hird

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”).

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.

• hirdman

• HDRI, IRHD

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

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

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

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.

• hirdman

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

hird

1. Alternative form of herde (“herd”)

hird

1. Alternative form of herde (“herder”)

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

hird (definite singular, indefinite plural, definite plural)

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

• hirdmann

• → English: hird

• hyrd

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.

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

hird f (definite singular hirda)

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

• hirdmann

• → English: hird

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.

hird c

1. (historical) bodyguard for chieftain or king

• hirdman

• 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)