Norwegian Genealogical Word List: Difference between revisions

Norwegian is a Germanic language like Swedish, Danish, and Icelandic. There are two official languages in Norway with numerous dialects. Prior to 1915 most Norwegian records are in a language closer to written Danish than to modern Norwegian. You may also want to refer to the [[Danish Word List|Danish Genealogical Word List]].  

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==== A ====

| farger || dyer; tanner

| fattigvesen || welfare agency

| fogd, fut || originally the bailiff's servant who administered for him. The most important task was to demand the taxes. The fogd acted also as the grand jury in punishment cases. In the 1600s the fogd was directly responsible to the royal rule in Copenhagen. At the same time his responsibilities were lessened.

| geitskinn || goat skin / hide; a measure of debt equal to 3 engelsk

| hud || hide; a measure of debt which was used until 1838, but sometimes longer. 1 hud = 4 geitskinn = 12 engelsk. Originally used for payment of land taxes.

{| class="wikitable"

| jeg || I (personal pronoun)

| jeger || light infantry soldier, hunter

| jomfru || damsel, Miss, virgin

| jordbruk || farming

| jordegods || landed property

| jordet || burial; the ground

| jordfeste || burial, interment

| jordfesting || burial, interment

| jordmor || midwife

| jordpåkastelse || ceremony of sprinkling earth on the coffin

| jordvei, vei || road

| jul || Christmas

| juli || July

| juni || June

|}

 

{| class="wikitable"

| kakkelovn || from the 1700s a somewhat misused term for an iron stove. A closed fireplace clad with glazed ceramic tiles used for heating buildings.

| kalemank || wool, often used to make vests and trousers

| kallet || named

| kanskje || maybe, perhaps

| karet || coach

| kart || map

| katolsk || Catholic

| kavaleri || cavalry

| kemmer || peddler

| kikhoste || whooping cough

| kirke || church

| kirkebok || parish register

| kirkegods || land which was reserved for the clergy or which was owned by local or central religious institutions

| kirkegård || cemetery, churchyard

| kirkeverger || a couple of farmers in each parish which should control or supervise the local church estate

| kirkeværge || church warden

| kiste || chest, coffin

| kjent || known

| kjønn || sex

| kjøpe || buy

| kjøpmann || merchant

| kledning || usual description of a man's clothing consisting of trousers, undershirt, and tunic

| klokker || sexton, parish clerk, bell ringer, deacon

| kloster || convent, monastery

| kokarde || insignia

| kolikk || colic

| kommune || municipality, township

| kone || wife

| konfirmasjon || confirmation

| konge || king

| kongedømme || kingdom

| kongelig || royal

| kontor || office

| kopper || smallpox, copper

| koppskatt || person tax

| kort || short, card

| kort register || card index

| krampe || convulsions, spasm

| kreft || cancer

| krig || war

| krongods || land which belonged to the crown or state

| ku || cow

| kun || only

| kunngjøre || declare

| kunnskap || knowledge

| kusine || cousin (female)

| kusk || coachman, teamster

| kveg || cattle

| kvele || choke

| kvell || evening

| kvern || a machine which would mill grain often called a bekkekvern (brook mill). A water wheel was used to turn the mill. If the brook was suitable 3 or 4 mills could be built. There were also smaller hand mills

| kvindemenneske || female

| kvinne || woman

| kvinnekjønn || female

| kyllinger || chickens

| kår || support received after giving one’s estate to another

| kårkone || woman who receives kår

{| class="wikitable"

| lagmann || judge at the high court which was an appeals court over the local court

| lagrettemann || farmer who after taking an oath could function as judges or witnesses

| land || country

| landsby || village

| langfredag || Good Friday

| landskyld || yearly rent which the renter paid to the land owner

| laugverge || widow’s guardian or spokesman

| ledstø || a stone boundary marker between two outer markers

| legd || A group of farms which together were responsible for a portion of the community obligations such as taxes, providing soldiers, or taking care of the poor.

