Meanings
nounshield-bearer (plural shield-bearers)
plural shield-bearers · alternative shieldbearer
- A person who carries a shield, either a warrior, or a lower-ranking person who carries a shield for a higher-ranking person.
“Never have shield-bearers so grim of face ever landed before on out shores!”
1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 231 more example
The wise king mounted the royal saddle and rode out in style with a force of shield-bearers.
1999, Seamus Heaney, Beowulf, London: Faber and Faber, page 46
Origin
- Middle Englishscheeld-berere
- Englishshield-bearer
From Middle English scheeld-berere, equivalent to shield + bearer.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
shield-bearer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shield-bearer
MLA
“shield-bearer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shield-bearer. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shield-bearer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shield-bearer.
Source: shield-bearer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.