byrdling
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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 |