housecarl

[ hous-kahrl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a member of the household troops or bodyguard of a Danish or early English king or noble.

housecarl

/ ˈhaʊsˌkɑːl /

before 1050; Middle English; late Old English hūscarl < Danish hūskarl. See house, carl

Old English hūscarl, from Old Norse hūskarl manservant, from hūs house + karl man; see churl

Whereon the housecarl laughed a little, and said that it was but an ancient flint working.

Presently Erling came alongside me, leaving the housecarl to mind his comrade.

"Now is East Anglia mine in truth," he said; and with that he bade the housecarl fetch Curan, the cook's porter, to him.

And presently I thought that I might do worse than be a housecarl for a time, if Eglaf would have me.

"That, I take it, is a hint that you might like to be a housecarl of the king's," he said.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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