fact+that

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(kem; kom or kvam, kómum or kvamúm; kominn), v.

1) to come (litlu síðarr kómu Finnar aptr heim);

2) to come, arrive (bréf kómu frá Skúla jarli);

kom svá, at (it came to pass, that) Bárði var heitit meyjunni;

3) with dat. of the object, to make to come, to take, bring, carry, etc.;

hann skyldi koma Þór í Geirröðargarða, he should make Th. come to G.;

hann kom Þórhaddi heilum yfir ána, he brought Th. safe across the river;

koma e-m í hel, to put one to death;

koma e-m til falls, to make one fall;

koma e-m í sætt við e-n, to reconcile one with another;

koma sér vel hjá e-m, to bring oneself into favour with, be agreeable to (þeir kómu sér vel við alla);

koma e-u til leiðar (til vegar), to effect, bring about;

koma orðum við e-n, to speak with a person (hann gørði sik svá reiðan, at ekki mátti orðum við hann koma);

4) with preps.:

koma e-u af sér, to get rid of (allt mun ek til vinna at koma af mér yðvarri reiði);

koma e-u af, to abolish (Þvi hafði eigi orðit af komitmeði öllu);

koma at e-m, to come upon one (kómu þessir at honum fyrir Sjólandi með tveim skipum);

koma at hendi, to happen (mikill vandi er kominn at hendi);

impers., Gunnarr játaði því, en þá er at kom, vildi hann eigi, G. agreed to it, but when it came to the point he would not;

koma at e-u, to come at, regain, recover (koma at hamri);

koma sér at e-u, to bring oneself to (Þ. kom sér ekki at því);

koma á e-t, to come on, hit (höggit kom á lærit);

koma e-u á, to bring about, effect (máttu þeir øngum flutningum á koma);

koma kristni (dat.) á England, to christianize E.;

koma fram, to come forth, appear, emerge (sigldi E. suðr með landi ok kom fram í Danmörk); to be produced, brought forward (nú mun pat fram koma sem ek sagða);

koma e-u fram, to bring about, effect (koma fram hefndum);

koma fyrir e-t, to be an equivalent for (fyrir víg Hjartar skyldi koma víg Kols);

allt mun koma fyrir eitt, it will all come to the same;

koma fyrir ekki, to come to naught, be of no avail;

e-m þykkir fyrir ván komit, at, one thinks it past all hope, that;

koma e-u fyrir, to destroy (hann kom hverjum hesti fyrir);

koma í e-t, to come into, enter;

mál koma í dóm, suits are brought up for judgement;

koma niðr, to come down;

hann reyndi eptir, hvar G. væri niðr kominn, what had become of G.;

kom þar niðr tal hennar, at hon sagði honum, hversu, the end of her talk was, that she told him how koma;

koma hart niðr, to pay dearly for it (ek hafða illa til gört, enda kom ek hart niðr);

koma saman, to come together, gather (er saman kom liðit); to agree;

þat kom saman (or ásamt) með þeim, they agreed on it;

impers., kom þeim vel saman (ásamt), they agreed well;

koma e-u saman, to bring about, effect;

koma saman sættum með e-m, to reconcile them;

koma til e-s, to come to a person or place (jarlinn kom með allan her sinn til Dyflinnar);

koma till ríkis, to come to, or succeed to, the throne;

koma til e-s, to cause: þat kemr til þess, at, the reason is, that; to help, avail: koma til lítils, to come to little, be of small avail (= koma fyrir lítit); to concern: þetta mál kemr ekki til þín, this quarrel is no business of thine; þat er til mín kemr, so far as I am concerned; to mean, signify (Þ. kvezk skilja, hvar orð hans kómu til); to be of value: sverð þat, er til kom mörk gulls, that was worth a ‘mark’ of gold; mikit þykkir til e-s koma, one is much thought of, is thought to be of great importance;

koma til, to be born;

koma e-m undan, to help one to escape;

koma undir e-n, to come unto one;

ef undir oss skal koma kjörit, if we are to choose;

koma e-m undir, to get one down, overcome one;

koma upp, to come up;

tungl kemr upp, the moon rises;

eldr kom upp, fire broke out;

kom þá upp af tali þeirra, at, the end of their talk was, that; to come out, become known (kom þat þá upp, at hann hafði beðit hennar);

koma e-u upp, to open (kerling tekr hörpuna ok vildi upp koma);

hann mátti lengi eigi orði upp koma, it was long before he could utter a word;

koma við e-t, to touch (komit var við hurðina);

þeir kómu við sker, they struck on a reef;

hann kemr við margar sögur, he appears in many sagas; to be added to (koma þær nætr við hinar fyrri);

koma við, to fit, be convenient, suit;

koma e-u við, to employ, make use of (ek mátta eigi boganum við koma); hann kom því við (he brought about), at engi skyldi fara með vápn; urðu þeir at flýja sem því kómu við, all fled that could;

koma sér við, to bring about, effect, be able to do (ek mun veita þér slíkt lið sem ek má mér við koma); to behave (hversu hann kom sér við í þessum málum);

koma yfir, to pass over (hvert kveld, er yfir kom);

5) refl., komast;

f. arrival, = kváma.

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pres. sing. kem, kemr, kemr; an older form komr is used constantly in very old and good vellum MSS., as the Kb. of Sæm.; and even spelt keomr or ceomr (in Eluc., Greg., etc.); reflex. komsk, 2nd pers. kømztu ( pervenis), Sdm. 10: pret. kom, kom-k, I came, Skm. 18: 2nd pers. komt, 17, mod. komst: the pret. plur. varies, kvámu being the oldest form; kvómu, often in the MSS.; kómu, as it is still pronounced in the west of Icel.; the usual and latest form is komu, with a short vowel; the spelling of the MSS. cannot always be ascertained, as the word is usually written k^umu or q^umu: pret. subj. kvæmi and kꝍmi (kæmi): imperat. kom, kom-ðú, proncd, kondu, come thou! pret. infin. kómu ( venisse), Fms. i. 224 (in a verse), Geisli 62:—with suff. neg., pres. kmr-at or kømr-að, Akv. 11, Grág. ii. 141, Gkv. 3. 8; pret. kom-a, kom-að, came not, Ls. 56, Þorf. Karl. (in a verse), Þd. 18; 2nd pers. komtaðu ( non venisti), Am. 99; subj. kømi-a ( non veniret), Gs. 10: reflex., pres. kømsk-at, Grág. ii. 180; pret. komsk-at ( could not come), Am. 3:—a middle form, pres. 1st pers. komum-k (komumsk), Ó. H. 140, 214, Skm. 10, 11; subj. pres. komimk, Ó. H. 85; pret. kømomc, Hbl. 33 (Bugge); part. pass. kominn, see Gramm. p. xix. The preterite forms kvam and kvaminn, used in the Edition of the Sturl. and in a few other mod. Editions without warrant in the MSS., are due to the fact that the Edition of Sturl. was published from a transcript now in the Advocates’ Library in Edinburgh, made by the learned priest Eyjolf á Völlum (died A. D. 1745), who used this spelling: in prehistoric times, before the age of writing, it may be assumed for certain that this verb had a v throughout, as in Gothic: [Ulf. qiman, i. e. qwiman, = ἔρχεσθαι; A. S. cuman; Engl. come; O. H. G. queman; Germ. kommen; Dutch komen; Dan. komme; Swed. komma; Lat. venio, qs. gvenio; the Ormul. spells cumenn, indicating a long root vowel; cp. North. E. coom.]

A. To come; sá þeirra sem fyrr kæmi, Fms. ix. 373; konungr kom norðr til Túnsbergs, 375; kómu Finnar heim, i. 9; þeir mágar kómu ór hjúkólfi, Sturl. ii. 124; kömr hann á konungs fund, Fms. ix. 221; þá vóru þeir norðan komnir, 308; hér er nú komin ær ein kollótt, Sturl. i. 159, passim.

