kjerring

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse kerling, from karl.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /çærɪŋ/
  • Rhymes: -ɪŋ

Noun

kjerring f or m (definite singular kjerringa or kjerringen, indefinite plural kjerringer, definite plural kjerringene)

  1. old woman
  2. wife
  3. (slang) girl, lady
  4. (slang) shrew, hag

Derived terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old Norse kerling, from karl, whence also kar and kall (karl).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [²çɛ̝r.rɪŋ], [²çær.rɪŋ], [²c͡çɛ̝r.rɪŋɡ], [²c͡çær.rɪŋɡ]
  • Rhymes: -ɪŋ, -ɪŋɡ
  • Hyphenation: kjer‧ring

Noun

kjerring f (definite singular kjerringa, indefinite plural kjerringar, definite plural kjerringane)

  1. woman
    kjerringa med staventhe woman with the staff
  2. wife
  3. old woman
  4. (derogatory) an unmanly man
  5. (derogatory, chiefly urban Eastern Norwegian) shrew, hag

Usage notes

The meaning of shrew or hag is newer and generally unused outside urban parts of central Eastern Norway.

Declension

Declension of kjerring (strong ō-stem, ar-plural)
feminine singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative kjerring kjerringa kjerringar kjerringane
compound-genitive

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • huskjerring
  • håkjerring
  • kaffikjerring (woman that drinks a lot of coffee)
  • -kjerring (woman, female)
  • kjerringemne (wife material)
  • kjerringråd ((house)wife tricks/secrets)
  • kjerringsnakk (woman talk)
  • korgekjerring, korgkjerring
  • møykjerring
  • runekjerring
  • snøkjerring (snow woman)
  • som jolekvelden på kjerringa
  • spåkjerring
  • tauskjerring (old unmarried woman)
  • torgkjerring (female merchant)
  • trollkjerring (witch, literally troll woman)
  • tuftekjerring
  • tvåttekjerring
  • vevarkjerring, vevkjerring (weaveress, spider)

References