| legdslem || welfare recipient

| leidang || a sea military defense ordinance in Viking times. Later it was made an annual tax

| leie || hire, rent

| leier || tenant

| leilending || leaseholder; the person who rented land from the land owner

| lejermål, leiermål || unlawful and punishable sexual union outside of marriage

| lenge || long

| lensmann/lensherre || sheriff; nobleman who had received a district from the king

| lensmannen || lowest level official in the local administration

| lese || read

| leve || live

| levende || live, living

| lignende || same, alike, similar

|ligprædiken

|funeral sermon

| lik || corpse, alike

| likeledes || also, as well

| lille || small

| lite (litt) || little

| liten || little, small

| liv || life

| los || pilot (ship)

| losjerende || boarder, lodger

| lov || law

| lovlig || legal

| lungebetendelse || pneumonia

| luteraner || Lutheran

| lysning || post banns

| lysninger || banns

| læregutt || apprentice

| lærer || teacher (male)

| lærerinne || teacher (female)

| lærling || apprentice

| løkke || enclosure, meadow, paddock, vacant lot

| løpenummer || serial number; the number given to a parcel of a farm. See more under Matrikkel.

| lørdag || Saturday

| løsaktig || loose or immoral woman

| løsarbeider || day laborer

{| class="wikitable"

| magesyke || diarrhea, stomach ailment

| mai || May

| makeskifte || record of grown men. The oldest is from the 1660’s. Can also be used as a record of those who owe taxes.

| maler || painter

| mandag || Monday

| mange || many

| mann || man, husband

| mannkjønn || male

| mark || field; as a coin = 1 ort whose weight is about 250 grams

| markegang || boundary line

| mars || March

| matrikkel || land registration; official register of real estate used as the foundation for taxation. In the first part of the 1600’s the farms were divided into full farms, half farms, and uninhabited farms and taxed accordingly. In the 1600’s the matrikkel commissions attempted to register all the property in Norway and to justify the tax burden for them. This resulted in the matrikkelen of 1688. Then they used the old terms of hud, geitskinn, og engelsk. This was the official matrikkelen until 1838 although there was a new matrikkel in 1723 which was never used. In 1818 work was started on a new matrikkelen which was put into effect in 1838. Each farm received a new number and each parcel (bruk) received a sub-number (løpenummer). These sub-numbers were a continuous number series for the entire registration as the farms were divided in 1820. With further divisions the numbers were followed by a letter of the alphabet, for example, 279a, 279b, etc. It was a difficult process because so many farms were continuously subdivided or the two parcels were once again united. In 1838 the debt was categorized as skylddaler = 5 ort = 120 schillings. In the 1860’s work was begun on a new matrikkel. Each farm received, once again, a new number and limitless bruksnummer beginning with 1. At the same time the debt values were used as 1 skyldmark = 100 øre. A revised version of this matrikkelen was instituted in 1906. Printed copies of the matrikkelen of 1838, 1889 and 1906 are available. They show the farm and the bruk name, owner, or tenant and the tax value.

| matrikkelnummer || the number assigned to identify property for taxation purposes.

| matros || sailor

| med || with

| medhjelper || assistant, helper

| medlem || member

| med videre (Latin) || et cetera, and so on

| meg || me

| mellom || middle

| mellombygning || middle building

| men || but

| mer || more, additional

| meslinger || measles

| messingsmed || brazier, brass smith

| mester || master (of a trade)

| midlertidig || temporarily

| midnatt || midnight

| mil || metric mile (ten kilometers)

| militær || military

| min || mine (belongs to me)

| mindre || lesser

| minearbeider || miner

| minste || smallest, youngest

| minutt || minute

| modig || courageous, brave

| mor || mother

| mord || murder

| morfar || maternal grandfather

| morgen || morning

| mormor || maternal grandmother

| motta || receive

| murer || mason

| musiker || musician

| m.v. (Latin) || See med videre

| myndig || of age

| møbelsnekker || furniture maker

{| class="wikitable"

