Martin's
Magazine
Martin's
Norwegian Genealogy Dictionary
This dictionary contains words related to genealogy. Most of the words are
not likely to appear in a common dictionary. However, to be able to make a translation
you will also need a common dictionary. Abbreviation NN means Nynorsk (one of
Norway's two official languages) Use your browser's "back feature" to return
to navigation bar.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Æ
Ø
Å
A
- aar (år)- year
- adel- nobility
- af (from Dahish) - of, off or from
- alder- age
- almisse - charity
- amt (archaic for fylke)- district
- anmerkning - note
- attende- back
- attlege - meadow
- av- of, by
- avgang (bortgang, død)- demise, death
- avg. havn - port of departure
B
- barn (NN pl. born)- child, children
- barnebarn- grandchild, grandchildren
- barnløs (barnlaus)- childless
- begravet (gravlagd)- buried
- bemeldte - reported
- besittelse - possession
- beskrivelse (skildring)- description
- bestefar- grandfather
- bestemor- grandmother
- biografi- biography
- biografisk- biographical
- bo- in place names, "farm"
- bo, bur, bodde, budd- live
- bonde- farmer
- bortgang (avgang, død)- demise
- bosted - place of residence
- bot - fine, punishment
- bror, brødre- brother, brothers
- bunad - costume. In Norway used about national costumes
- by- town, village
- bygd- rural settlement
- bygdebok - Norwegian farm and family history
- bygsel, bøksel, bøxel - agreement on renting a piece of land
- bødker/bøkker - cooper
- bøtelagt - to have been given a fine
C
- copulerede (archaic)-people who is married. Used in church records
D
- daap (dåp)- baptism
- dag- day
- dagleie - day labor
- datere - date
- dampskip - steamship
- datter, døtre- daughter, daughters
- deres (deira)- their
- dra- pull
- dra- travel, go away
- dreng - male servant
- dø (NN døy) - to die
- død- death, deceased
- dødfødt - stillborn
- dølgsmål - secrecy
- døpe (NN døype)- baptize
E
- efter (etter)- after
- eige (NN)- to own
- eigelut - possession (about things)
- eigendom (NN) - property
- ekte- legitimate
- ekte- (verb) to marry
- ektefolk, ektepar- married couple
- ekteskap- marriage
- eldhus - utilitybuilding on the farm. Has a big fireplace.
- eldre- older
- eldst- oldest
- enke (NN enkje)- widow
- enkemann (NN enkjemann)- widower
- ental (entall)- singular
- enslig - single
F
- fadder- godparent, sponsor
- far, fedre- father, fathers
- farbror- father's brother (uncle)
- farfar- father's father (grandfather)
- farmor- father's mother (grandmother)
- faster- father's sister (aunt)
- fedrene- the ancestors, ancestral, the fathers
- festeseddel - written contract about the lease of land
- fetter- cousin (male)
- fhv. - short for forhenværende meaning former, late
- fisker - fisherman
- fiskesjå - a shed to store fish
- flor - a building to keep cattle/cowshed
- fogd - head of fogderi. The Crowns representative
- fogderi - old administrativ unit
- foreldre- parents
- forfatter- author
- forfedre- ancestors
- forlovet - engaged
- forlovede - fiancee
- forsørge- support (the family/children)
- fra (NN frå)- from
- fragtbillet - fare
- fram, frem- forward
- frue (kone)- wife
- fylke- district, county
- født (fødd)- born
- fødested(fødestad)- place of birth
- føderåd - support of poor people
- ført- recorded
- færaskrin - chest used to carry luggage while traveling
G
- gaard (gård, NN: gard)- farm
- gaardbruker, gårdbruker- farmer
- gammel (gammelt, gamle)- old
- gardsnavn- farm name
- gift (vigd)- married
- giftarmål (NN)- marriage
- gods- estate, property
- grend- neighborhood, rural settlement
- gudmor - godmother
- gutt- boy
H
- ha - have, posses
- hadde - had
- hans - his
- havde (archaic) - had
- hennes, (NN: hennar) (archaic hendes) - her
- herred (archaic for kommune) - municipality
- hjem (NN heim) - a home
- hjemme (NN heime) - at home
- husbonde - head of household
- huseier - houseowner
- husfader - head of household
- husmann - tenant farmer, cotter, crafter
- husmannsseddel - the written agreement the tenant farmer makes with
the owner of the land on which he reside.
- hustru - wife
- hvor- where
I
- i- in, whitin
- ibid(em)(archaic)- same place
- item (archaic)- same as
- inderst, innerst - agricultural laborer residing on a farm that is
not his own
- innvandrer- immigrant
- innflytta- moved in also immigrated
J
- jamfør (jevnfør)- compare
- jevnførselsliste - alphabetical list of entries in church records.(Cross-reference
to other entries
K
- kirke (NN kyrkje)- church
- kirkebøker- church book, church record
- kjønn - sex. Gender
- kjørekarl - driver of horse drawn wagon
- koffardikaptein - captain on a merchant ship
- kommune (archaic: herred)- municipality
- kone (frue)- wife
- konferer (konferere)- compare
- konfirmert- confirmed
- kongelig- royal
- kreatur - cattle
- kristna(NN)- baptized
- kristne (NN)- to baptize
- kusine- cousin (female)
- kvinne, -r (archaic: kvinde, -r) - woman, -women
- kvindekjøn - female
- kyrkje - church
- kyrkjegods - property owned by the church
- kår- agreement about support of elderly people.Usually made with the
son/daughter who took over/inherited the farm.
- kårbrev - the written agreement about support
- kårfolk - the couple who is supported
- kårkone - the woman who is being supported
- kårmann - the man who is being supported
- kårstaue/kårhus - house on the farm where the supported people live.
