kerling

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse kerling.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈcʰɛrtliŋk/ (more formal, used especially in senses 1 and 2)
• IPA^(key): /ˈcʰɛtliŋk/

  Rhymes: -ɛtliŋk

Noun

kerling f (genitive singular kerlingar, nominative plural kerlingar)

1. (old) woman
2. (chiefly historical) a lower-class woman, as opposed to frú, dama, maddama
3. (derogatory) wuss, wimp (referring to a man or boy)
4. (informal, sometimes derogatory) wife
5. a general term of endearment for a female; girl, old girl

Old Norse

Etymology

From karl +‎ -ing.

Noun

kerling f (genitive kerlingar, plural kerlingar)

1. woman, wife
2. old woman

Declension

  Declension of kerling (strong ō-stem)

feminine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	kerling	kerlingin	kerlingar	kerlingarnar
accusative	kerling	kerlingina	kerlingar	kerlingarnar
dative	kerlingu	kerlingunni	kerlingum	kerlingunum
genitive	kerlingar	kerlingarinnar	kerlinga	kerlinganna

Derived terms

• framfœrslukerling f (“old pauper”)
• herjanskerling f (“hag”)
• herkerling f
• hornkerling f (“old woman in the corner”)
• hórkerling f (“harlot”)
• kararkerling f (“bedridden old woman”)
• kerlingavilla f (“old woman's tale”)
• klafakerling f
• spákerling f (“prophetess”)
• stafkerling f (“beggarwoman”)
• trollkerling f (“female troll”)

 

Descendants

• Icelandic: kerling
• Faroese: kelling
• Norwegian Nynorsk: kjerring
• Norwegian Bokmål: kjerring
• Old Swedish: kärling, kærling, kiærling
  • Swedish: kärring, käring, källing
• Old Danish: kærlingh, kerlingh
  • Danish: kælling
• Elfdalian: kelingg
• → Irish: cairling

References

• “kerling”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press