help-hurd
[Top][All Lists]
Advanced

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Hird - was Re: concerning installation of hurd;request from Norway


From: Thomas Bushnell, BSG
Subject: Re: Hird - was Re: concerning installation of hurd;request from Norway
Date: 15 Oct 2002 09:43:04 -0700
User-agent: Gnus/5.09 (Gnus v5.9.0) Emacs/21.2

nisse@lysator.liu.se (Niels Möller) writes:

> The word exists in Swedish to, although probably less common than in
> Norwegian (the Quisling association was also new to me, but Swedish
> world war II history is also quite different from the Norwegian).
> 
> My popular ethymological handbook (Våra Ord, Norstedts) says that
> "hird" means body guard. It comes from old English "hir[e]d", via
> Icelandic literature and old Swedish "hirþ", where it meant body guard
> or other court folks. Also the same word as German "Heirat", wedding.

Ah hah!  The OED lists an obsolete English word "hird".

It means...get ready...

"A household, family; a company of servants or retainers, a retinue; a
king's court; also, a monastic household."  

Last attested use in 1440.

It's the same word you found, judging by the etymology.  

Thomas






reply via email to

[Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread]