sheer

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card. numb. and pron.

1) one;

einn skal við einn eiga, one shall fight against one;

einn ok einn, one by one, one at a time, singly;

2) as ord. numb. = inn fyrsti (Urð hétu eina, aðra Verðandi, Skuld ina þriðju);

3) the same, one and the same (váru sveinarnir up fœddir báðir í einu þorpi);

allt í eina leið, all in one way;

einn … ok, the same as (í einu herbergi ok hinn);

allr einn, the very same, quite the same (þat er allt eitt ok himinn);

allt at einu, nevertheless, for all that (þó at þú þjónaðir illum, þó var hann allt at einu þinn herra);

4) indef. one, a certain (einn vetr, einn dag, eitt kveld);

einn vinr Þóris, a certain friend of Th.;

before numbers, about, some;

einar fimm þúsundir, some five thousand;

einir … aðrir, some … others (einir tóku dúka ok aðrir rekkjublæjur);

einn ok ýmiss, one and another (einar ok ýmissar þjóðir);

5) after a negation, any;

né eitt, not anything;

6) gen. pl. ‘einna’ used in an intensive sense;

einna manna bezt, best of all (single) men;

einna verst, by far the worst;

einna sízt, by far the least, least of all;

engi er einna hvatastr, no man is superior to all others;

7) alone (Guðrún skyldi ein ráða fyrir fé þeirra);

láta konu eina, to desert or divorce one’s wife;

with gen., hann varð einn sinna manna, he was separated from his men;

if put after the noun ‘einn’ generally denotes only, but;

segja þetta prett einn, to call this a mere trick;

vín eitt, wine only;

var þat (handklæði) raufar einar, all in holes, mere tatters;

fáir einir, only a few;

einn sér or sér einn, quite by oneself, alone (hann var einn sér);

einn saman, einn samt, quite alone;

kona eigi ein saman, not alone, with child;

at eins, only, but;

eigi at eins, not only;

því at eins, only in that case;

údauðr at eins, merely not dead, all but dead, barely alive;

at einu = at eins.

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adj., pl. einir, acc. sing. einn, but also einan, esp. in the sense al-einan etc.; [Gr. εἱς, εν; Lat. ūnus, and early Lat. oinos; Ulf. ains; A. S. ân; Engl. one, in E. Engl. proncd. like stone, bone; Scot. ane; Swed. en; Dan. een]:—one.

A. Cardinal number, one; einn, tveir, þrír …, opp. to báðir, fleiri, etc.; einum eðr fleirum, Grág. i. 108; eina sök eðr fleiri, 78; unnu báðir eins verk, Fas. i. 515; einum ok einum, one by one, ii. 252; tveir menn veðmæltu um einn grip, Grág. i. 412.

2. in old poems it is used as an ordinal number; Urð hétu eina, aðra Verðandi, Vsp. 20; segðu þat it eina …, opp. to þat it annat, Vþm. 20; hjálp heitir eitt, help ranks first, Hm. 147, Vkv. 2; but this use is quite obsolete.

3. with the notion of sameness, one and the same (unus et idem;) í einu húsi, in the same house, Grág. ii. 42; ein ero lög um, hvárt sem ero naut eðr sauðir, i. 422; allt á eina leið, all one way, Fms. ii. 315; til einnar gistingar báðir, vii. 274; í einu brjósti, Alm. 36; allr einn, the very same, Nj. 213.

II. indefinite, a, an, a certain one; einn vetr, a winter, Fms. i. 57; einn dag, x. 11, Fas. i. 514; eitt kveld, Ld. 38; einn hinn versti maðr, Fær. 91; Breiðlingr einn, a man from Broaddale, Sturl. ii. 249; einn vinr Þóris, a certain friend of Thorir, Fms. vi. 277: einn as the indefinite article is hardly found in old writers; and though it is freq. in the Bible, sermons, hymns, etc., since the Reformation, it was no doubt borrowed from the German, and has never been naturalised.

β. about, before numbers; ein tvau hundruð vaðmála, about two hundred pieces, Sks. 30; einar fimm þúsudir, about three thousand, Al. 111,—obsolete, in mod. usage hérum-bil or the like.

III. alone, Gr. μόνος, Lat. solus, used both in sing. and plur.; Guðrún skyldi ein ráða, Ld. 132; Hallr tók einn upp fang, 38; láta einan, to let alone; láttu mig Drottinn einan ekki, Pass. 34. 11; as a law term, to let one’s wife alone, þá lét hann eina Guðrúnu, Fms. x. 324 (cp. einlát); Gunnarr mundi vera einn heima, Nj. 113; sjá einn hlutr, that one thing only, 112; þau ein tíðendi (plur.), only such news, 242.

β. if put after the noun, einn denotes, only, but, sheer, and is almost adverb.; segja þetta prett einn, a mere trick, Sturl. ii. 249; raufar einar, all in holes, Nj. 176; urðu borðin í blóði einu, the tables were bedabbled with blood all over, 270, Ó. H. 116; öll orðin at hvölum einum, all turned into whales, Fas. i. 372; gabb eitt ok háð, sheer mockery, Sks. 247; orð ein, mere words, Nj. 123; ígangs-klæði ein, Eg. 75; vin eitt, wine only, Gm. 19; heiptyrði ein, Fm. 9; hamingjur einar, Vþm. 49; ofsamenn einir, Ld. 158; þá nótt eina, for that one night, N. G. L. i. 240: also after an adj., lítið eina, only a little, Stj. 177; þat eina, er hann ætti sjálfr, Eg. 47, Fms. v. 303; nema góðs eina, naught but good, Eg. 63; fátt eitt, few only, but few; vilt eitt, but what is agreeable, Hm. 125; mikit eitt skala manni gefa, a proverb, ‘small gifts shew great love,’ 51; sá einn, er …, he only, who …, 17; satt eitt, sooth only, Fm. 9; the sense differs according as the adj. is placed before or after the noun, einn Guð, the one God; but, Guð einn, God only, none but God.

IV. plur. in a distributive sense, single; ein gjöld, a single weregild, opp. to tvenn, þrenn, fern, double, triple, quadruple, Grág. ii. 232; thus Icel. say, einir sokkar, skór, vetlingar, a pair of socks, shoes, gloves; einar brækr, a pair of breeches; also with nouns which have only plur., e. g. ein, tvenn, þrenn Jól, one, two, three Christmasses ( Yules); einar (tvennar) dyrr, a single … door; eina Páska, one Easter.

V. gen. pl. einna is used in an intensive sense; einna manna bezt, best of all single men, Fms. ix. 258; í mesta lagi einna manna, foremost of all single men, Bjarn. 65; fátt er svá einna hluta, at örvænt sé at hitti annat slíkt, Ó. H. 75.

β. ellipt., manna, hluta, or the like being omitted, einna becomes almost an adverbial phrase, by far, exceedingly; at engi viti einna miklogi görr (= einna manna), that no one ( no single man) shall know it much better, Grág. i. 2; einna verst, by far the worst, Orkn. 162, Nj. 38; einna sizt, by far the least, least of all, Fms. i. 37; einna mest verðr, Ld. 8; er einna var ríkastr, who was the mightiest of all, Fms. i. 297; engan rétt einna meir kunnan at göra (= einna rétta meir), Sks. 22; engi er einna hvatastr (= e. manna), there is none so mighty but be may find his match, Hm. 63: in mod. usage einna, joined with a superlative, is used adverbially, e. beztr, e. fljótastr, the best, the fleetest, but in a somewhat depreciatory sense.

VI. used adverb.:

1. gen. sing. eins,

α. eins ok, as, as if; eins ok væri hann með öllu óttalauss, Hkr. iii. 275; allt eins ok ( just as) rakkar metja með tungu, Stj. 392.

β. likewise, in the same way; mikill þorri var þat er þær sögðu eins báðar, Landn. (Hb.) 320; this use of eins is very rare in old writers, but freq. in mod. use; in the spoken language at least ‘eins’ (= as) has almost replaced the old ‘sem.’

γ. only; er ek hefi áðr spurn til eins, Fms. iv. 139 (rare).

δ. at eins, only, but, Grág. i. 235; vel at eins, ironically, well enough, Ld. 248; eigi at eins, not only, Fms. i. 266; með sínum at eins kostnaði, vii. 184; því at eins, only in that case, Nj. 228; þar at eins, Ísl. ii. 400; allt eins, not the less for that, 216: in mod. use, just as (vide allr A. V. 5).

2. dat. at einu = at eins; údauðr at einu, Ld. 242; því at einu = því at eins, Fms. iv. 195; því at einu er rétt …, Grág. i. 164; svá at einu, id., Nj. 103; sá evkr syndir sínar at einu, he but adds to his sins, Hom. 157; allt at einu, all the same, Ísl. ii. 216, v. l.: af því einu, only because, Mork. 140.

B. Joined to another pronominal adj. or adv.:

I. einn hverr, adj. pron., in old writers usually in two words and with a double declension (see below), but now and then (and in mod. usage always) in a single word, einn being indecl.; einhverja (acc. f.), Hbl. 30; einhverjum (dat. sing.), Hm. 122, Fms. x. 71; einhverjo héraði, Al. 98, Nj. 2; einhverra (gen.), Fms. iv. 75; einhverir (nom. pl.), viii. 202; einhver, einhverir, etc.: the form eins-hverr is peculiar, keeping the gen. indecl. through all the cases, nom. einshverr, N. G. L. i. 6; acc. einshverja, Stj. 156, 655 xxxii. 18, Gþl. 135; dat. einshverjum, Stj. 22, 442, 448; this form seems to be chiefly Norse, is very rare in old writers, and now quite obsolete; neut. sing. eitthvert, Vm. 73, or eitthvat, Stj. 442, the mod. usage makes a distinction, and uses eitthvert only as adj., eitthvað as subst.:

1. each one, each single one; maðr er einn hverr, Edda 108; þær eru svá margar, at ein hver má vel endask, Eg. 414; ór þeirra fjórðungi sem ór einum hverjum öðrum, Íb. ch. 5; skal einn hverr ( each) þeirra nefna sér vátta, Grág. i. 74; jafnmikinn arf sem einn hverr ( each) sona hans, Sturl. ii. 77; fátt er svá herra einhverra hluta, of any single thing, Fms. iv. 175.

β. joined to a superl. it strengthens the sense; ágætastr maðr einn hverr, one of the very first men, Nj. 282; vinsælastr höfðingi einhverr, highly popular, Fms. vii. 4; einhver drengilegust vörn, ix. 515.

2. in an indefinite sense, some, somebody, a certain one; eitthvert ríki, Sks. 350; eina hverja nótt, some night, 686 B. 4; eitthvert sinn, once, sometime, Sturl. i. 77, Nj. 79; einhverju sinni, id., 2; einhvern dag, some day, Fms. v. 177, Ísl. ii. 212; eina hverja þessa tíð, about this time, N. G. L. i. 355; til einnar hverrar stefnu, to some meeting, Fb. i. 354; eins-hverja hluti, Stj. 156; með eins-hverjum sveini, 442; at ekki sé minna vert, at hlýða prests-messu nývígðs hinni fyrstu, heldr en biskups-messu einhverri, Bs. i. 131.

β. used as subst.; einn hverr várr búandanna, Fms. i. 34; einn hvern manna hans, Eg. 258; einhverr í hverjum dal, Ld. 258, Nj. 192.

γ. einhver-staðar (eins-hver-staðar, Fms. vii. 84), adv. somewhere, Grett. 130, Fms. iv. 57, Sd. 181.

II. einn-saman, adj. ‘one together’ (vide einsamall), i. e. quite alone; maðrinn lifir ekki af einu-saman brauði, Matth. iv. 4; með einni-saman sinni sýn, með einni-saman sinni þefan, Stj. 93; ef útlegðir fara einar-saman, if it be solely a matter of outlay ( fine), Grág. i. 103; ef þat færi eitt-saman, ii. 10: of a woman, vera eigi ein-saman, to be not alone, to be with a child, Fms. iii. 109.

III. with other words; einir … ýmissir, ‘one and sundry;’ various, mixed, Stj. 88, 204; eina hluti ok ýmissa, Fb. i. 191.

β. hverr ok einn, ‘each and one,’ every one, 677. 1, H. E. i. 393, Rb. 492; fyrir hvern mun ok einn, Fas. i. 396.

γ. einn ok sér-hverr, one and all.

δ. einn sér, apart, for oneself, alone; Múspells-synir hafa einir sér fylking, Edda 41; einn sér, sole, Fms. ii. 308; sér einir, Sturl. ii. 53: metaph. singular, peculiar, ein var hón sér í lýðsku, Fs. 30.

ε. sér-hverr, adj. every one, q. v.: eins-konar, adv. of one kind, Skálda 165; mod. indef. of a certain kind, a kind of: eins-kostar, adv. particularly, Ísl. ii. 322, Mork. 81.

ζ. né einn, not one, none; in old writers usually so, but now and then contracted neinn (q. v.), and in mod. usage always so; né eina sekð, Grág. i. 136; né eitt úhreint, Stj. 409; né einu sinni, not once, Fms. xi. 13; né eins, not a single thing, 112; né eina herferð, vii. 28.

η. fáir einir, only a few, in mod. usage in one word, nom. fáeinir, dat. fáeinum, gen. fáeinna: ein-stakr, single, q. v.: al-einn, alone, q. v.: ein-mana, q. v. (cp. Gr. μόνος): einum-megin, adv. on one side, Nj. 248 (vide vegr).

s, m., pl. ir: [the etymology of this word has been much contested; some—upon the authority of Snorri, hans menn fóru ‘brynjulausir,’ Hkr. i. 11—derive it from ‘berr’ ( bare) and ‘serkr’ [cp. sark, Scot. for shirt]; but this etymology is inadmissible, because ‘serkr’ is a subst. not an adj.: others derive it from ‘berr’ (Germ. bär = ursus), which is greatly to be preferred, for in olden ages athletes and champions used to wear hides of bears, wolves, and reindeer (as skins of lions in the south), hence the names Bjálfi, Bjarnhéðinn, Úlfhéðinn, (héðinn, pellis,)—‘pellibus aut parvis rhenonum tegimentis utuntur,’ Caes. Bell. Gall. vi. 22: even the old poets understood the name so, as may be seen in the poem of Hornklofi (beginning of 10th century), a dialogue between a Valkyrja and a raven, where the Valkyrja says, at berserkja reiðu vil ek þik spyrja, to which the raven replies, Úlfhéðnar heita, they are called Wolfcoats, cp. the Vd. ch. 9; þeir berserkir er Úlfhéðnar vóru kallaðir, þeir höfðu vargstakka ( coats of wild beasts) fyrir brynjur, Fs. 17]:—a ‘bear-sark,’ ‘bear-coat,’ i. e. a wild warrior or champion of the heathen age; twelve berserkers are mentioned as the chief followers of several kings of antiquity, e. g. of the Dan. king Rolf Krake, Edda 82; a Swed. king, Gautr. S. Fas. iii. 36; king Adils, Hrólf. Kr. S. ch. 16 sqq.; Harald Hárfagri, Eg. ch. 9, Grett. ch. 2, Vd. l. c. (Hornklofi, v. above); the twelve sons of Arngrim, Hervar. S. ch. 3–5, Hdl. 22, 23; the two berserkers sent as a present by king Eric at Upsala to earl Hakon of Norway, and by him presented to an Icel. nobleman, Eb. ch. 25. In battle the berserkers were subject to fits of frenzy, called berserks-gangr (furor bersercicus, cp. the phrase, ganga berserksgang), when they howled like wild beasts, foamed at the mouth and gnawed the iron rim of their shields; during these fits they were, according to popular belief, proof against steel and fire, and made great havoc in the ranks of the enemy; but when the fever abated they were weak and tame. A graphical description of the ‘furor bersercicus’ is found in the Sagas, Yngl. S. ch. 6, Hervar. S. l. c., Eg. ch. 27, 67, Grett. ch. 42, Eb. ch. 25, Nj. ch. 104, Kristni S. ch. 2, 8 (Vd. ch. 46); cp. also a passage in the poem of Hornklofi | grenjuðu berserkir, | guðr var þeim á sinnum, | emjaðu Úlfhéðnar | ok ísarn gniiðu—which lines recall to the mind Roman descriptions of the Cimbric war-cry. In the Icel. Jus Eccles. the berserksgangr, as connected with the heathen age, is liable to the lesser outlawry, K. Þ. K. 78; it is mentioned as a sort of possession in Vd. ch. 37, and as healed by a vow to God. In the Dropl. S. Major (in MS.) it is medically described as a disease (v. the whole extract in the essay ‘De furore Bersercico,’ Kristni S. old Ed. in cake); but this Saga is modern, probably of the first part of the 17th century. The description of these champions has a rather mythical character. A somewhat different sort of berserker is also recorded in Norway as existing in gangs of professional bullies, roaming about from house to house, challenging husbandmen to ‘holmgang’ ( duel), extorting ransom (leysa sik af hólmi), and, in case of victory, carrying off wives, sisters, or daughters; but in most cases the damsel is happily rescued by some travelling Icelander, who fights and kills the berserker. The most curious passages are Glúm, ch. 4, 6, Gísl. ch. 1 (cp. Sir Edm. Head’s and Mr. Dasent’s remarks in the prefaces), Grett. ch. 21, 42, Eg. ch. 67, Flóam. S. ch. 15, 17; according to Grett. ch. 21, these banditti were made outlaws by earl Eric, A. D. 1012. It is worth noticing that no berserker is described as a native of Icel.; the historians are anxious to state that those who appeared in Icel. (Nj., Eb., Kr. S. l. c.) were born Norse (or Swedes), and they were looked upon with fear and execration. That men of the heathen age were taken with fits of the ‘furor athleticus’ is recorded in the case of Thorir in the Vd., the old Kveldulf in Eg., and proved by the fact that the law set a penalty upon it. Berserkr now and then occurs as a nickname, Glúm. 378. The author of the Yngl. S. attributes the berserksgangr to Odin and his followers, but this is a sheer misinterpretation, or perhaps the whole passage is a rude paraphrase of Hm. 149 sqq. In the old Hbl. 37 berserkr and giant are used synonymously. The berserkers are the representatives of mere brute force, and it therefore sounds almost blasphemous, when the Norse Barl. S. speaks of Guðs berserkr (a ‘bear-coat’ or champion of God), (Jesus Kristr gleymdi eigi hólmgöngu sins berserks), 54, 197. With the introduction of Christianity this championship disappeared altogether.

adj. sheer, pure.

adj. sole, alone, sheer.

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1) flight (= flugr); á ferð ok flugi, all in one motion;

2) precipice.

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n., but in old writers usually, if not always, flugr, m. [cp. fljúga I]:—flight, Lat. volatus; fuglanna flug (acc.), Stj. 17; þá beinir hann fluginn, Edda 60; (hann) dró arnsúg í flugnum, 46; í sínum flug, Stj. 270: the phrase, á flugi, in the flight; fugl á flugi, a bird of flight, Od. xii. 62; mætir hón hamrinun á flugi, Edda 58; á ferð ok flugi, ‘faring and flying,’ all in motion, Fas. i. 6, Núm. 2. 99: metaph., var hón öll á flugi, she was all in a flutter, Fb. ii. 335.

II. = flótti, Lat. fuga, flight, only in poetry; trauðr flugar, unwilling to flee, bold, Hkv. 1. 52, Fms. xi. 186 (in a verse); flugar-trauðr, adj. bold, Hkv. 1. 54; cp. flug-skjarr, flug-styggr, flug-trauðr, flug-varr, adj., flug-þverrir, m. firm in battle, unflinching, all epithets of heroes, Lex. Poët.

III. neut. a sheer precipice; hann er svá hár, ok þat flug fyrir ofan at …, Fas. ii. 231; hence fluga-björg, n. pl. and fluga-hamarr (mod. flug-hamarr), m. precipices, Bs. i. 330, Fms. viii. 18. 49, Fb. iii. 408, Fas. ii. 231: also of a current, fluga-fors, m., Mag.; fluga-straumr, m. a rapid vortex, eddy, Edda 67 (in a verse):—other compds in mod. use, flug-beittr, adj. keen-edged, as a razor; flug-gáfaðr, flug-næmr, flug-skarpr, adj. keen, acute, quick to learn; flug-háll, adj. (flug-hálka, u, f.), very slippery; flug-ríkr, adj. immensely rich.

adv. distinctly, Eg. 55, 271, Nj. 235, Fms. i. 300, Fb. i. 503: quite, sheer, Stj. 10.

n. overbearing, sheer force, tyranny; at þeir þerði eigi heim at ganga fyrir o. búandans, K. Þ. K.; ofvald eðr o., Stj. 154, Boll. 336; afli ok o., Fms. i. 34; o. ok újafnaðr, viii. 84; bera e-n ofríki, N. G. L. ii. 150. ofríkis-maðr, m. an overbearing man, Gþl. 488.

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(sker; skar, skárum; skorinn), v.

1) to cut (þeir skáru böndin);

skera e-n á háls, to cut one’s throat (Karkr þræll skar hann á háls);

skera út ór, to cut right through;

2) to slaughter (skera sauði, kálf, kið, dilk, geldinga);

3) to shape, cut (hann skar hár hans ok negl);

4) to cut, mow, reap (skera akr);

5) to carve, cut out (á brúðum stólsins var skorinn Þórr, ok var þat líkneski mikit);

6) skera e-m höfuð, to make faces at one;

skapa ok skera, to have all the say in a matter;

láta skapat skera, to let fate decide;

7) with preps. and advs.:

skera e-t af, to cut off;

skera af manni, to be reserved or reticent;

skera lítt af manni, to speak one’s mind;

skera niðr kvikfé, to slaughter the live stock (for want of fodder);

skera ór e-u, to decide, settle (skera ór vanda-málum);

nú er þat vili várr, at einn veg skeri ór, that the case be settled;

skera upp herör, þingboð, to dispatch a war-arrow, gathering-stick;

skera upp akr, to reap a field;

8) refl., skerast, to stretch, branch, of a fjord, valley;

fjörðr skarst langt inn í landit, stretched far into the land;

höfðarnir skárust á víxl, the headlands stretched across, overlapped one another;

s. í setgeira-brœkr, to put on a mzn’s breeches;

ef nökkut skerst í, if anything happens;

skarst allt í odda með þeim, þat sem við bar, they fell at odds about everything that happened;

s. ór e-u máli, to withdraw (shrink) from a cause (gangi nú allir til mín ok sveri eiða, at engi skerist ór þessu máli);

s. undan e-u, to refuse, decline doing a thing (mun lokit okkrum samförum, ef þú skerst undan förinni);

s. undan, to hang back (Þeir fýstu hann at sættast, en hann skarst undan).

* * *

sker, pret. skar, pl. skáru; subj. skæri; part. skorinn: [A. S. sceran; Engl. shear; Germ. scheren; Dan. skjære]:—to cut; skera með knífi, klippa með söxum, Str. 9; þeir skáru böndin, Fms. iv. 369; hann skar af nokkurn hlut, x. 337; s. tungu ór höfði manni, Grág. ii. 11; hann skar ór egg-farveginn ór sárinu, Þórð. 54 new Ed.; þann flekk skera ór með holdi ok blóði, Fms. ii. 188; s. á háls, Nj. 156; skera ór út ór, to cut sheer through, 244, Fms. i. 217.

2. to slaughter, Gr. σφάττειν; skera sauði, kálf, kið, geldinga, Landn. 292, K. Þ. K. 134, Bs. i. 646, Hkr. i. 170, Sturl. i. 94, Eb. 318; hann skar síðan dilkinn, þess iðraðisk hann mest er hann hafði dilkinn skorit, Grett. 137; þá höfðu þeir skorit flest allt sauðfé, en einn hrút létu þeir lifa, 148; Þóroddr hafði þá ok skorit í bú sitt sem hann bar nauðsyn til, Eb. 316; s. gæss, Korm. 206, 208; skera niðr kvíkfé, Vápn. 30; skera af, id., Korm.; kýrin var skorin af.

3. to cut, shape; skorinn ok skapaðan, Barl 166: of clothes, klæði skorin eða úskorin, Grág. i. 504; óskorin klæði öll, N. G. L. i. 210; var skorit um pell nýtt, Fms. vii. 197; veittú mér þat, at þú sker mér skyrtu, Auðr, Þórkatli bónda mínum … At þú skyldir s. Vesteini bróður mínum skyrtuna, Gísl. 15; skikkju nýskona, Fms. vi. 52: of the hair, þá skar Rögnvaldr jarl hár hans, en áðr hafði verit úskorit tíu vetr, ii. 189; hann hafði þess heit strengt at láta eigi s. hár sitt né kemba, fyrr en hann væri einvalds-konungr yfir Noregi, Eg. 6; hann skar hár hans ok negl, Ó. H.; ef maðr deyr með úskornum nöglum, Edda 41; s. mön á hrossum, Bjarn. 62.

4. [Scot. shear, of reaping], to shear, cut, reap; skera akr eða slá eng, to ‘shear an acre’ or mow a meadow, Gþl. 360; ax úskorit, Gkv. 2. 22; sá akra yðra ok skera, ok planta vingarða, Stj. 644; skera korn, K. Á. 176; sær ok skerr, Gþl. 329.

5. to carve, cut; glugg einn er á var skorinn hurðinni, Fms. iii. 148; s. jarðar-men, Nj. 227; skáru á skíði, Vsp.; var á framstafninum karls-höfuð, þat skar hann sjálfr, Fagrsk. 75; skar Tjörvi þau á knífs-skepti sínu, Landn. 248; skera fjöl, kistil, brík, as also skera út c-ð, to carve out (skurðr); skornir drekar, carved dragon-heads, Lex. Poët.; skera hluti, to mark the lots, Fms. vii. 140 (see hlutr); skera or skera upp herör, to ‘carve out,’ i. e. to despatch a war-arrow, like the Scot. ‘fiery cross,’ Eg. 9, Fms. i. 92, vi. 24, x. 388, Gþl. 82, Js. 41; s. boð, id., Gþl. 84, 370, 371.

6. special phrases; skera e-m höfuð, to make faces at one, metaphor from carving the pole, see níð; hann rétti honum fingr ok skar honum höfuð, Grett. 117 A; skera af manni, to be blunt with one (see skafa); þarf ekki lengr yfir at hylma, né af manni at skera, Mork. 138; þú ert röskr maðr ok einarðr, ok skerr (v. l. skefr) lítt af manni, Nj. 223; skerr hann til mjök (he begs, presses hard) ef Hneitir legði leyfi til, Sturl. i. 11: allit., skapa ok s., to ‘shave and shear,’ i. e. to make short work rf a thing, decide, Eg. 732, Hrafn. 29; láta skapat skera, to let fate decide, Fms. viii. 88.

7. skera ór, to decide, settle (ór-skurðr); biskup skerr ekki ór um skilnað, Grág. i. 328; ef eigi skera skrár ór, 7; föru-nautar hans skáru skýrt ór, Ölk. 36; þótti þá ór skorit, Ld. 74; s. ór vanda-málum, Str. 30; nú er þat vili várr, at einn veg skeri ór, to end it either way, Fb. ii. 57.

II. reflex. to stretch, branch, of a landscape, fjord, valley; sá fjörðr skersk í landnorðr frá Steingríms-firði, Ld. 20; sá þeir at skárusk í landit inn firðir stórir, Eb. 5 new Ed.; fjörðr skarsk langt inn í landit, Krók.; höfðarnir skárusk á víxl, the headlands stretched across, overlapped one another, id.; í dal þeim er skersk vestr í fjöll, milli Múla ok Grísar-tungu, Ld. 146; vág-skorinn, a shore with many bays; skorið fjörðum, scored with many fjords; þar skersk inn haf þat er kallask Caspium mare, Stj. 72.

2. phrases, hón skarsk í setgeira-brækr, Ld. 136; ef nokkut skersk í, happens, Gþl. 20, Fbr. 102 new Ed.; Þórðr sagði eitthvað skyldu í skerask, Þórð. 67; þat skarsk í odda með e-m, to be at odds, Fbr.

3. to yield so much in meat and so much in tallow, of cattle when killed; skerask með tveim fjórðungum mörs, með tíu mörkum, sauðirnir skárust vel, ílla.

4. skerask ór e-n máli, to withdraw from a cause, Nj. 191; betra hefði þér verit at renna eigi frá mágum þínum ok skerask nú eigi ór sættum, 248: skerask undan e-u. to refuse, decline, Hrafn. 12, Stj. 425, Róm. 362; ef þú skersk undan förinni, Ld. 218; ef þeir játa þessi ferð, þá mun ek eigi undan skerask, Fms. iii. 70; þeir fystu hann í at sættask, en hann skarsk undan, Nj. 250; at ek munda eigi undan s. þér at veita, 180.

5. pass., boga-strengrinn skarsk, Fas. ii. 537; klæðin skárusk, Fms. v. 268; tré-ör skal út skerask í bygðir, Gþl. 13

(skírri or skírari, skírstr), a.

1) clear, bright, pure, of glass, metal, water, sky, etc. (s. mjöðr, skírt vatn, s. málmr, skírt silfr);

2) cleansed from guilt (hón skal øruggliga bera mega þetta járn ok skír verða);

3) of the voice, clear (með skírri raustu).

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adj., compar. skírri, superl. skírstr, Sks. 138 new Ed., MS. 15. 5; [Goth. skeirs; A. S. scîr; Engl. sheer; Germ. schier; Dan. skjær; cp. also skærr and skýrr]:—clear, bright, pure, of glass, water, sky, light, etc.; gler allra hreinst ok skírst, MS. 15. 5; skírt vatn, Hb. 544. 39; skír ok úskír vötn, Rb. 352; skír veðr eðr úskír, Stj. 15; þrjár merkr gang-silfrs móti einni skírri, 732. 16; skírt silfr, id.; sýndisk honum eigi skírt mála-silfrit, Fms. vi. 243; átta hundruð marka skírra, x. 92; drykkr skírri hverju víni, id.; getinn af skírri meyju ok flekklaussi, 625. 70.

2. metaph. cleansed from guilt, esp. referring to an ordeal; hreinn ok skírr, 655 i. 1; emk skírr um þat, I am clear of that, Sighvat; verðr hón af járni skír þá er hón sýkn saka, N. G. L. i. 351; þá varð sá skírr er undir jarðar-men gékk ef torfan féll eigi á hann, Ld. 58.

3. með skírri raust, wfth a clear voice, Sks. 138 new Ed.

1) pure (s. meydómr);

2) clear, bright, serene (s. himinn, skært veðr);

3) transparent;

4) clear, distinct (skær rödd).

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adj. [Dan. skjær; Engl. sheer; see skírr]:—bright, clear; skært lopt, veðr, Stj. 69, Pr. 415; skærar sem cristallus, Mar.; skært vatn, Stj. 208; skært ljós, Bs. ii. 93; skærr himinn, 29; skær ásjón, Pr. 406; skærir silfr-penningar, Fms. ii. 93; skærr kolorr, Stj. 72; skærasta gull, með skæru ljósi, hit skærasta viðsmjör, Mar.; skær rödd, skær raust, Bs. i. 830, Sks. 632: pure, skær iðran, skærar bænir, með sönnu ok skæru hugskoti, Mar.; skær jungfrú (Dan. en skjær jomfru), a pure maid, id., Stj. 70, 207; hina skærustu mey, Magn. 466; hin skærasta mær Máría Th. 21.

n. lack, want (þar er ekki þrot átu); at þrotum kominn, worn out, exhausted (þeir vóru þá allir at þrotum komnir of matleysi).

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n. [þrjóta], a lack, want; þar er ekki þrot átu, Sks. 176.

2. as a law term, the state of a pauper, destitution; þar skal þrot heita sem úmaginn er …, Jb. 167; ef maðr vill seljask arfsali, ok eigi til þrota, but not so as to be destitute, Grág. i. 204; maðr á þess kost at seljask arfsali … ef hann hefir eigi til þrots selt, 227; ef umagi er seldr til þrots, 268, Fs. 142; en ef þau verða at þrotum, þá eru þat grafgangs-menn, N. G. L. i. 33; nú sækir þrot bóanda í héraði, if he becomes a pauper, 52; nú ef þrot sækir þann mann sem jörð hefir selt til stemnu, 96; liggja í þroti, to be in a state of destitution, Greg. 28.

3. plur., in the phrase, at þrotum kominn, come to one’s last gasp, worn out from sheer exhaustion; mátt-dregnir af matleysi ok kulda, ok mjök at þrotum komnir, Fms. ii. 98; at þrotum komnir af matleysi, viii. 441, Stj. 395, 414; og nær var æfi er að þrotum komin, og vér liggjum fyrir dauðans porti, Vídal.; þá er þat ríki komit at auðn ok þrotum, Sks. 347.

COMPDS: þrotabú, þrotamaðr.

adj., comp. skírri или skírari, superl. skírstr

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