| nabo || neighbor

| nadverd || Communion, sacrament

| natt || night

| navn || name

| nedbrent || burned down

| nei || no

| neste || next, neighbor

| neste år || next year

| nevø || nephew

| ni || nine

| niende || ninth

| niese || niece

| nitten || nineteen

| nittende || nineteenth

| nitti || ninety

| nittiende || ninetieth

| noen || some, any

| nord || north

| november || November

| nu, nå || now

| nulevende || living

| null || zero

| nummer || number

| ny || new

| nyfødt || newborn

| nylig || lately

| nyttår || new year

| nær || near, close

| næringsvei || livelihood, trade

| nå, nu || now

{| class="wikitable"

| odel || birthright or allodial ownership

| odelsgods || property which someone has right to by inheritance. It is also used on all privately owned property except privileged noble estates

| odelsskatt || tax on private property paid by a certain part of the property tax based on the amount of land which they didn’t used themselves. This term is a bit misleading because this tax was not only paid on private property, but also on purchased and mortgaged property.

| ofte || often

| og || and

| oktober || October

| oldebarn || great-grandchild

| oldefar || great-grandfather

| oldeforeldre || great-grandparents

| oldemor || great-grandmother

| om || if, about

| omegn || neighboring places

| omtrent || about, almost, nearly

| omvendelse || conversion

| onkel || uncle

| onsdag || Wednesday

| opgave (ved uægte børn af hvem Opgaven er skeet) || task (specifically, for illegitimate children, who reported their status)

| opp || up

| oppe || above, upstairs

| oppfostre || foster, to rear

| oppgivelsesskifte || probate held before the property was turned over to heirs when receiving a life estate. Also for the one which probated is deceased.

| opptegnelse || record

| ordbok || dictionary

| ordfører || mayor

| ort || as money 1 ort = 24 skilling. Also used as a measure of debt.

| oss || us

| osv. || et cetera, and so on

| over || over

| overhoffretten || the highest court in Norway from 1666-1797

| overlevende || survivors

{| class="wikitable"

| pagina (Latin) || page

| pallask || sword

| pantebok || mortgage record

| pantegods || property which is mortgaged. From the beginning of the 1700’s the mortgage holder had the right to all the properties income. He must also pay taxes on this income. In the 1700’s the mortgage holder collected yearly interest while the mortgagee kept the right of disposition of the property

| parsell || plot of land, allotment

| parykkmaker || wigmaker

| penger || money

| pensjon || pension

| pensjonist || retired person

| person || person

| pest || plague

| pike (pige) || girl, maid

| pikebarn || female child

| pikenavn || maiden name, girl’s name

| pinse || Pentecost

| pladsen || the cottage - houses, place the cottager occupied

| plass || see Husmannsplass

| pleiebarn || foster child

| pleiedatter || foster daughter

| pleiefar || foster father

| pleieforeldre || foster parents

| pleiemor || foster mother

| pleiesønn || foster son

| poteter || potatoes

| pottemaker || potter

| preke || preach

| prest || minister, priest

| prestegjeld || clerical district

| prestegods || the property which supported the priest and which he had income from as part of his salary

| prestekontor || parish office

| prestemanntall || count or census of the priests

| prins || prince

| prinsesse || princess

| på || on, at, upon

{| class="wikitable"

| regjering || government

| regning || bill

| regnskap || account

| reise || travel

| religion || religion

| repslager || rope maker

| rett || court (noun), correct

| rettferdig || just, righteous

| ridder || knight

| rik || wealthy

| riksbankdaler || main currency in Norway 1813-1816. 1 riksbankdaler = 6 mark = 96 riksbankskilling. At that time a very large amount of riksbankdaler were issued such that the value of them quickly decreased

| riksdaler || main currency in Norway 1544-1813. From 1625 1 rikdaler = 4 ort = 96 skilling

| riktig || correct

| rug || rye

| rulle || a record of soldiers

| rundt || around

| ryg || rye

| rytter || cavalryman

{| class="wikitable"

! Norwegian !! English

| sa || said, stated

| sabbat || Sabbath

| sagskjærer || sawmill worker who cut with a handsaw