2. to become, arrive; bréf kómu frá Skúla jarli, Fms. ix. 375; ef svá síðarliga kömr skip til hlunns, Sks. 28; en er vár kom, Eg. 167; koma at máli við e-n, to have an interview, talk with one, 467; konungi kom njósn, Fms. vii. 57; þá komu honum þau tíðendi, i. 37; þetta kom allt fyrir Ingimar, vii. 114; kom honum þat (it came to him, he got it) fyrir útan fé, en engum kom fyrr, x. 394; hvat sem á bak kemr, whatsoever may befall, Nj. 193; koma e-m at haldi, or í hald, to avail oneself, 192, Fms. x. 413; koma at gagni, to ‘come in useful,’ be of use, Nj. 264; koma at úvörum, to come at unawares, Ld. 132; koma e-m fyrir úvart, id., Fms. xi. 290; koma á úvart, Nj. 236; koma í þörf = koma í gagn, Fms. vii. 14; hvar kom kapp þitt þá? Bs. i. 18; mál koma í dóm, to be brought up for judgment, Fms. vii. 115; líðr vetrinn, kemr þar ( that time comes) er menn fara til Gulaþings, Eg. 340; var þá svá komit, at allir menn vóru sofa farnir, 376; kom svá ( it came to pass) at Bárði var heitið meyjunni, 26; svá kemr, kemr þar, at, it comes to pass. Fb. i. 174, ii. 48, 68; láta koma, to let come, put; síðan létu þeir koma eld í spánuna, Fms. xi. 34.

3. in greeting; kom heill, welcome! kom heill ok sæll, frændi! Nj. 175: mod. komdu (kondu) sæll! komið þér sælir!

II. with prepp.; koma á, to hit; ef á kömr, Grág. ii. 7:—koma at, to come to, arrive, happen; láttu at því koma, let it be so, Dropl. 24; kom þat mjök optliga at honum, of sickness, Fms. vii. 150; kom at þeim svefnhöfgi, sleep came upon them, Nj. 104; koma at hendi, to happen; mikill vandi er kominn at hendi, 177, Hom. 80; koma at e-u, to come at, regain, recover; koma at hamri, Þkv. 32:—koma fram, to come forth, appear, stund var í milli er þeir sá framstafninn ok inn eptri kom fram, Fms. ii. 304; engin kom önnur vistin fram, Eg. 549; nú eru öll sóknar-gögn fram komin, Nj. 143: to emerge, hann kom fram í Danmörk, Hkr. i. 210, 277, Ísl. ii. 232, Eg. 23, Landn. 134, Orkn. 152: to arrive, sendimenn fóru ok fram kómu, Fms. xi. 27; reifa mál þau fyrst er fyrst eru fram komin, each in its turn, Grág. i. 64: to be fulfilled, happen, því er á þínum dögum mun fram koma, Ld. 132; nú mun þat fram komit sem ek sagða, Eg. 283; kom nú fram spásagan Gests, Ld. 286; öll þessi merki kómu fram ok fylldusk, Stj. 444; aldrei skal maðr arf taka eptir þann mann er hann vegr, eðr ræðr bana fram kominn, whom he has slain, or whose death he has devised with effect, Grág. ii. 113; staðar-prýði flest fram komin, Bs. i. 146; vera langt fram kominn, mod. áfram kominn, to be ‘in extremis,’ at the point of death, 644; er sú frásögn eigi langt fram komin, this story comes from not far off, i. e. it is derived from first, not second hand, Fms. viii. 5:—koma fyrir, to come as payment, tvau hundrað skyldu koma fyrir víg Snorra (of weregild), Sturl. ii. 158; henni kvaðsk aldri hefnt þykkja Kjartans, nema Bolli kæmi fyrir, Ld. 240; allt mun koma fyrir eitt, it will come to the same, Lv. 11, Nj. 91, Fms. i. 208; koma fyrir ekki, to come to naught, be of no avail, Ísl. ii. 215, Fms. vi. 5:—koma í, to enter, come in, a fisherman’s term; koma í drátt, to hook a fish; at í komi með ykkr Þorbrandssonum, that ye and the Th. come to loggerheads, Eb. 80:—koma með, to come with a thing, to bring; kondu með það, fetch it!—koma til, to come to; vera kann at eigi spillisk þótt ek koma til, Eg. 506; nú er rétt lögruðning til ykkar komin, Nj. 236; koma til ríkis, to come to a kingdom, Eg. 268; þeir létu til hans koma um alla héraðs-stjórn, Fs. 44: to befall, kom svá til efnis, it so happened, Mar.; þeim hlutum sem hafinu kunni opt til at koma, Stj. 105, Sks. 323: to mean, signify, en hvar kom þat til er hann sagði, Ó. H. 87; ef þat kom til annars, en þess er hann mælti, id.: to cause, hygg ek at meir komi þar til lítilmennska, Eb. 172; konungr spurði hvat til bæri úgleði hans, hann kvað koma til mislyndi sína, Fms. vi. 355, Fb. ii. 80, Band. 29 new Ed.: to concern, þetta mál er eigi kom síðr til yðvar en vár, Fms. vii. 130; þetta mál kemr ekki til þín, Nj. 227; þat er kemr til Knúts, Fms. v. 24; þat er til mín kemr, so far as I am concerned, iv. 194; hann kvað þetta mál ekki til sín koma, vi. 100; þeir eru orðmargir ok láta hvervetna til sín koma, meddle in all things, 655 xi. 2: to belong to, skulu þeir gjalda hinum slíka jörð sem til þeirra kemr, proportionally, Jb. 195; kemr þat til vár er lögin kunnum, Nj. 149; sú sök er tylptar-kviðr kömr til, Grág. i. 20; tylptar-kviðar á jafnan á þingi at kveðja, þar sem hann kömr til saka, ii. 37; þá er komit til þessa gjalds ( it is due), er menn koma í akkeris-sát, 408: to help, avail, koma til lítils, to come to little, be of small avail, Nj. 149, Fms. vi. 211; at göra litla fésekt, veit ek eigi hvat til annars kemr, I am not aware what else will do, I believe that will meet the case best, Band. 36 new Ed.; koma til, to ‘come to,’ of a person in a swoon, etc.; veit ek eigi til hvers koma mun sú tiltekja Fb. i. 177, Fms. xi. 103; hvar til þessi svör skulu koma, i. 3; það kemr til, it will all come right; kom þar til með kóngum tveim, two kings came to a quarrel, Skíða R. 48: to be of value, importance, authority, þótti allt meira til hans koma, Fas. i. 16; hvart sem til hans kæmi meira eðr minna, Fms. xi. 76; sverð þat er til kom hálf mörk gulls, Ld. 32; svá fémikill at til kómu tuttugu merkr gulls, Fms. xi. 85; mér þykir lítið til hans koma, I think little of him:—koma saman, to come together, live together, marry, K. Á. 134: to agree, þat kom saman með þeim, they agreed on it, Dropl. 9, Gísl. 41; kom þat ásamt með þeim, id., Fb. i. 168; koma vel ásamt, to agree well, Nj. 25:—koma undir e-n, to come unto one, ef undir oss bræðr skal koma kjörit, if we are to choose, Nj. 192; öll lögmæt skil þau er undir mik koma á þessu þingi, 239: to depend on, það er mikit undir komið, at …, be of importance:—koma upp, to come up, break out; kom þá upp grátr fyrir henni, she burst into tears, Fms. ix. 477; er lúðrar kvæði við, ok herblástr kæmi upp, v. 74; er seiðlætin kómu upp, Ld. 152; eldr kom upp, fire came up, Ölk. 35, (hence elds-uppkoma, an upcome of fire, an eruption); ef nokkut kemr síðan sannara upp, Fms. vii. 121: þá kom þat upp at hann hafði beðit hennar, Eg. 587; kom þat upp af tali þeirra, at …, Fms. vii. 282; þat kom upp ( it ended so) at hverr skyldi vera vin annars, i. 58: to turn up, ek ætla mér góðan kost hvárn sem upp kemr, Eg. 715; mun nú hamingjan skipta hverr upp kemr, 418; at sakar görðisk eða upp kæmi, Grág. i. 27; skaut til Guðs sínu máli, ok bað hann láta þat upp koma er hann sæi at bazt gegni, Ó. H. 195, Stj. 385:—koma við, to touch, hit; sé eigi komið við, if it is not touched, Grág. ii. 65; komit var við hurðina, Fas. i. 30; at þeir skyldi koma við torfuna, Ld. 60; hefi ek aldrei svá reitt vápn at manni, at eigi hafi við komit, Nj. 185; hann kemr við margar sögur, he comes up, appears in many Sagas, Ld. 334; koma þeir allir við þessa sögu síðan, Nj. 30; sem ek kom við (as I mentioned, touched upon) í morgin, Fms. ii. 142; er mestr er, ok úskapligast komi við, Ld. 118: to fit, þat kemr lítt við, ‘tis not meet, it won’t do, Lv. 20; mun ek gefa þér tveggja dægra byr þann er bezt kemr við, Fas. iii. 619: koma við, to land, call; þeir vóru komnir við Ísland, Eg. 128; þeir kómu við Hernar, Nj. 4; þeir kómu suðr við Katanes, 127; þeir kómu við sker ( struck on a skerry) ok brutu stýri sín, Fms. ix. 164; hann hafði komit við hval, he had struck against a whale, Sturl. ii. 164; hence in mod. usage, koma við, to call, make a short stay, also on land: to be added to, tekr heldr at grána gamanit ok koma kveðlingar við, i. 21; koma þær nætr við inar fyrri, Rb. 58; þá koma enn ellefu nætr við, 22:—koma yfir, to overcome, pass over; íss er yfir kömr, Hm. 81; hvert kveld er yfir kom, Finnb. 230; hryggleikr kom yfir, 623. 57; at sá dagr myndi ekki yfir koma, Sks. 111.

