Old English · noun
hierde
- Part of speech
- noun, masculine
- Declension
- strong ja-stem
- IPA
- /ˈxi͜yr.de/[ˈhi͜yrˠ.de]
- Syllables
- ˈxi͜yr · de (2 syllables)
- Modern English
- herdsmanherdguardiankeeper
Meaning
-
herdsman
-
guardian, keeper, protector
Hwīlum iċ under bæc breġde nebbe, hyrde þæs hordes, þonne mīn hlāford wile lāfe þiċġan þāra þe hē of līfe hēt wælcræfte āwrecan willum sīnum.
Sometimes I bend bill under my back, keeper of this hoard, when my lord wishes to take the leftovers of those whom he bade to drive out of live with deadly might by his wills.
c. 980, Exeter Book Riddle 91:
Declension
All forms (5)
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *hirdijaz, derived from *herdō (“herd”). Cognate with Old Saxon hirdi, Old High German hirti (German Hirte), Old Norse hirðir (Swedish herde).
Descendants
herd
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hierde · CC BY-SA 4.0 licence · Attribution