scyld

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃyld/, [ʃyɫd]

Etymology 1

From earlier sċield.

Noun

sċyld m

1. Alternative form of sċield

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *skuldiz (“guilt”), from Proto-Indo-European *skel- (“to be guilty, be obligated, owe”). Cognate with Old Frisian schuld, Old Saxon skuld (“crime, due”), Old High German sculd (German Schuld), Old Norse skuld. Related to shall, should.

Noun

sċyld f

1. guilt, sin

   Hē bæd his sċylde forġiefnesse. ― He begged forgiveness for his sins.

2. debt, obligation, liability, due

   Hē þā sċyld forlēt wiþ hine. ― He forgave the debt against him.

Declension

Declension of scyld (strong ō-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	sċyld	sċylda, sċylde
accusative	sċylde	sċylda, sċylde
genitive	sċylde	sċylda
dative	sċylde	sċyldum

Synonyms

• gylt

Antonyms

• unsċyld

Derived terms

• ǣsċyldian (“to offend”)
• dēaþsċyld f (“crime worthy of death”)
• dēaþsċyldiġ (“condemned to death”)
• ealdres sċyldiġ (“having forfeited his life: liable, responsible, in debt to”)
• efensċyldiġ (“equally guilty”)
• feorhsċyldiġ (“guilty of death”)
• forsċyldiġian (“to condemn”)
• forsċyldiġod, forsċyldeġod (“guilty”)
• frumsċyld f (“original sin”)
• godsċyld f (“sin against God, impiety”)
• godsċyldiġ (“impious”)
• morþorsċyldiġ (“guilty of murder”)
• nīedsċyld f (“moral necessity”)
• synsċyldiġ (“wicked”)
• sċyldan (“to accuse”)
• sċyldfrecu f (“wicked craving”)
• sċyldful (“sinful, guilty”)
• sċyldiġnes f (“guilt”)
• sċyldiġ (“guilty”)
• sċyldlǣta m (“bailiff”)
• sċyldlēas (“guiltless”)
• sċyldwīte n (“fine for a crime of violence”)
• sċyldwreċċende (“avenging sin”)
• sċyldwyrcende (“evil-doing”)
• sċyldġian, sċyldiġian (“to sin; place in the position of a criminal, render liable to punishment”)
• sċyldġung f (“sum demanded as wergeld”)
• twisċyldiġ (“liable to a double penalty”)
• unsċyld f (“innocence”)
• unsċyldiġlic (“excusable”)
• unsċyldiġlīċe (“innocently”)
• unsċyldiġnes f (“innocence”)
• unsċyldiġ (“guiltless, innocent, not responsible”)
• unsċyldġung f (“innocence”)
• þēofsċyldiġ (“guilty of theft”)
• þurhsċyldiġ (“very guilty”)
• ġesċyld

 

Descendants

• Middle English: shild, shīld, schüld
  • English: shild

References

• John R. Clark Hall (1916) “scyld”, in A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, New York: Macmillan
• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “scyld”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[2], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.