After 1066: How French Reshaped English

Discover how the Norman Conquest added French words, especially in law, government, and food.

In 1066 the Normans, who spoke a form of French, conquered England. For about three centuries French was the language of the court, law, and the upper classes, while ordinary people kept speaking English. That split left fingerprints you can still see. The farmers who raised animals used English names: cow, pig, sheep. The nobles who ate the meat used French names: beef (boeuf), pork (porc), mutton (moton). Legal and governmental words also arrived from French: court, judge, jury, parliament, government, justice.

Worked example: why does English have both 'freedom' and 'liberty'? Freedom is Old English; liberty came through French from Latin libertas. The pair shows the two streams side by side. When a word belongs to law, rank, cooking, or fashion, a French origin is a strong first guess.

• 1The Norman Conquest of 1066 brought French into England.
• 2Animal names stayed English; meat names became French.
• 3Many words of law and government came from French.