halse

See also: Halse and Hälse

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Middle English hals, from Old English heals (neck, prow of a ship), from Proto-West Germanic *hals, from Proto-Germanic *halsaz (neck), from Proto-Indo-European *kols-, *ḱols- (neck).

Cognate with Dutch hals (neck, throat), German Hals (neck, throat), Norwegian hals (neck, throat), Swedish hals (neck, throat), Latin collum (neck).

Alternative forms

Noun

halse (plural halses)

  1. (anatomy, archaic) The neck; the throat.
    Well, as you know they used to hang folk by the halse for horse theft.
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle English halsen, halchen, from Old English *halsian, *healsian (to embrace, literally to fall upon the neck of), from heals (neck). See above. Cognate with Old Saxon helsjen (to embrace), Old High German halsōn (German halsen (to jibe)), Icelandic hálsa (to embrace).

Alternative forms

Verb

halse (third-person singular simple present halses, present participle halsing, simple past and past participle halsed)

  1. (dialectal) To fall upon the neck of; hug; embrace.
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “xxj”, in Le Morte Darthur, book VIII:
      soo the Kyng took a lytel hackney and but fewe felauship with him vntyl he came vnto sir Tristrams pauelione / and whanne syre Trystram sawe the Kynge / he ranne vnto hym and wold haue holden his styrope / But the kynge lepte from his hors lyghtly / and eyther halsed other in armes
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
  • enhalse

Etymology 3

    From Middle English halsen, halsien (to beseech, adjure), from Old English healsian, hālsian (to entreat earnestly, beseech, implore), from Proto-Germanic *hailisōną (to greet), from Proto-Indo-European *kailo-, *kailu- (whole, safe).

    Cognate with Middle High German heilsen (to predict), Swedish hälsa (to greet), Icelandic heilsa (to salute). More at whole.

    Verb

    halse (third-person singular simple present halses, present participle halsing, simple past and past participle halsed)

    1. (transitive) To greet; salute; hail.
    2. (transitive) To beseech; adjure.
    Derived terms

    Etymology 4

    From Middle English hals (neck), from Old Norse háls (neck, part of the forecastle or bow of a ship), from Proto-Germanic *halsaz (neck). See Etymology 1. Cognate with Danish hals (neck, tack).

    Alternative forms

    Noun

    halse (plural halses)

    1. Alternative form of hawse.

    Verb

    halse (third-person singular simple present halses, present participle halsing, simple past and past participle halsed)

    1. (obsolete) To haul; to hoist.

    Anagrams

    Danish

    Noun

    halse c

    1. indefinite plural of hals

    Verb

    halse (imperative hals, infinitive at halse, present tense halser, past tense halsede, perfect tense har halset)

    1. bark
      Hunden halser: The dog is barking
    2. rush
      halse efter: rush after

    Synonyms

    Middle English

    Verb

    halse

    1. alternative form of halsen