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

• 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

• 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

• copulerede (archaic)-people who is married. Used in church records

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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- 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

• jamfør (jevnfør)- compare
• jevnførselsliste - alphabetical list of entries in church records.(Cross-reference to other entries

• 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.

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• quinde (archaic) - woman
• qvitt (abbreviation) - receipt

• 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.

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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.

• 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

• ødegård, ødegard - farm left unattended
• øst - east
• østre - eastern
• øvre, øverste - upper

• åleine - alone
• åndsveik - mentally retarded (this expression is no longer in use)
• år-year
• årlig (NN årleg) - annual
• åtte - eight, owned