Aquerne

/ˈækwərn/ noun

Definition

An acorn, especially in archaic or dialect usage referring to the seed of an oak tree.

Etymology

From Old English 'acern' or 'aecern' (acorn), which comes from 'ac' (oak) plus 'ern' (fruit or seed). The 'aqu-' variant appears in some medieval texts, though this is quite archaic.

Kelly Says

Aquerne shows how English spelling was wildly inconsistent in medieval times—the same object was written as 'acorn,' 'acerne,' 'aquerne,' and dozens of other ways before spelling standardized, which is why reading 500-year-old documents is like solving a puzzle.

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