Is there an Old English-derived word for change/alter/modify?
Why is there no word for change / alter / modify that is historically Germanic (that is, existed in Old English)? All of these are historically Latin of latin derivation.
The nearest from Old English that I could find was perhaps "wend," but that does not seem to be in everyday usage nor does it seem to be of the same meaning.
The word of Old English origin with the closest meaning in current usage would I think be shift, from Old English sciftan.
Shape derives from Old English; the OED concisely says of its origin, "A word inherited from Germanic." In modern English, it means several things, including changing or modifying something, often for the better. Merriam-Webster, passim:
- : to adapt in shape so as to fit neatly and closely / a dress shaped to her figure [...]
5a. : to make fit for (a particular use, purpose, etc.) : adapt / shape the questions to fit the answers
b : to determine or direct the course or character of / events that shaped history
c : to modify (behavior) by rewarding changes that tend toward a desired response
Shape is quite versatile and common in English. For example, colloquially, I could say shape up or ship out (Wikitonary), or I could shape policy (LSE).
In Old English, scieppan was a word for creation as well as shaping, such that God was called the Scieppend or the Shaper (Barney, Word-Hoard: An Introduction to Old English Vocabulary, p. 35).