housecarl

[ hous-kahrl ]

/ ˈhaʊsˌkɑrl /

noun

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

Nearby words

Origin of housecarl

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for housecarl

Odin, how good it is to meet a housecarl who speaks as man to man and does not cringe to me!
Havelok The Dane|Charles Whistler
And presently I thought that I might do worse than be a housecarl for a time, if Eglaf would have me.
Havelok The Dane|Charles Whistler
"That, I take it, is a hint that you might like to be a housecarl of the king's," he said.
Havelok The Dane|Charles Whistler
Presently Erling came alongside me, leaving the housecarl to mind his comrade.
A King's Comrade|Charles Whistler

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

British Dictionary definitions for housecarl

housecarl

/ (ˈhaʊsˌkɑːl) /

noun

(in medieval Europe) a household warrior of Danish kings and noblemen

Word Origin for housecarl

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

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