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

Declension

Declension of kerling (feminine)

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

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

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “kerling”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive