hird

See also: Hird and hirð

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Norwegian hird, from Old Norse hirð, a borrowing from Old English hīred, hēored (“family, household”), from Proto-West Germanic *hīwarād (“relationship; family”), equivalent to hewe +‎ rede. Cognate with German Heirat (“wedding”).

Noun

hird (plural hirds)

1. (historical) In Norwegian history, an informal retinue of personal armed companions, hirdmen or housecarls.
2. By extension, the formal royal court household.

Derived terms

• hirdman

Anagrams

• HDRI, IRHD

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English hīred, hēored (“family, household”), from Proto-West Germanic *hīwarād, equivalent to hewe (“servant”) +‎ red (“counsel”).

Alternative forms

• herd, herde, hert, hired, hyrd, hyrt
• (early) hirð, hireden, hirt

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hiːrd/, /heːrd/
• (chiefly early) IPA^(key): /ˈhiːrɛd/

Noun

hird (uncountable) (poetic)

1. A household; a court.
2. A company or band of people:
   1. One's attendants; a retinue.
   2. An army; a troop.
3. (rare) One's offspring or progeny.

Related terms

• hirdman

References

• “hīred, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Noun

hird

1. Alternative form of herde (“herd”)

Etymology 3

Noun

hird

1. Alternative form of herde (“herder”)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Danish hird, from Old Norse hirð, a borrowing from Old English hīred, from Proto-West Germanic *hīwarād.

Noun

hird (definite singular, indefinite plural, definite plural)

1. An informal retinue of personal armed companions.
2. By extension, the formal royal court household.

Related terms

• hirdmann

Descendants

• → English: hird

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• hyrd

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Old Norse hirð in the 19th century. The Old Norse word itself is borrowed from Old English hīred, from Proto-West Germanic *hīwarād.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hird/, (expected but unattested) /hɪːr/
• Rhymes: -ird
• Note: As the name is revived through writing, the expected pronunciation without /d/ is unattested.

Noun

hird f (definite singular hirda)

1. (historical) bodyguard for chieftain or king
2. By extension, the formal royal court household.

Related terms

• hirdmann

Descendants

• → English: hird

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish hirþ (“bodyguard”), from Old Norse hirð, a borrowing from Old English hīred, from Proto-West Germanic *hīwarād (“relationship; family”). Related to German Heirat (“wedding”) and English hired. See also Icelandic hirð.

Noun

hird c

1. (historical) bodyguard for chieftain or king

Declension

Declension of hird
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	hird	hirden	hirder	hirderna
Genitive	hirds	hirdens	hirders	hirdernas

Derived terms

• hirdman

References

• hird in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• hird in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• hird in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• hird in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)