣfþ"
},
"expansion": "Old English *cǣfþ",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "cāf",
"3": "-þ",
"id2": "o-stem",
"nocat": "1",
"pos2": "abstract nominal suffix",
"t1": "nimble, bold"
},
"expansion": "cāf (“nimble, bold”) + -þ (abstract nominal suffix)",
"name": "af"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "cof",
"3": "-the",
"id2": "abstract nominal",
"pos2": "abstract nominal suffix",
"t1": "nimble, bold"
},
"expansion": "cof (“nimble, bold”) + -the (abstract nominal suffix)",
"name": "af"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "dum",
"2": "",
"3": "*kafte"
},
"expansion": "Middle Dutch *kafte",
"name": "m+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "borrowed",
"2": "borrowing"
},
"expansion": "borrowing",
"name": "glossary"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "non",
"3": "",
"4": "*kefð",
"nocat": "1"
},
"expansion": "Old Norse *kefð",
"name": "bor"
}
],
"etymology_text": "As suggested by Dance, probably from Old English *cǣfþ, from cāf (“nimble, bold”) + -þ (abstract nominal suffix); thus equivalent to cof (“nimble, bold”) + -the (abstract nominal suffix). The following previous etymologies exist:\n* Jordan posits borrowing from Middle Dutch, providing no further explanation; a Middle Dutch *kafte, *kefte is unattested.\n* The MED proposes a connection with chevese (“concubine”), but this is phonologically impossible (*cheft would be expected in the AB language).\n* Zettersten suggests borrowing from a Old Norse *kefð (compare attested ákefð), but as Dance points out, this is also phonologically unlikely (*keft would be expected in the AB language)",
"forms": [
{
"form": "caft",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "keaft",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "noun",
"g": "",
"g2": "",
"g3": "",
"head": "",
"sort": "",
"var": ""
},
"expansion": "cafte",
"name": "head"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "cafte (uncountable)",
"name": "enm-noun"
}
],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"Early Middle English",
"Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"Middle English lemmas",
"Middle English nouns",
"Middle English rare terms",
"Middle English terms derived from Old English",
"Middle English terms inherited from Old English",
"Middle English terms suffixed with -the (abstract nominal)",
"Middle English terms with quotations",
"Middle English uncountable nouns",
"Pages with 2 entries",
"Pages with entries",
"West Midland Middle English",
"enm:Ethics",
"enm:Sexuality"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
46,
51
]
],
"bold_translation_offsets": [
[
36,
54
]
],
"english": "[…] enjoying the time or place such unchaste behaviour might arise, and other precursors that you must necessarily avoid so you won't fall miserably into the great swamp.",
"ref": "c. 1225, Ancrene Ƿiſſe (MS. Corpus Christi 402), Ludlow, Shropshire, published c. 1235, folios 55, recto – 55, verso, lines 336-338; republished at Cambridge: Parker Library on the Web, 19 January 2018:",
"text": "[…] luuie tıde oðer ſtude foꝛte cumen ı ſƿuch keaft ⁊ oþre foꝛerıdleſ þe me mot nede foꝛbuhen. þe ı þe muchele fulðe nule fennılıche fallen.",
"translation": "[…] enjoying the time or place such unchaste behaviour might arise, and other precursors that you must necessarily avoid so you won't fall miserably into the great swamp.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Unchaste behaviour."
],
"links": [
[
"Unchaste",
"unchaste"
],
[
"behaviour",
"behaviour"
]
],
"qualifier": "West Midland",
"raw_glosses": [
"(Early Middle English, West Midland, rare) Unchaste behaviour."
],
"tags": [
"Early-Middle-English",
"rare",
"uncountable"
],
"wikipedia": [
"AB language",
"Middle Dutch",
"sv:Arne Zettersten"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈkaft(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈkɛft(ə)/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈkæftə/",
"note": "AB language"
}
],
"word": "cafte"
}
Download raw JSONL data for cafte meaning in Middle English (4.1kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-10-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-10-01 using wiktextract (c1bb342 and 6f96ddf). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.