But, often, different words with ro

But, often, different words with roughly the same meaning survived, and a whole host of
new, Frenchbased
synonyms entered the English language (e.g. the French maternity in
addition to the Old English motherhood, infant to child, amity to friendship, battle to fight,
liberty to freedom, labour to work, desire to wish, commence to start, conceal to hide, divide
to cleave, close to shut, demand to ask, chamber to room, forest to wood, power to might,
annual to yearly, odour to smell, pardon to forgive, aid to help, etc). Over time, many near
synonyms acquired subtle differences in meaning (with the French alternative often
suggesting a higher level of refinement than the Old English), adding to the precision and
flexibility of the English language. Even today, phrases combining AngloSaxon
and
Norman French doublets are still in common use (e.g. law and order, lord and master, love
and cherish, ways and means, etc). Bilingual word lists were being compiled as early as the
13th Century.