Meaning & use
mead halls
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“mead halls” is a form of “mead hall”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounpluralliteraryold-fashioned
Large halls in early medieval times where people gathered to eat, drink mead, and hear stories or poems.
Grammar: Plural noun; the singular is 'mead hall'. Use with plural verbs: 'mead halls were...'.
Patterns
- mead halls were built
- in mead halls
The poem describes several mead halls along the coast.
Archaeologists have found traces of mead halls in Scandinavia.
Mead halls served as political and social centers in early medieval society.
Word forms
| singular | mead hall |
|---|
Common combinations
- ancient mead halls
- Ancient mead halls were often made of wood.
- mead halls in literature
- Mead halls in literature symbolize community and loyalty.
- build mead halls
- Kings would build mead halls to reward their followers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- banquet halls
- More general; they do not necessarily involve mead or the early medieval period.
- feasting halls
- Emphasizes the activity of feasting rather than the drink.
Commonly confused: mead halls or meadows?
mead halls vs meadows
Meadows are fields of grass; mead halls are buildings. They sound similar but are completely different.
Practice
The epic poem mentions three ______ where the king held his feasts.
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs a plural noun to match 'three', so 'mead halls' is correct. 'Mead hall' is singular, 'mead' is the drink, and 'meadows' are fields.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mead halls”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.