Cynehild

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An Old English compound word combining the elements for royal or kingly with those for battle, referring to warfare waged by a king or noble
2. A term from Old English built from words meaning royal and battle, used for combat fought under a lord or sovereign
3. Old English poetic word joining the ideas of kingship and warfare to describe a battle conducted on behalf of a ruler

Etymology: "Cynehild" is an Old English personal name, built from two elements that were common in Anglo-Saxon naming. The first, "cyne-", means "royal" or "kingly" and comes from the same root as "cyning," the Old English word for king. The second, "-hild," means "battle" or "war." It is the same element that gives later names like Hilda and Hildegard. Names like this were usually compounds that wished the bearer strength or high status, so a name combining "royal" with "battle" fits the warrior-aristocratic culture of early medieval England. The "-hild" element was far more than a name ending, since it also survived as a common noun meaning battle in Old English poetry, where it appears in heroic verse.