Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A member of the bodyguard or household troops of a Danish or Anglo-Saxon king or noble.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In early Danish and early English history, a member of the body-guard of a noble, chieftain, or king.
Wiktionary
- n. historical A member of the Scandinavian royal household troops.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Eng. Archæol.) A household servant; also, one of the bodyguard of King Canute.
Etymologies
- Old Norse huskarl (Wiktionary)
Examples
“How could a mere housecarl get past my guardian novices and intricate locks?”
“Sitting here on my shaded porch above the languid tropical river, with only indifferent birds and my grouchy housecarl Borve to take note of my labors, I shall write it all down.”
“The sergeant of the housecarl platoon that had brought the prisoner up from Catawrayannis Port said in his brassiest voice, "Don't address traitors by titles they've forfeited.”
“He ordered that each native soldier and housecarl should be presented in the winter season with three marks of silver, a common or hired soldier with two, a private soldier who had finished his service with only one.”
“So said Dudda, the rough housecarl; and it is in my mind that the kindly remembrance would have wiped out many a thought of wrong, had there been any.”
“The housecarl started toward it, but as he passed one of the helpless horses, he turned to that and brought me a horn from the saddlebags.”
“Our horses; and I have tended them, lord," said the rough housecarl, with a bit of a shake in his voice.”
“Presently Erling came alongside me, leaving the housecarl to mind his comrade.”
“But it did not seem right to me that an atheling of Wessex should be alone, without so much as a housecarl to tend him and stand at his back at need.”
“So we went to the quarter of the fair where such things as we needed were to be had, and there we took pleasure in fitting my new follower out in all decent housecarl attire, not by any means sparing for good leather jerkin and Norwich-cloth hose and hood, for I would not have him looked down on by our Frankish servants.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘housecarl’.
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Words from the History of Norman & An...
leguminous, pursuant, frankalmoign, screed, codex, doublet, chattel, hauberk, scutage, fyrd, pallium, danegeld and 27 more...
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Military Matters
words of mass (or minor) destruction
caltrop, stylet, chassepot, baldric, rewet, blunderbuss, musket, flintlock, howitzer, ordnance, casque, dragoon and 148 more...
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Clearinghouse
For stuff to simply reside.
calcar, pinion, espadrille, antipodes, peregrine, cormorant, tanager, vireo, farrago, undervest, passerine, oscine and 881 more...
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At Your Service
Servants who are traditionally male. Inspired by hernesheir's maids list (as well as Downton Abbey)
footman, chasseur, hurkaru, chobdar, lackey, jeames, manservant, pantryman, groom, palefrenier, coistrel, ostler and 106 more...
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House, Sweet House
"House" words and phrases, literal and figurative. If another word comes before "house" in the phrase, it's listed on its own; if the phrase starts with "house," I've listed the part that comes aft...
publishing, brokerage, bridge, deck, smoke, road, vaudeville, whore, of representatives, of ill repute, of worship, movie and 174 more...
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Medieval terms
A list of medieval terms
Tweets
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