byrdling
Old English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Apparently from a Proto-Germanic *burdilingaz (equivalent to bord + -ling), though there are no cognates. Perhaps the literal meaning was originally "little shield," though in the surviving texts bord only means "shield" in poetry. Every modern Germanic language except English has the word "shield" in the word for "turtle": West Frisian skyldpod, Dutch schildpad, German Schildkröte, and Swedish sköldpadda all mean “shield toad,” Icelandic skjaldbaka and Faroese skjaldbøka both mean “shield back.” Also a few non-Germanic languages, cf. Estonian kilpkonn (literally “shield frog”) and Finnish kilpikonna (literally “shield toad”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
byrdling m
Declension edit
Declension of byrdling (strong a-stem)
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | byrdling | byrdlingas |
| accusative | byrdling | byrdlingas |
| genitive | byrdlinges | byrdlinga |
| dative | byrdlinge | byrdlingum |