# taporæx
## Old English
### Etymology

From Old Norse taparøx (“small axe”), from Old East Slavic топоръ (toporŭ), from Proto-Slavic *toporъ, probably from an Iranian language.
Judging by dictionaries, the axe is only mentioned as tool to define shore width by throwing it from a ship that is floating next to shore during high tide (Danish king Cnut gave to Christ Church at Canterbury the Sandwich port and landings along River Stour from Sandwich to the river mouth).
Compared with francisca (throwing axe) and also:
* Axe 1 and axe 2 (600±100 AD) from Ozengell cemetery, Kent (fig. 1 and 2 in Hewitt, No. 1 in Archaeologia)
* Axe from grave at Coombe, Kent (No. 2 in Archaeologia)
* Axe from Richborough Castle field, Kent (No. 3 in Archaeologia)
* Small iron axe from Colchester, Essex ("Small axe" in Archaeologia, No. 2 in Akerman)
* Axe (?950±150 AD) from River Thames at London (No. 1 in Akerman)

### Noun

taporæx f
* securis parvula
** “(xxxiii) ꞇapeꞃ æx”, in The Parker/Winchester Chronicle [A] (MS 173)‎ (in Old English), (Can we date this quote?), page 67:
    ealla þa ᵹeꞃıhꞇa þe þaꞃ oꝼ aꞃıꞅað·oꝼ æıðꞃe healꝼe ðaꞃe hæꝼene·ꞅƿa ꝥ loc ƿhenne ꝥ ꝼloꞇ bi·þ ealꞃa hehꞅꞇ 7 ealꞃa ꝼulloꞅꞇ $^{beo}$ an ꞅcıp ꝼloꞇıᵹenꝺe ꞅƿa neh þan lanꝺe ꞅƿa hıꞇ ni·xꞇ [mæ]ᵹe 7 þaꞃ beo an mann ꞅꞇanꝺe on þan ꞅcıpe 7 habbe ane ꞇapeꞃ æx on hıꞅ [hanꝺa]ealla þa gerihta þe þar of arisaþ of æiþre healfe þare hæfene, swa þæt loc whenne þæt flot byþ ealra hehst 7 ealra fullost an scip flotigende swa neh þan lande swa hit nyxt mæge 7 þar beo an mann stande on þan scipe 7 habbe ane taper æx on his [handa](please add an English translation of this quotation)(literally, “all the right(s) that there from $_{they}$arise, from? each $_{Dsg}$side $_{Dsg}$the $_{Dsg}$harbor, so that enclosure when the water? $_{it}$is $_{Gpl}$all highest 7 $_{Gpl}$all fullest be a ship floating as near $_{Dsg}$the $_{Dsg}$land as nearest can 7 there be a man stand on $_{Dsg}$the $_{Dsg}$ship 7 have a taper axe in his [$_{Dsg}$hand]”)
** “(line 7) ſecuriſ paruula, ꞇaꝑ eax (taper eax)”, in Stowe Ch 39 (in Latin), 1125±25
    quă longĭuſ de nauı poꞇeſt ſecurıſ paruula quă anglı uocanꞇ ꞇaꝑ eax ſuꝑ ꞇerram ꝑıcıquam longius de navi potest securis parvula quam angli vocant taper eax super terram proici(please add an English translation of this quotation)
** “(line 6) ſecurıſ paruula (securis parvula)”, in Gospels of Macdurnan (MS 1370) (in Latin), (Can we date this quote?)
    quă longıuſ de nauı poꞇeſt ſecurıſ paruula ſuꝑ ꞇerră ꝑıcıquam longius de navi potest securis parvula super terram proici(please add an English translation of this quotation)
** “(line 9) ꞇapeꞃæx (taperæx)”, in Chartae Antiquae S 260 (CCA-DCc-ChAnt/S/260) (in Old English), ?1066±33
    ſƿa ꝥ ðonne hıꞇ bıð ꝼull ꝼlóꝺ 7ꝥ ſcıp bıð aꝼloꞇe. ſƿa ꝼeoꞃꞃ ſƿa mæᵹ an ꞇapeꞃæx beon ᵹeƿoꞃpen uꞇ ðă ſcıpe up on ꝥ lanꝺswa þæt þonne hit biþ full flōd, þæt scip biþ aflote, swa feorr swa mæg an taperæx beon geworpen ut þam scipe up on þæt land(please add an English translation of this quotation)(literally, “so that when it is full ?water, the ship is afloat, as far as $_{I/it/he/she}$can a taperæx be thrown out $_{Dsg}$the $_{Dsg}$ship up on the land”)

#### See also

* tapor (“taper (thin candle)”)
* æx (“axe”), handæx

#### References

* ↑ Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “топор”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
* ↑ A. J. Robertson, editor (1939), Anglo-Saxon Charters, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, page 408
* ↑ Erik Björkman, editor (1902), Scandinavian loan-words in Middle English, volume 2, ?: Max Niemeyer, Halle A. S., page 256
* ↑ James Ingram (1823) chapter 1031, in The Saxon Chronicle with an English translation and notes, critical and explanatory, London: ?, page 205
* ↑ Benjamin Thorpe (1865) “Idem Anglice”, in Diplomatarium Anglicum Ævi Saxonici, London: Macmillan & Co, page 317
* ↑ Arthur Napier, W. H. Stevenson, editor (1895), “Charter XI: 14. Piperneasse ... Mearcesfleote”, in The Crawford collection of early charters and documents, Oxford: [[:w:Clarendon Press||w:Clarendon Press|]], page 137
* 1 2 John Hewitt (1855) Ancient armour and weapons in Europe: from the Iron period of the Northern nations to the end of the thirteenth century, Oxford, London: John Henry, James Parker, page 45
* 1 2 3 4 Archaeologia: or, Miscellaneous Tracts relating to Antiquity, volume 34, London: Society of Antiquaries of London, J. B. Nichols and son, 1851, page 178
* 1 2 John Yonge Akerman (1855) Remains of pagan Saxondom, London: John Russell Smith, page 44

### Further reading

* Charles Plummer (1865) chapter 1031, in Two of the Saxon chronicles parallel with supplementary extracts from the others. On the basis of an edition by John Earle., Oxford: Clarendon press, page 158
* Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “tapor-æx”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 972.
* Ferdinand Holthausen (1934) Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg, page 343
* Timothy Graham (2003) “King Cnut's Grant of Sandwich to Christ Church, Canterbury: A New Reading of a Damaged Annal in Two Copies of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle”, in Unlocking the Wordhord: Anglo-Saxon Studies in Memory of Edward B. Irving, Jr, Toronto/Buffalo/London: University of Toronto Press, page 172