Croft

Croft: Croft is an interesting example of a word that got away from its etymology. The root for croft is a Dutch word for hill. However, croft now means a small enclosed field or even more afield from hill: a tenant farm. When croft becomes undercroft, the result is a crypt, arguably closer the the original hill than croft alone.

It was true that hunger in recent years had brought packs close to crofts and isolated villages in the dead of winter.

A Book for Today: Company of Liars by Karen Maitland