shieling

noun — 2 senses

shieling

noun

/ˈʃiːlɪŋ/

Etymology From Scots shiel (“hut”) (from Old Norse skjól (“shelter, cover”)) + -ing. Akin to Danish skjul (“cover”).

1

An area of summer pasture used for cattle, sheep etc.

  • The cattle at Mosfell were kept in a shieling, and Thordis stayed there while the Thing took place.1997, ‘Egil's Saga’, translated by Bernard Scudder, The Sagas of Icelanders, Penguin, published 2001, page 182:
2

A shepherd's hut or shack.

  • And what are twenty beds, when all the drovers, And all the shieling herdsmen from Bengorach, Must have a lair provided for the night.1836, Joanna Baillie, The Phantom, act 1:
  • Cabins and shielings had been torn down and burned.2002, Joseph O'Conner, Star of the Sea, Vintage, published 2003, page 39:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.