B. With the dat. of the object, to make to come, put, bring, carry; páfa þess, er Kristni (dat.) kom á England, who Christianised England, Íb. 14; koma mönnum til réttrar trúar, Fms. i. 146; koma orðum við e-n, to speak to a person; görðisk hann styggr svá at fáir menn máttu orðum við hann koma, i. e. that no one could come to words with him, Eg. 3; hann görði sik svá reiðan, at ekki mátti orðum við hann koma, Fms. i. 83, xi. 293; koma vélræðum við e-n, to plan against one, Eg. 49; koma flugu í munn e-m, Nj. 64, 68; þú skalt ekki láta í skorta at koma þeim í (málit) með þér, 271; hann skyldi koma Þór í Geirröðar-garða, make Thor come to G., Edda 60; hann kom Þorhaddi heilum yfir ána, he brought Th. safe across the river, Þorst. Síðu H. 181; koma kaupi, to bring about a bargain, Gþl. 415; koma e-m í hel, to put one to death, Anal. 233; koma e-m til falls, to make one fall, Edda 34; koma e-m í sætt, Fs. 9; mun ek koma þér í sætt við konung, Eg. 227; hann kom sér í mikla kærleika við jarlinn, Nj. 268; koma sér í þjónustu, Fs. 84; koma sér vel, to put oneself in favour, be engaging; ek hefi komit mér vel hjá meyjum, Kormak; þeir komu sér vel við alla, Fas. iii. 529, Fs. 96, Nj. 66; koma sér ílla, to make oneself hated; það kemr sér ílla, it is ill seen, unpleasant; as also, það kemr sér vel, a thing is agreeable, acceptable; koma e-u til leiðar, to effect, make, Nj. 250, Eb. 118; koma e-u til vegar, id., Ld. 320; koma tölu á, to put, count on, count, number, Anal. 217; koma friði, sættum á, to bring peace, agreement about: hann kom þeim á flótta, he put them to flight, Fms. vii. 235; tóku þar allt er þeir kómu höndum á, all they could catch, ix. 473; koma e-m ór eldi, Fb. i. 300; tók hann merkit ok kom því (put it, hid it) í millum klæða sinna, Nj. 274: Gunnarr kom þangat at þeim örunum, 115; allt þat er bitið var ok blóði kom út á, where it was bitten so as to make blood flow, Fms. vii. 187.

II. with prepp.; koma e-u fram, to effect; koma fram ferð, máli, Nj. 102; til lítils þætti þat koma, en enginn kvæmi sínu máli fram þótt til alþingis væri stefnt, 149, Fb. ii. 90; þat skal aldri verða at hann komi þessu fram, Eg. 765; ef ek kem hefndum fram, Ld. 262; koma fram lögum við e-n. Eg. 722:—koma e-u á, to bring about, introduce:—koma e-u af, to abolish; þó fékk hann því ekki af komit, Bs. i. 165; koma e-u af sér, to get rid of, Fs. 96, Eb. 40, 41:—koma e-u fyrir, to arrange; koma e-m fyrir, to get a place for one; hann kom honum fyrir í skóla: to destroy (fyrir-koma), hann kom hverjum hesti fyrir, Glúm. 356:—koma e-u upp, to open; áðr ek kom henni upp, before I could open it, Fms. iii. 74; kerling tekr hörpuna ok vildi upp koma ( open), nú fær hón upp komit hörpunni, Fas. i. 233; hann mátti lengi eigi orði upp koma fyrir harmi, it was long before he could speak, utter a word, Fms. vi. 234; sá svarar er mátti máli upp koma, vii. 288:—koma e-m undir, to overthrow one, get one down; varð at kenna afls-munar áðr hann kæmi honum undir, Eb. 172:—koma e-m undan, to make one escape. Fms. vii. 265, 623. 18:—ek ætla at koma mér útan, I think to go abroad, Nj. 261:—koma e-u við, to bring about, effect, to be able to do; ek mun veita þér slíkt sem ek má mér við koma, as I can, Nj.; þú munt öðru koma við en gabba oss, Anal. 77; hann kom því við ( brought about) at engi skyldi fara með vápn, Fms. vii. 240; ef váttum kvæmi við, in a case where witnesses were at hand, Íb. 12; liðit flýði allt þat er því kom við, all that could fled, Eg. 529; Guðmundr hafði almanna-lof hversu hann kom sér við ( how he behaved) þessum málum, Nj. 251; komi þeir til er því koma við, who can, Gþl. 371; menn skyldi tala hljótt ef því kæmi við, Sturl. iii. 147; ef því kemr við, if it is possible, Gþl. 429; urðu þeir at flýja sem því kómu við, Fb. ii. 187; ekki mun oss þetta duga, at hann komi boganum við, Nj. 96.

C. Reflex. komask, to come to the end, get through, reach, Lat. pervenire; the difference between the active and reflex. is seen from such phrases as, hann kemr ef hann kemst, he will come if he can; or, eg komst ekki á stað, I could not get off; eg komst ekki fyrir íllviðri, I could not come for bad weather; or, to come into a certain state, with the notion of chance, hap, komask í lífs háska, to come into danger of life; komask í skipreika, to be shipwrecked, and the like; Þorfinnr kom öngu hljóði í lúðrinn, ok komsk eigi upp blástrinn, Fms. ix. 30; komask á fætr, to get on one’s legs, Eg. 748; hann komsk við svá búit í ríki sitt, Hkr. i. 76; meina honum vötn eða veðr svá at hann má ekki komask til þess staðar, Grág. i. 496; hann komsk með sundi til lands, Eg. 261; kómusk sauðirnir upp á fjallit fyrir þeim, Nj. 27; ef Gunnarr færi eigi utan ok mætti hann komask, 111; ef maðr byrgir mann inni í húsi, svá at hann má eigi út komask, so that he cannot get out, Grág. ii. 110; en allt fólk flýði með allt lausa-fé er með fékk komisk, with all the property they could carry with them, Fms. i. 153; ek komumk vel annar-staðar út, þótt hér gangi eigi, Nj. 202; komask á milli manna, to get oneself among people, intrude oneself, 168; komsk hann í mestu kærleika við konung, Eg. 12; komask at orði, to come by a word, to express oneself; einsog hann að orði komsk, passim.

II. with prepp.; komast á, to get into use; það komst á:—komask af, to get off, escape, save one’s life; hann bað menn duga svá at af kæmisk skipit, Fms. x. 98; tveir druknuðu, en hinir kómusk af:—komask at e-u, to get at a thing, procure; mörgum manns-öldrum síðarr komsk at bók þeirri Theodosius, Niðrst. 10; Hrani gat komisk at trúnaði margra ríkra manna, Fms. iv. 62; þú hefir at þessum peningum vel komisk, ‘tis money well gotten, i. 256; eigi skaltú ílla at komask, thou shall not get it unfairly, vii. 124:—komast eptir, to enquire into, get information of:—komask fyrir, to prevent, come in another’s way:—koma hjá e-u, to evade, pass by, escape doing:—komast til e-s, to come towards, and metaph. to have time for a thing, ek komst ekki til þess, I have no time; eg komst ekki til að fara:—komask undan, to escape; allt þat lið er undan komsk, Eg. 261; ekki manns barn komsk undan, Fms. xi. 387; komask undan á flótta, Eg. 11:—komask við, to be able; komusk þeir ekki í fyrstu við atlöguna, Fms. vii. 264; ef hann vill refsa údáða-mönnum, ok má þó við komask, N. G. L. i. 123; brenn allt ok bæl, sem þú mátt við komask, Fær. 64; ef ek viðr of kœmimk, Hbl. 33; þá er ek komumk við, Eg. 319; komask við veðri, to get abroad, Rd. 252; hann lét þat ekki við veðri komask, Fms. vii. 165: to be touched (við-kvæmni), hann komsk við mjök ok felldi tár, iii. 57; eða hann komisk við ( repent) ok hverfi aptr at íllsku sinni, Greg. 41; þá komsk mjök við inn válaði, svá at hann matti eigi lengi orði upp koma fyrir harmi, Fms. vi. 234; þá komsk hón við ákaflega mjök, Clem. 32; með við komnu hjarta, with a touched heart, Bs. i. 561, Karl. 166:—komask yfir e-t, to overcome, get hold of; er hann komsk yfir fét, Bárð. 175.

