arval
The money given to hunters, at the death of a fox, in order to buy aleThe money given to hunters, at the death of a fox, in order to buy ale.
Meaning
3 senses(historical, rare)The ale served at such a wake, the drinking of which was a ritually significant act in Norse culture.
The money given to hunters, at the death of a fox, in order to buy ale.
(Northern England, Scotland, archaic)A funeral feast or wake at which bread and ale was served, traditional in Scotland, the North of England, and among the Norse.
Origin
From Middle English arvell, from Old Norse erfiǫl (“a funeral feast”), from arfr (“inheritFrom Middle English arvell, from Old Norse erfiǫl (“a funeral feast”), from arfr (“inheritance”) + öl (“ale”). Cognate with Danish arveøl (“a wake, funeral feast”). More at erf, ale.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.