L
- lade - a building to keep corn or hey/barn
- landmann (bonde)- farmer
- land- country, also property
- lausunge- unmarried woman's child (somewhat rude expression, should
be referred to as "uekte" or "født utenfor ekteskap")
- legdslem/lægdslem - community supported pauper
- leiermål - sexual intercourse between people who is not married
- lensmann - the local police officer
- livøre - agreement about support of old people
- logerende- boarding
- lut (NN) - part
- løsarbeider - day laborer
M
- mann (archaic mand), menn - man, men
- matrikkel- register, roll
- medbrakte penge - cash on hand
- merknad - note
- mor (archaic: moder)- mother
- morbror- mother's brother
- morfar- mother's father, grandfather
- mormor- mother's mother, grandmother
- moster - mother's sister, aunt
N
- navn (namn)- name
- nedre- lower
- nest - second (i.e. second youngest, second oldest etc.)
- nevø- nephew
- niese (brordatter, søsterdatter)- niece
- nord- north
- nordre- northern
- når avreist - time of departure
O
- odel - the oldest child's right to inherit the farm. In earlier days
always the oldest son.
- offentlig - public
- og - and
- oldefar- great-grandfather
- oldemor- great-grandmother
- omkring- about
- onkel- uncle
- opphav- origin
- oppvaksen (vekse opp)- grown up
P
- part, partane - part, parts or party, parties
- pike, jente- (abb: pg og pk)- girl
- plass- place, homestead
- pleiedatter - foster daughter
- pleiesønn - foster son
- prest, - minister
- prestegard - parsonage, rectory
- prestegjeld- parish
Q
- quinde (archaic) - woman
- qvitt (abbreviation) - receipt
R
- registrert- recorded
- reise - to travel, a journey
- reise - erect
- røykstove - a one storied building with a square opening in the
roof(a 'ljore') to let out smoke above the oven which didn't have
a pipe.
S
- salmaker - saddelmaker
- samboere- couple living together without being lawful wedded
- saugarbeider (archaic) - worker ar saw mill
- selveier - person who owns the land on which he resides
- sengebu - a building with beds
- sjølvfolk - the married couple who head the household
- skatt- tax
- skifte- probate
- skifteprotokoller- probate records
- skiftesamling -meeting of heirs
- skilt - divorced
- skip - ship
- skipreide (archaic) - old military unit
- skot -a minor attic/loft used to sleep in, very often open/or a
lumber room
- skrin - small chest
- skriven - recorded
- skrædder/skredder - tailor
- skytje- a minor outhouse/shed, very often used for storing wood
or keeping tools or other implements
- skøyte, skøte - record issued to prove ownership of land
- skøyte - sailboat, skate
- slekt - family, kin, lineage
- slektning - relative
- snedker/snekker - carpenter
- smaabruk (småbruk)- small farm
- smalhus - sheepshed/goatshed (smali=old norr for small cattle)
- Statsarkivet- State Archives
- stad, by- city, town
- stadfeste - confirm
- staue (dialectal) stove (NN) stue - small house, cottage
- stamtavle- pedigree
- strandsitter - seaside resident who does not own the land
- stridt- hard, difficult
- sokn, sogn- sub-parish
- speciedaler - old money currency
- stabbur - a storage building for food (on poles to keep animals out)
- stamfar- ancestor, progenitor
- sval - a kind of roof covered gangway/hallway either around the
building or on one side of the building
- sødsken (archaic) - siblings
- sømand - (Danish) sailor
- sønder- southern
- sør - south
- søsken - siblings
- søskenbarn- (syskenborn) - cousin
- søster, syster, søstre- sister, sisters
T
- y
- taksere - appraise or value
- tante- aunt
- taus - 'girl, ²quiet
- teig- part of farm (productive land)
- testamente- will, testament
- tidligere næringsvei - previous occupation
- til - to
- ting - court meeting
- tinglyse - publicly announce the validity of a written agreement
- tittel - title
- tjenestefolk- servants
- tjenestegutt- male servant
- tjeneste -jente, -pike - female servant
- trearbeider - woodworker or carpenter
- tremenning - second cousin
- trulova - engaged to be married
- tukthus, tugthus - prison
- tømra - built of timber
- tå (dialectal)- from
U
- uekte (archaic: uægte) - illegitimate, out of wedlock
- ugift- unmarried
- ung, yngre, yngst- young, younger, youngest
- ungkar, (archaic: ungkarl) - bachelor
- utenfor ekteskap- out of wedlock
- utflytta- moved out, emigrated
- utvandrer- emigrant
V
- ved- by
- ved- firewood, by
- vedskjul - woodshed
- ver -son,-dotter,-mor,-far- son-, daughter... in law (sometimes used
about step -son - daughter..)
- vest - west
- vestre - western
- vielse - marriage (the formal act by minister or official)
- vigd(e)- to have undergone the formal act by minister or off.
- vognmann - coachman
- våningshus - the house on the farm where the people live.
W
X
Y
Z
Æ
- ægte - true or real. In church records used to confirme that the child
is born in marriage
- ægteskab (archaic) - marriage
- ærbarhet - honor
- ærbødigst - respectfully
- ære - honor
- ætt - family
- ættling - heir
Ø
- ødegård, ødegard - farm left unattended
- øst - east
- østre - eastern
- øvre, øverste - upper
Å
- åleine - alone
- åndsveik - mentally retarded (this expression is no longer in use)
- år-year
- årlig (NN årleg) - annual
- åtte - eight, owned
If you find errors, words that needs clarification, or you DO
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