D. Part. kominn, in special phrases; inn komni maðr, a new comer, stranger, Gullþ. 47; at kominn, arrived; hinn aðkomni maðr, a guest; at kominn, just come to, on the brink of; kominn at andláti, at dauða, to be at the last gasp; var at komit, at …, it was on the point of happening, that …, Str. 8; vóru þeir mjök at komnir ( much exhausted) svá magrir vóru þeir, Fas. iii. 571:—heill kominn, hail! Blas. 42; vel kominn, welcome! vertu vel kominn! ver með oss vel kominn, Þiðr. 319, Fs. 158; hann bað þá vera vel komna, passim; so also, það er vel komið, ‘it is welcome,’ i. e. with great pleasure, granting a favour:—placed, ertu maðr sannorðr ok kominn nær frétt, Nj. 175; Pétri var svá nær komit, P. was so closely pursued, Fms. ix. 48; ok nú eigi allfjarri yðr komit, xi. 123; svá vel er sá uppsát komin, at …, ix. 368: situated, hann (the hospital) er kominn á fjall upp, is situated on a fell, Symb. 18; útsker þat er komit af þjóðleið, Eg. 369: metaph., vel, ílla kominn, well placed, in good, bad estate; ek þykjumk hér vel kominn; hann var vel til náms kominn, he was in a good place for learning, Bs. i. 153; þat fé er ílla komit er fólgit er í jörðu, Grett. 39 new Ed.; mér þykkir son minn hvergi betr kominn, methinks my son is nowhere better off, in better hands, Fms. vi. 5; lítt ertú nú kominn, Njarð. 376; þykkjumk ek hér vel kominn með þér, Nj. 258:—kominn af, or frá e-m, come of, descended from, Landn., Eb., passim:—kominn á sik vel, in a good state, accomplished, Orkn. 202; hverjum manni betr á sik kominn, Ld. 110; kominn á sik manna bezt, Ísl. ii. 203: vera á legg kominn, to be grown up, Fms. xi. 186; vera svá aldrs kominn, to be of such an age, Fs. 4, 13, Sturl. iii. 100, Fms. xi. 56; hér er allvel á komit, it suits well enough, Bs. i. 531: hann sagði henni hvar þá var komit, how matters stood, Nj. 271, Fms. ii. 152; hann undi vel við þar sem komit var, as it stood, in statu quo, Nj. 22; Sveinn segir honum sem komit var þessu máli, Fms. ii. 159; at svá komnu, as matters stand, Bs. i. 317; málum várum er komit í únýtt efni, Nj. 164, 190:—vera kominn til e-s, to be entitled to, have due to one; ef hann fengi þat er hann var eigi til kominn, Fms. x. 7; þeir er til einskis eru komnir, ix. 248; fá þeir margir af yðr sæmd mikla er til minna eru komnir, en hann, Eg. 111; þeim til sæmdar er til þess er kominn, Sks. 311, rétt komnir til konungdóms, rétt kominn til Noregs, right heir to the kingdom, to Norway, Fms. ix. 332; lézk Sigvaldi nú kominn til ráða við Astríði, xi. 104: fit for, entitled to, hann þótti vel til kominn at vera konungr yfir Danmörk, i. 65: shapen, þetta mál er svá til komit, vii. 130; sagðisk hann eigi verr til manns kominn en Sturla bróðir hans, Sturl.; eigi þóttusk þeir til minna vera komnir fyrir ættar sakir, entitled to less, Eb. 17.

II. part. pres. komandi, a new comer, stranger, Fbr. 168, Stj. 525: one to come, future generations, verandum ok viðr-komendum, N. G. L. i. 121; allir menn verandi ok eptir-komandi, D. I. i. 3; komendr, pl. guests, comers.

1) proof, reason; draga þeir eigi sízt til dœmis þar um, at, in proof of this they specially adduce the fact, that;

2) incident, fact; þó hafa mörg dœmi orðit, í forneskju, yet many things have happened in elden times; hörð dœmi, hard fate; at eigi verði oss Adams dœmi, that the same shall not happen to us as to A.;

3) tale, story (Ari prestr fróði, er mörg dœmisparklig hefir saman sett);

4) poem, verses (þessi dœmi öll eru kveðin um þenna atburð);

5) quotation (draga fram dœmi af bókum);

6) example for imitation, model (eptir dœmum kristinna manna); taka dœmi af e-m, to take an example by one;

7) example, instance, precedent (djarfari en dœmi munu til vera); umfram dœmi, ór dœmum, unexampled, unprecedented (kom þá svá mikill snjór, at þat var ór dœmum); meirr en til dœmis or til dœma at taka (draga), to take an example.

(i. e. ør-), a prefixed particle, altered from us-; the s remains in usall = vesall, see p. 699, col. 2; also spelt er-, er-vita, Hkv.; or eyr-, eyr-grynni, Ó. H. 106; evr-lygi, Eg. (in a verse): [Ulf. us-; O. H. G. ur-; when uncompounded, see ór, mod. úr, p. 472; as a prefix to nouns, ör- or ör-, for which see p. 469, col. 2. Indeed, there is a strong probability that the negative prefix ó- is a contraction, not of un-, but of or-, so that ó-bættr is from or-bættr, ó-verðr from or-verðr, by agglutination of r, whereby the vowel becomes long (as the O. H. G. prefix ar- in A. S. appears â-): this would account for the fact, that in the very oldest and best vellums there is hardly a single instance of ú- for ó-, and this is the sole modern form not only all over Iceland, but also in most popular idioms of Norway and Sweden; a farther proof is that in many words or-, the ancient form, is preserved in a few vellums, especially of the Norse laws, in such rare forms as ör-sekr, ör-bætiligr, ör-vænt, and ó-vænt, where the current form is ó-sekr, etc.; so also, ör-keypis and ó-keypis, ör-grynni and ó-grynni, ör-hóf and ó-hóf. Therefore or-, not un-, is, we believe, the phonetical parent of the later Scandinavian negative prefix ó-. The extensive use of ör- and the utter absence of ú- or un- may be explained by the supposition that, for the sake of uniformity, all words beginning with ör- and un- gradually took the same form; for though in ancient days ör- was more extensively used than it is at present, it can hardly have been the sole form in all words now beginning with ó-]:—ör- is used as denoting a negative, as ör-grynni, a being bottomless; or lack or loss of, as ör-sekr, out of being sekr; ör-verðr.

2. special usages are, what is of yore, as in ör-lög (cp. Germ. ur-, as in ur-theil, Engl. or-deal), ör-nefni, ör-gelmir, ör-vasi.

3. in mod. usage ör- is prefixed to adjectives, = utterly, but only in instances denoting ‘smallness,’ or something negative, e. g. ör-grannr, ör-stuttr, ör-skammr, ör-grunnr, ör-mjör, ör-fátækr, ör-snauðr, ör-eyða, ör-taka, ör-reyta, qq. v.

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.

(gýt; gaut, gutum; gotinn), v.

1) g. hrognum, to spawn;

2) g. augum, sjonum, to cast a look.

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pret, gaut, pl. gutu; pres. gýtr; pret. subj. gyti; part. gotinn;, [Ulf. gjutan; A. S. geôtan; O. H. G. giuzan; Germ. giessen; Dan. gyde; Swed. giuta = to cast (of metal), but this sense is not found in the Icel.]:—to drop, throw, cast one’s young, with dat.; Icel. say kefla or kelfa (kálfr), of a cow, whale, deer; kasta, of a mare; kæpa, of a seal (kópr, a young seal;) hrygna, of a fish; gjóta, of a cat, dog, fox, mouse, and of a fish, to spawn; whence gota, spawn; got-rauf, q. v.; þá gjóta þeir hrognum sínum, Sks. 46; nýgotinn hvolpr, a new-dropped cub (dog, kitten).

