← Old Words, Read Aloud · Lesson 1 of 4
Cow and beef
English has layers. The oldest everyday words — house, bread, sheep, cow — come from Old English. After the Norman Conquest of 1066, French became the language of the people in charge, and many French words came in.
That is why the animal in the field has an old English name (cow, pig, sheep) while the meat on the table often has a French one (beef, pork, mutton): the farmers spoke English, the people being served spoke French.
CognateForge shows these families side by side, including the words English shares with German, Spanish and other languages.
Which pair follows the farm-and-table pattern?
A lesson is kept once you've answered the question and written at least 8 words. Nobody grades it; it stays on this device.