housecarl

[ hous-kahrl ]

/ ˈhaʊsˌkɑrl /

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noun

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

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Origin of housecarl

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

Words nearby housecarl

housebreak, housebreaker, housebreaking, housebroken, house call, housecarl, housecat, house church, houseclean, housecleaning, housecoat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use housecarl in a sentence

Whereon the housecarl laughed a little, and said that it was but an ancient flint working.
A King's Comrade|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
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

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