2. in the phrase, gjóta augum, to twinkle, Fas. iii. 497; gjóta hornauga, to look askant.—That gjóta was originally used in a nobler sense maybe inferred from the fact that the names of two Teutonic people, the Gautar ( Gauts) and Gotar (Goths, = the born, Lat. nati) are in all likelihood derived from the same root.

adv. only with the prep. í;

1) yesterday (vara þat nú né í gær);

2) poet. tomorrow (þótt nú eðr gær deyjum).

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adv., also spelt gör and gjar, esp. in Norse MSS., but also freq. in Fb., Stj., D. N. passim; [A. S. gestran, gestran dag; Engl. yesterday; O. H. G. gestar; Germ. gestern; Dan. gaar; Swed. går; Lat. heri, hesternus; Gr. χθές; cp. also Engl. yore, answering to the form gör]:—yesterday; only with the prep. í, í gær, Fms. vii, 168, passim.

II. [Ulf. renders αὔριον, Matth. vi. 30, by gestradagis, and that this is no mistake or corruption in the Gothic text is shewn by the fact that in the old Icel. or Scandin. poems gör occurs two or three times in the very same sense]:—to-morrow; in the phrases, nú eða í gör, now or by to-morrow; í dag eðr gör, to-day or to-morrow: hvárt skolum nú eða í gör deyja, whether we are to die now or to-morrow, Hðm. 31; and varat mér ráðinn dauði í dag eða gör, I was not fated to die to-day or to-morrow, Landn. (in a verse composed in Icel. about the middle of the 10th century). Uppström, the learned Swedish editor of Ulfilas, has duly noticed the passage in Hðm. as corroborative of the Gothic text.

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(gen. merkr, pl. merkr), f. mark, by weight or value, = eight ounces (átta aurar).

(gen. markar and merkr, pl. markir and merkr), f. forest.

pl. from mark, march, border.

* * *

f., gen. sing. merkr, pl. merkr, [a word common to all Teut. languages]:—a mark, in weight equal to eight ounces or half a pound; twenty merkr make a fjórðung, q. v.; eighty merkr = a vætt; þat er lögpundari at átta fjórðungar eru í vætt, en tuttugu merkr skolu í fjórðungi vera, Grág. i. 499.

2. a mark, by weight or value, of gold and silver, eight ounces (átta aurar) go to a mark, 732. 16; mörk silfrs, mörk gulls, þrim mörkum gulls, Fms. vii. 235, Grág., Sagas passim; mörk vegins silfrs, O. H. L. 23; gullhringa ok stóð mörk hvárr, Eg. 464: often used absol. so that the standard can only be seen from the context, verðr hann útlagr þrem mörkum, Grág. i. 16, 132; varðar honum þat sex merkr, tólf merkr, 319; varðar þat þriggja marka sekð, 499; hversu mikit fé er þetta? hann sagði hundrað marka, Nj. 4; Áðalsteinn vill gefa skilling manni hverjum frjálsbornum, en mörk sveitar-höfðingja hverjum, Eg. 280; hann skal gjalda hálfa mörk fyrir eyri, Grág. i. 208; þrjú hundruð hundraða eptir forngildu marka-tali, Dipl. v. 20; svá mikit ofa-fé at trautt kom marka-tali á, Fær. 11; hann var svá auðigr af gulli at engi vissi marka-tal, Fms. vi. 176; merkr-kaup, a purchase to the amount of a mörk, Gþl. 497; merkr-þjófr, a theft to the value of a mark, N. G. L. i. 326; merkr stykki, a piece amounting to a mark, H. E. ii. 188. As to the standard, the value of a mörk varied at different times and in different countries, see esp. Mr. Dasent’s Essay in Burnt Njal. In Icel. the confusion was made still greater, by the fact that (as remarked s. v. eyrir) the word mörk was also used of the wadmal standard (the ell of wadmal), and so the law speaks of a mörk vaðmála, Grág. i. 500; mörk sex … álna aura, etc., K. Þ. K. 70, 172, but this is a contradiction in terms, for mörk is a weight, not a measure: the real meaning is often only to be made out by the context, e. g. in questions of weregild the weighed mark is no doubt meant.

II. of fluid, a pint, viz. half a pottr; in mod. usage all fluids and vessels holding fluids are thus measured, tveggja, þriggja … marka askr.

f., gen. markar, but merkr, Fas. ii. 512; dat. mörk: pl. markir, Fs. 100, Ó. H. 80, 142, Hkr. i. 55; later merkr, Fb. i. 134, Fms. viii. 31; [akin to mark, q. v.]:—a forest; (prop. a march-land, border-land, see mark, marka; in olden times vast and dense forests often formed the border-land between two countries; cp. for Scandinavia, Sverr. S. ch. 12, 13; fóru þeir nú austr á markirnar, Fs. 100; austr um markir ok svá til Gautlands, Ó. H. 80; hann ruddi markir ok bygði þar sem nú heitir Jamtaland, 142); eyða annars manns mörk Gþl. 79; þeir er mörk eigu saman, 445; markar spell or spjöll, damage done to a forest, 368, Jb. 235; gengu þeir til merkrinnar, Fas. ii. 512; varð fyrir þeim mörk stór, Edda 28; á mörkinni, Fb. iii. 403; er þér ok heimil vár mörk sem þú villt höggva láta, Fs. 27; ryðja markir, ryðja mörkina ok brenna, to clear forests, Hkr. i. 55; fundusk þá víða í mörkunum skóglaus lönd, … brjóta vegu um markir, mýrar ok fjallvegu, id.; þá lagðisk hann út á merkr ok veiddi dýr, Fb. i. 134; stórar mýrar ok þröngar merkr, Fms. viii. 31; Sverrir konungr skyldi fara yfir mikit vatn í einni mörk, … á inni mestu mörkinni, 32; eyði-mörk, a wilderness.

II. the word is freq. in Northern names of places; Mörk is used of Finnmarken, Finn-mörk, Eg. ch. 14; Þórólfr fór víða um Mörkina, Eg. 41; Þórólfr fór þenna vetr enn um Mörkina ok átti kaupstefnu við Finna, 56; eru víða fjallbygðir upp á Mörkina 58: Markir, f. pl. the Markland between Sweden and southern Norway, Fb. iii; whence Marka-menn, Marchmen, Fms. passim; cp. the Marcomanni of Tacitus, Die Mark in Germany. When the woodlands were cleared and turned into fields the name remained, thus in Danish mark means a field, open space:—in local names, Dan-mörk Þórs-mörk, a woodland in southern Icel. sacred to Thor; a few farms in southern Icel. are called Mörk, Nj., Landn., different from Holt: in Norse counties, Heið-mörk, Þela-mörk, Vingul-mörk, Finn-mörk. marka-menn, m. pl. robbers, outlaws (cp. Icel. skógarmaðr), Grett 118 A.

(smá, smátt), a.

1) small, little (mörg skip ok smá);

2) neut., hann seldi smátt varninginn, he sold by retail; höggva smátt, to strike small blows; hann kvaðst eigi mundu smátt á sjá, he said he would deal liberally in the matter; smátt ok smátt, bit by bit, by degrees;

3) smám, bit by bit, slowly (fara smám).

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smá, smátt: gen. smás, acc. smán, dat. smám, smá: pl. smáir, smár, smá, dat. smám, acc. smá, smár, smá: mod. bisyllabic smáan, smáum, smáa: compar. smæri; superl. smæstr. The Icel. form ‘smá’ instead of ‘smal’ of the Germ. and Saxon is peculiar to all the Scandin. languages, and also prevails in Scotland and North. E., but the words are one; ‘smá’ is only a contracted form, as is seen by the fact that ‘smal’ remains in the words smali (q. v.), smalki, smælingr; and (although as απ. λεγ.) in smalvamm, smalmenni, q. v.: [Ulf. smals = Germ. schmal, Engl. small, etc.; but Dan.-Swed. smaa; Scot. and North. E. sma’.]

