gissel

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Danish gidsel, from Old Norse gísl, from Proto-Germanic *gīslaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡis.sel/, [ˈɡɪs.səl], [ˈɡɪs.sl̩]

Noun

gissel n (definite singular gisselet or gislet, indefinite plural gisler or gissel, definite plural gislene or gisla)

1. a hostage

Usage notes

• In 2020, the Language council of Norway made the masculine inflection obsolete, including the form gisselen m.

Derived terms

• gisseldrama
• gisseltaker

References

• “gissel” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse gísl, from Proto-Germanic *gīslaz, from Proto-Celtic *gēstlos (“hostage, pledge”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡis.sel/, [ˈɡɪs.səl], [ˈɡɪs.sl̩]

Noun

gissel m (definite singular gisselen, indefinite plural gislar, definite plural gislane)
gissel n (definite singular gisselet, indefinite plural gissel, definite plural gissela)

1. a hostage

Usage notes

• In 2020, a neuter inflection was made co-official.

Derived terms

• gisseldrama
• gisseltakar

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Swedish

Etymology

Old Swedish gisl and the older gesl, having feminine gender. Used in the 1541 Bible translation with the plural gisslar. Corresponding to Old Norse geisli, related to Old Norse geirr (“spear”), Old English ger (“spear”) and English gear. Cognates include Icelandic geisli, German Geißel, Dutch gesel.

Noun

gissel n

1. a scourge, a whip, a rod
2. a pain
3. a torturer, an adversary, a critic

Declension

Declension of gissel
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	gissel	gisslet	gissel	gisslen
Genitive	gissels	gisslets	gissels	gisslens

Synonyms

• plåga
• piska
• spö
• stav

Related terms

• gissla

References

• gissel in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)