shipfyrd

S1H4I1P3F4Y4R1D2

noun

An Anglo-Saxon naval force or militia; naval fleet; navy.

OriginOld English sċipfyrd →
Scrabble 20
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Meanings

nounshipfyrd (uncountable)
  1. historicaluncountableAn Anglo-Saxon naval force or militia; naval fleet; navy.

    This national army or militia was called the fyrd; the shipfyrd manned the navy.

    1965, James Westfall Thompson, Edgar Nathaniel Johnson, An introduction to medieval Europe

Origin

  1. Old Englishsċipfyrd
  2. Englishshipfyrd

Partial calque of Old English sċipfyrd, sċipfierd (“naval expedition, naval force, fleet, navy”), equivalent to ship + fyrd. Compare landfyrd.

More words from Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

shipfyrd. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shipfyrd

MLA

“shipfyrd.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shipfyrd. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shipfyrd,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shipfyrd.

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