A. Small, little, of size, stature; mörg skip ok smá, Vápn. 8; smæri skip, Fms. i. 93; vúru þau öll smæst, viii. 255; sumir smáir, sumir stórir, Sks. 442; keppask til smára hluta, Ó. H. 87; hann ræðr öllum hlutum, stórum ok smám, Edda 3; höfðingja ok smæri menn, Fms. x. 266; hin smæri sár, Grág. ii. 29; smá tíðendi, small tidings, Lv. 33, Fms. ix. 477; þau (mál) er smæst eru, Js. 5; skógr þykkr ok smár, a wood thick but dwarf, Fms. i. 136; smáir sandar, small sand, a beach of fine sand, Eg. 141; melja mergi smæra, Ls. 43; hann lamði hausinn í smán mola, Edda 58; ok var brotinn fótrinn svá smátt sem skelja-moli, Bs. i. 423; litlir menn ok smáir, Landn. 145; smás fylkis niðs, Sighvat; smaestir fuglar, id.; kaupa smám kaupum sem stórum, Fb. ii. 75; sás girði eðr smæri, Grág. ii. 338; opt hefir þú mér hallkvæmr verit, en eigi má nú smæstu ráða, thou hast often been good to me, and this is not the smallest instance, Lv. 42.

2. neut., hann seldi smátt varninginn, he dealt in ‘small wares,’ sold by retail, Vápn. 7; höggva smátt, to strike small blows, Ísl. ii. 265: hann kvaðsk eigi mundu smátt á sjá, he said he would not look minutely into it, i. e. that he would deal liberally, Ld. 50; miklu vex hón hinnig smærum, much less, Sks. 71; þeir skulu skipta vikum eða smærum, divide by weeks or less, Grág. ii. 350; selja smærrum saman, in lesser quantities, N. G. L. iii. 123: smám, nema hón seli svá smám landit sem áðr var tínt, Grág. ii. 214; en er hann var á leiðinni ok fór smóm (slowly, bit by bit) þá er hann mátti svá, Bs. i. 344; smám ok smám, bit by bit, Fms. x. 366; reiddi hann silfrit smám ok smám, Hkr. ii. 244, Al. 23: smám þeim, by degrees; vaxa smám þeim, Stj. 200; eptir þat hrærðu þau sveininn sm́m þeim, Bs. i. 337 (smám, 318, l. c.): in mod. usage, smám-saman, sounded smá-saman, gradually; smátt og smátt, bit by bit.

II. in mod. usage smá- is prefixed to verbs, denoting little by little, by degrees; honum smá-batnaði, he recovered little by little; það smá-liðkast, það smá-batnar, smá-líðr á daginn, það smá-styttist, smá-lengist, smá-breiðkar, smá-dýpkar, smá-hækkar, smá-víðkar, smá-kólnar, smá-hitnar, smá-fækkar, smá-fjölgar, etc.

B. In COMPDS, smá- is often used simply as a diminutive, as there is no dimin. inflexion in the language; it is rarely prefixed to any but plur. or collective nouns. smá-atvik, n. pl. details. smá-bátar, m. pl. little boats, Fms. vii. 224, Sks. 174, Ó. H. 137. smá-bein, n. pl. small bones, N. G. L. i. 172. smá-bjöllur, f. pl. little bells, Vm. 47. smá-borinn, part. of low birth, Hkr. i. 106, Fms. vii. 8. smá-búendr, m. pl. = smábændr, Ó. H. 101. smá-búsgögn, n. small house-implements, Dipl. v. 18. smá-byrðingar, m. pl. little ships of burden, N. G. L. ii. 251. smá-bækr, f. pl. little books, Pm. 82, Vm. 23. smá-bændr, m. pl. small farmers, Grett. 127, Bs. ii. 143, Fb. iii. 458. smá-börn, n. pl. little bairns, Fms. i. 263, x. 117, Stj. 25, N. T. smá-djöflar, m. pl. petty devils, imps, Sturl. ii. 221. smá-dúkar, m. pl. little kerchiefs, Vm. 47. smá-dýr, n. pl. ‘small deer,’ small animals, Stj. 572, Barl. 41. smá-eyjar, f. pl. little islands, Fms. x. 5. smá-fénaðr, m. small cattle, Gþl. 393. smá-ferjur, f. pl. small ferries, Fms. x. 153. smá-fiskar, m. pl. small fishes, Fas. ii. 112. smá-fuglar, m. pl. small birds, Grág. ii. 346, Al. 132, Fms. vi. 153. smá-geislar, m. pl. faint beams, Fms. i. 140. smá-gjafar, f. pl. small gifts, Stj. smá-gjarn, adj., Valla L. 201 (false reading for sín-gjarn, q. v.) smá-greinir, f. pl. small matters, Bjarn. 3. smá-grjót, n. smal-grit, pebbles, Sturl. ii. 210, Sks. 422. smá-hlutir, m. pl. trifles, Ld. 286, Fas. i. 112, Bs. ii. 167. smá-hringar, m. pl. small circles, rings, Stj. 80, Fas. iii. 45. smá-hrís, n. a shrubbery, Fms. vi. 334. smá-hundar, m. pl. small dogs, Flóv. 34. smá-hús, n. pl. small houses, Pr. 119. smá-hvalir, m. pl. little whales, Vm. 91. smá-kertistikur, f. pl. small candlesticks, Vm. 171. smá-kirkjur, f. pl. small churches, N. G. L. ii. 241. smá-kjörr, n. pl. scrub, brushwood, Fms. vi. 334. smá-klukkur, f. pl. small bells, Vm. 64. smá-kofar, m. pl. small huts, Bs. i. 240. smá-konungar, m. pl. kinglets, Fms. iv. 26, x. 283, Sks. smá-koppar, m. pl. small cups, hollows, Fb. ii. 284. smá-kornóttr, adj. small-grained, Stj. 292. smá-kvistir, m. pl. small twigs, Barl. 81, Bs. ii. 183. smá-kvæmr, adj. of low descent, Fær. 236. smá-látr, adj. content with little, Vápn. 7, Al. 6. smá-leikar, adj. smallness, Finnb. 262, Fas. iii. 393 (sing., Fms. iii. 192). smá-leitr, adj. small-featured, Al. 52, Bs. ii. 11. smá-lérept, n. fine linen, Pm. 123. smá-ligr, adj. trifling, Sks. 30 B. smá-líkneski, n. pl. small images, Pm. 80, 120. smá-lyginn, adj. petty lying, Rb. 310. smá-lærisveinar, m. pl. little disciples, Bs. i. 219. smá-læti, n. stinginess (opp. to stórlæti), Vápn. 10. smá-lönd, n. pl. small lands (islands); öll s. í hafinu, Fas. i. 347; a local name of the Danish islands, Fms. vi. 56, 31: cp. the county Småland in Sweden, Fms. xii. sma-mannligr, adj. mannikin-like, Landn. 121. smá-menn, m. pl. = smámenni, Fms. vi. 14, Dropl. 18. smá-menni, n. small people, Nj. 94, Eg. 770, Fms. vii. 124, Barl. 169. smá-meyjar, f. pl. little girls, Nj. 2. Smámeyja-land, n. the land of the dwarf maidens, mythical, Sams. S. smá-munir, n. pl. trifles, Ld. 286. sma-mæli, n. pl. small cases, Anecd. 46. smá-mæltr, part. ‘small-spoken,’ lisping, Sturl. iii. 278 (where a nickname), freq. in mod. usage. smá-neyti, n. ‘small neats,’ calves, and the like: mart s., Lv. 91. smá-piltar, m. pl. small boys, Stj. 123, Fas. iii. 124. smá-rakkar, m. pl. small dog’s, Mar., Fms. viii. 207, Stj. 99. smá-ráðr, adj. aiming at small things, Ld. 172, Fms. ii. 32. smá-regn, n. small rain, drizzle, Stj. 14 (sing.) smá-rekar, m. pl. small jetsums or waifs, Vm. 60, Pm. 69. smá-ríki, n. pl. petty kingdoms, Fms. ii. 190. smá-róar, m. pl. small relief, Bs. i. 351. smá-sakar, f. pl. petty suits, Hrafn. 4. smá-sandar, m. pl. fine sand, plains of fine sand, Eg. 141. smá-sauðr, m. (sing.), a little sheep, Stj. 516. smá-skip, n. pl. small ships, Fms. ii. 302, vii. 266, N. G. L. ii. 252. smá-skitligr, adj. tiny; s. í andliti, tiny-faced, Fb. i. 540; lítill ok s., Fas. ii. 247. smá-skógar, m. pl. copsewood, Landn. 68. smá-skútur, f. pl. small craft, Fms. iii. 1, vi. 402, vii. 234, Eg. 341. smá-smíði, n. hardware, opp. to stór-smíði, N. G. L. iii. 15 (cp. Low Germ. klein-smied). smá-smugall, -smogall, adj. penetrating through every pore, Rb. 334: metaph. minute, subtle; vitr ok s., Mar., Barl., Str.; smásmugul ok hvöss ok skygn augu, Skálda 160: compar. smásmuglari, 159: mod., in a bad sense, hair-splitting, fault-finding, sma-smugliga, adv. subtlely, minutely, Stj. 155, Bs. ii. 52. sma-smugligr, adj. minute, Sks. 637: hair-splitting. smá-smygli, f. minuteness, Str. 2, Bs. ii. 42. smá-spengr, f. pl. small spangles, Nj. 142. smá-straumr, m. and smá-streymt, n. adj. a neap-tide. smá-sveinar, m. pl. small boys, Eg. 188, Fms. vii. 158, Stj. 121: sing., smásveini einum, Bs. i. 45. smá-sveinligr, adj. boyish; s. nám, Bs. i. 219. smá-svik, n. pl. petty tricks, Fms. vi. 383. smá-syndir, f. pl. petty sins, 677. 9. smá-tennr, f. pl. small tusks (of a walrus), Sks. 179. smá-tíundir, f. pl. small tithes, Vm. 89, H. E. ii. 167. smá-tölur, f. pl. (smá-talna), small numbers, Rb. 114. smá-varningr, m. small wares (sing.), Nj. 75. smá-váfur, f. pl. tiny ghosts, imps, Grett. 79 new Ed. smá-vegis, adv. trifling. smá-vendir, m. pl. small wands, Sks. 443. smá-verplar, m. pl. small casks, N. G. L. iii. 15. smá-viði, n. a shrubbery, Eg. 580. smá-vofrur, f. pl. = smáváfur, Grett. 112. smá-þarmar, m. pl. [A. S. smæl-þearmas], the small gut, also the lower abdomen, Nj. 262, Fas. ii. 255, Sturl. i. 196, Fb. i. 301, Mar., passim; smáþarma-mein, Bs. i. 825. smá-þing, n. a small object, Thom. 301. smá-öxar, f. pl. small axes, A.A. 270.

