housecarl

H4O1U1S1E1C3A1R1L1
/ˈhaʊsˌkɑː(ɹ)l/

noun

A member of the Scandinavian royal household troops.

OriginMiddle English houscarl ← Old English hūscarl ← Old Norse húskarl →
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Meanings

nounhousecarl (plural housecarls)

plural housecarls · alternative huscarl · alternative huskarl

  1. historicalA member of the Scandinavian royal household troops.

Origin

  1. Old Norsehúskarl
  2. Old Englishhūscarl
  3. Middle Englishhouscarl
  4. Englishhousecarl

From Middle English houscarl, from Old English hūscarl, from Old Norse húskarl, equivalent to house + carl. Cognate with Old English hūsċeorl, Old Frisian hūskerl.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Old Norse

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

housecarl. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/housecarl

MLA

“housecarl.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/housecarl. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “housecarl,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/housecarl.

Source: housecarl on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.