Danegeld

[ deyn-geld ]

/ ˈdeɪnˌgɛld /

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noun

(in medieval England) an additional tax on land believed to have been levied originally as a tribute to the Danish invaders but later continued for other purposes.

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Also danegeld, Dane·gelt, dane·gelt

[deyn-gelt]. /ˈdeɪnˌgɛlt/.

Origin of Danegeld

before 1150; Middle English denegeld, danegeld,Old English (Domesday Book) Danegeld.See Dane, geld²

Words nearby Danegeld

dandy, dandy brush, dandy fever, dandy roll, Dane, Danegeld, Danelaw, danewort, dang, danged, danger

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Danegeld in a sentence

It loses that meaning in course of time because the danegeld gives way before newer forms of taxation.
Domesday Book and Beyond|Frederic William Maitland
This, when we call to mind the huge weight of the danegeld, will appear as a matter of the utmost importance.
Domesday Book and Beyond|Frederic William Maitland
What could the statesmen, who were hoping to correct the assessment of the danegeld, make of so vague a statement?
Domesday Book and Beyond|Frederic William Maitland
The old danegeld is still being occasionally levied, and in the main the old assessment prevails.
Domesday Book and Beyond|Frederic William Maitland

We find this primitive system obsolete in 1130, when a borough gave an 'auxilium' where its county paid Danegeld.
Feudal England -- Historical Studies On The Eleventh And Twelfth Centuries|J.H. Round

British Dictionary definitions for Danegeld

Danegeld

Danegelt (ˈdeɪnˌɡɛlt)

/ (ˈdeɪnˌɡɛld) /

noun

the tax first levied in the late 9th century in Anglo-Saxon England to provide protection money for or to finance forces to oppose Viking invaders

Word Origin for Danegeld

C11: from Dan Dane + geld tribute; see yield

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012