(gen. -ar and -s; pl. -ir and -ar, acc. -u and -a), m.

1) way, road (á vegum úti);

2) fig. phrases, koma e-u til vegar, to bring about; fara til vegar, to go, proceed (ekki mun þér um, at kenna, hversu sem til vegar ferr); ganga (koma) til vegar, to come to an issue, be decided (gekk þat ok eigi til vegar); gera endiligan veg á máli, to bring it to an issue; venda sínum vegi, to wend one’s way;

3) way, mode, manner; þessir menn munu sœkja oss með eldi, er þeir megu eigi annan veg, if they cannot (get at us) in any other way; einn veg, one way, in the same way; annan veg, other-wise (er annan veg en ek hygg); þann veg, thus, in that wise (þetta er ekki þann veg at skilja); hvern veg, how (eigi veit ek hvern veg þá mun verða);þótti sinn veg hvárum, each of the two had his own opinion, they disagreed; á alla vega, in every way, manner, respect; á marga vega, in many ways;

4) direction; alla vega, in all directions, on all sides (kváðu við lúðrar alla vega í braut frá þeim); skjót annan veg, in another direction; snúa hverr síns vegar, each his own way, in different directions; flýja viðs vegar, to flee scattered about;

5) side, hand; eins vegar, on one side (var eins vegar sjór); á hœgra (vinstra) veg e-u, on the right (left) hand of; tvá vega, on two sides.

(gen. -s), m. honour, distinction (er yðr þat v. mikill); til vegs guði, to the glory of God.

f. pl. levers, see vög.

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m., gen. vegar; but vegs, Eg. 295, Bret. 262; vegsins, Hbl. 56; dat. vegi and veg; with the article veginum, Eg. 544; but veg, Fms. i. 9: pl. vegir and vegar, Eg. 544; acc. vega and vegu, the former is the better form, for the root is ‘vig,’ not ‘vigu;’ vega is also used in old adverbial phrases, as alla vega, marga vega: [Ulf. wigs = ὁδός; A. S., O. H. G. and Germ. weg; Engl. way; Dan. vej; Swed. väg; Lat. via; the root word is vega, q. v.]:—a way, road; vegir er renna til bæja, Gþl. 413; vegir allir, Eg. 543; þröngastir vegir, Fms. ix. 366, passim.

2. metaph. phrases; fara vel til vegar, to be well on ones way, go on, Fms. ix. 283; ganga til vegar, to be in the way towards, to come to an issue, vii. 136, Boll. 355; komask til vegar, Háv. 51; einum verðr e-ð að vegi, to find one’s way out; koma e-u til vegar, to put one in the way, Ld. 320; göra veg á við e-n, to travel with one, come to an understanding; göra endiligan veg á máli, to bring it to an issue, Bs. i. 905; var þat endiligr vegr hér á, Dipl. ii. 11; venda sínum vegi, to wend one’s way, Fms. xi. 425; verða á veg e-s, i. 9; ríða í veg með e-m, on the way, iii. 110; um langan veg, a long way off, Eg. 410, Hom. 7, Edda 30; um farinn veg, á förnum vegi, see fara (A. VI. 2).

II. special, partly adverbial, phrases; víða vega, far and wide, 655 ix. C. 1; miðja vega, midway, Gísl. 5; annan veg, another way, Grág. (Kb.) i. 153; á hvárn tveggja veg, both ways; á hægra veg. on the right hand, Fms. x. 16; á vinstra veg. Mar.; tvá vega, both ways, Fms. x. 14; á alla vega, to all sides, Grág. (Kb.) i. 148; á alla vega frá, 119; flýði sins vegar hvár, Fms. vii. 250, Ver. 11; sinn veg hverr, Landn. 36; flýja víðs vegar, to fly scattered about, Eg. 530, Fms. vi. 87; á verra veg, to the worse, i. 270; á alla vega, in every way, manner, respect. Ld. 222, Fms. xi. 76; á marga vega, Skálda ii. 148; á þrá vega, Hom. 157; fjóra vega, on four sides, D. N. iv. 506.

2. engi veg, in no way, Blas. 43; hverngi veg, howsoever Grág. (Kb.) i. 75; annan veg, otherwise, Fms. vii. 263; einn veg, one way, in the same way, Grág. i. 490; er eigi einn veg farit úgæfu okkarri, Nj. 183; engan veg, in nowise, Fas. ii. 150: gen., eins vegar, on one side, Art.; annars vegar, Fms. viii. 228; hins vegar, on the farther side; síns vegar hverr, one on each side, Pr. 71, Fbr. 67 new Ed.; til vinstra vegsins, Hbl. 56; skógrinn var til hægra vegs, Eg. 295.

III. a region, county; in local names, Austr-vegir, Suðr-vegir, Nór-egr.

IV. peculiar forms are megin (acc. sing.) and megum (dat. pl., see p. 421, col. 2), dropping the initial v and prefixing the m from a preceding dative, the true forms being -egum, -eginn, as in báðum-egum, öllum-eginn, sínum-eginn, hinum-egum, þeim-egin, tveim-egum, whence báðu-megin … tveim-megin; the v remains in tveim vegum, Gþl. 418; nörðrum veginn, B. K. 32, 97; nörðra veginn, 97; tveim veginn, Sks. 414 B.

2. suffixed to pronouns, einn, hinn, hvern, þann, sinn, in the forms -ig, -og, -ug; einn-ig, also; hinn-ig or hinn-og, the other way; hvern-ig, hvern-og, how; þann-ig, þann-og, thither; sinns-egin, sinn-og, (see these words, as also hinn B, p. 264; sinn B, p. 529; so also in Nór-egr, q. v.)

B. vegna, a gen. pl. (?); þær heiðar er vatnsföll deilir af tveggja vegna, on both sides, Grág. i. 440; stukku menn frá tveggja vegna, Eg. 289; senda fjögurra vegna, Fms. i. 209.

II. á vegna e-s, on one’s behalf; this is only found in later vellums, and is said to be derived from the Germ. von wegen (Grimm’s Gramm. iii. 266); which etymology is strongly supported by the fact, that af vegna or á vegna (= Germ. von wegen) is the oldest form; af hins fátæka vegna, Stj. 151; af staðarins vegna, Vm. 55; kom á stefnu fyrir oss Sira Einarr ráðsmaðr af vegna Hóla-kirkju, Dipl. ii. 18; á vegna (= af vegna) Árna, Vm. 131.

