byrnwiga

From byrne (“coat of mail”) +‎ wiga (“warrior”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈbyrnˌwi.ɡɑ/, [ˈbyrˠnˌwi.ɣɑ]

byrnwiga m

1. (poetic) mailed warrior
   • 10th century, The Wanderer:

     Hwǣr cōm mearg? Hwǣr cōm mago? · Hwǣr cōm māþþumġyfa?
     Hwǣr cōm symbla ġesetu? · Hwǣr sindon seledrēamas?
     Ēalā beorht bune! · Ēalā byrnwiga!
     Ēalā þēodnes þrym! · Hū sēo þrāg ġewāt,
     ġenāp under nihthelm, · swā hēo nō wære.

     Whither did the horse come? Whither did the man come? Whither did the treasure-giver come?
     Whither did the seats of feasts come? Where are the hall-joys?
     Alack and alas, bright cup! Alack and alas, mailed warrior!
     Alack and alas, the army of the king! How did the time pass,
     grow dark under the cover of night, as if it never did.

Weak:

• Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “byrnwiga”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.