ORMULUM, THE. – This is a long English didactic poem, composed in the first half of the 13th century by the Augustinian monk Orm (whence the title).
Approximately 20,000 verses remain. It consists of a series of detailed paraphrases of the Gospels, arranged in the order in which they appear in the Roman Missal throughout the liturgical year. The work, which is devoid of poetic qualities, was probably intended for recitation aloud, and the author therefore adopted a special orthography (distinguishing short and long syllables, etc.) that makes it a valuable document for the linguist who wishes to reconstruct the English of the period also in its metrical and phonetic features.
BIBL.: see the edition in a volumes edited by R. Holt, Oxford 1878. Augusto Guidi