Proto-Germanic origin
Source-reportedMeaning: “hostage” + “army”
From Proto-West Germanic *Gīslahari, from Proto-Germanic *Gīslaharjaz, from *gīslaz (“hostage”) + *harjaz (“army”). Equivalent to gīsal + heri. Cognate with Old English Gislhere, Old Norse Gislarr, Late Latin Gislaharius (via Burgundian, etc.).
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- Proto-West Germanic
- Proto-Germanic
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Proto-language forms marked with an asterisk in the source are reconstructions, rather than dated records of a person using the name.
Read the cited Wiktionary entrySources for this account (1)
- Wiktionary: GisalheriCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