2. then, dropping the particle, simply vegna; vegna e-s, on one’s account or behalf, on the part of; jarls vegna, Fms. x. 113, v. l.; staðarins vegna, Dipl. iii. 9, v. 9; minna vegna, on my behalf, Fms. iii. 154 (a late vellum); várra vegna, H. E. i. 436; sem Halldórr hafði áðr fram leitt sinna vegna, Dipl. ii. 5; Loðinn gaf upp sinna vegna, Fms. x. 99.

3. lastly, in mod. usage it has become a regular prep. with gen., having displaced the old fyrir … sakir; but in this sense it is hardly found in vellums; but in inaccurate paper transcripts it is often substituted for the ‘sakir’ of the vellum; cp. Vd. old Ed. 100 and Fs. ch. 24 fine; alls vegna, Þórð. 63 old Ed.; but fyrir alls sakir, new Ed. 13, l. c.

C. COMPDS: vegabót, vegarfall, vegarganga, vegalauss, vegaleysi, vegamót, vegarán, vegaskil, vegsummerki.

m., gen. vegs, glory, honour; er yðr þat vegr mikill, Eg. 410; þótti þeim miklu minni vegr at þessum, 67; leita e-m vegs, Nj. 78; með miklum veg, ok þó eigi allir með jöfnum veg, Fms. x. 170; skína með mikilli birti ok veg, i. 77; rekinn frá öllum veg, es fyrr vas prýddr öllum veg, Eluc. 13; þeim sé vegr ok veldi, lof ok dýrð, 623. 57: so in the phrase, hafa veg ok vanda af e-u, to have both the honour and the responsibility of a thing.

COMPDS: vegsboð, vegskona, vegslauss, vegsmunir.

interj. eh! what do you say?.

f. after-grass, after-math.

f. hide (hangir með hám).

* * *

f, after-math, N. G. L. i. 40, cp. 289, freq. in mod. usage, whence há-bit, n. the after-math bite or grazing, Gþl. 407, 503.

II. the hide of a horse or cattle, Hm. 135; hross-há, a horse’s hide: nauts-há, a neat’s hide; but gæra of a sheep: þing-há, a ‘thing-circuit,’ district, from heyja (q. v.); or is the metaphor taken from an expanded hide?

III. in poetry há seems to occur twice in the sense of battle-field or battle, from the fact that duels were fought upon a hide: fara at há, to go to battle, Ó. H. (Sighvat); at há hverju (hverri), Hervar. (in a verse).

m. a mythical term, ‘war-fetter:’ a valiant man who in the stress of battle feels himself spell-bound, and unable to stir, was in old lore said to be caught in a ‘war-fetter;’ this was attributed to the weird sisters of battle (the Valkyrias), as is shewn by the fact that one of them was called Herfjöturr, Shackle, Edda (Gl.); they were the messengers of Odin, by whom the warriors were doomed to death (kjósa val); the passages referring to this lore are Fms. viii. 170, Sturl. ii. 233, Ísl. ii. 104 twice (Harð. S.):—a similar belief appears in the Greek, see Od. xxii. 297 sqq., Iliad xiii. 358–360, xxii. 5 sqq.

* * *

(-ta, -tr), v.

1) to mark (m. eyra á fé);

2) to mark, draw (hann var merktr eptir Þór, ok hefir hann hamar í hendi); ok m. á nagli nauð, and mark (the character) nauð on one’s nail;

3) to mark, note, observe (síðan merkti hann þúfu þá, er griðkonan þerði á fœtr sína);

4) to notice, perceive (merktu þeir at sólargangi, at sumarit munaði aptr til vársins);

5) to show, indicate (merkti Sunnifa þat í þessu);

6) to denote, signify, mean (vil ek, at þú segir drauminn ok hvat hann merkir).

* * *

ð, [mark], to mark, as a landmark, boundary; merkja um, to mark round, enclose, Stj. 409.

II. to draw, of an image; hann var merkðr eptir Þór ok hefir hann hamar í hendi, Ó. H. 108: of letters, ok merkja á nagli Nauð, and mark (the character) Naud on one’s nail, Sdm. 7; blóðgar rúnir merkðar á brjósti, Sól. 6l; ok merkja ena löngu með stryki frá enum skömmu, Skálda 163.

2. to mark, sign, note; hverr maðr skal m. hlut sinn, Grág. i. 37; vér skulum m. lið várt allt, gera herkuml á hjálmum várum ok skjöldum, Ó. H. 204: of sheep, merkja lamb (of the ears), Grág. i. 415; nú merkir hann þat annars manns marki, id.; þat er lögmark er eyru eru merkt á öllu fé, nautum, sauðum svínum, ok geitum, nema á fuglum, þar skal fitjar merkja, 416; dilkr ómerkðr, 417.

3. to mark, note, observe; síðan merkði ( marked) hann þúfu þá er griðkonan þerði fætr sína á, Fms. i. 254; þú merkðu þeir at sólargangi ( observed) at sumarit munaði aptr til vársins, Íb. 7: ok hér er þó maðr, ok merki ek at því ( I infer it from the fact that) er hann kvíddi dauða, Niðrst. 1; þat er merkjanda, Hom. 65, H. E. i. 513.

III. metaph. to mark; sumir eru tungulausir ok merkja ( beckon) allt af bendingu, Rb. 398; nú skal í þessu m. at hverr maðr er skyldr at sæma ok tigna konungligt nafn, Sks. 488; má þat at því merkja nökkut, Bs. i. 62:—to shew, merkði Sunnifa þat í þessu at hón treysti meirr almætti Guðs en veraldligum farar-beina, Fms. i. 226; þeir merkt hafa … at hug hafa, Hkv. 2. 22.

2. to mark, denote, signify; þat merkir lærdóm þinn, Bs. i. 8, Anal. 177; maðr merkir kvikendi skynsamligt ok dauðligt, Skálda 174.

n. [nef], a ‘nose-tax,’ poll-tax, payable to the king; en sú var orðsending konungs, at hann beiddi þess Íslendinga, at þeir skyldi við þeim lögum taka sem hann hafði sett í Noregi, en veita honum af landinu þegngildi ok nefgildi, penning fyrir hvert nef, þann er tíu væri fyrir alin vaðmáls, Ó. H. 141; nefgildis-skatta þá er Haraldr faðir hans hafði lagt á allt landit lét hann taka hit ytra með sjó ok um Þrænda-lög, ok leggja til skipa-görðar, Fagrsk. 20. This ancient ‘nose-tax’ was also imposed by the Norsemen on conquered countries, and the name gave rise to strange legends; thus, king Thorgisl, the Norse conqueror of Ireland (A. D. 830–845), is, by an Irish chronicler, said to have levied a tax of an ounce on each hearth, the penalty for defaulters being the loss of their nose. Prof. Munch, Norg. Hist. i. 440, has traced the origin of this legend to the simple fact that the king imposed a ‘nose-tax’ or poll-tax on the conquered Irish, just as Harold Fairhair afterwards did in Norway.

B. [nefi], a weregild payable to the cognates of a person, opp. to bauggildi = the agnate weregild; þat heitir nefgildi er þeir menn taka er kvennsift eru komnir, Grág. ii. 137, N. G. L. i. 185.

COMPDS: nefgildisfrændbót, nefgildismaðr.

* * *

(að), v. to saw, cut with a saw (krossinn var sagaðr í sundr).

(gen. sögu, pl. sögur), f.

1) what is said, statement (má vera, at sönn sé s. þín);

2) tale, story, history; segja, ríta sögu, to tell, write a story; hann kemr eigi við þessa sögu, he is not connected with this ‘saga’; vera ór sögunni, to be out of the story; vera í sögu, to be mentioned in a story; svá sem sögu, to be mentioned in a story; svá sem sögur eru til, as the story goes;

3) the events which gave rise to the story; hann var þá mjök hniginn á efra aldr, er sjá saga gørðist, when this came to pass;

4) tale, report (eigi veit ek um sögur slíkar, hvárt satt er).

* * *

u, f., gen. sögu, pl. sögur; gen. pl. sagna is rare; and in compds the gen. sing. sögu- is preferred, thus sögu-bók, sögu-fróðr, where sögu-is used in a collective sense; when gen. sagna- is used it is often to be regarded as borrowed from sögn, as in sagna-fróðr, sagna-meistari; sagna from saga, however, occurs in dæmi-sagna, Stj. 560; Orkneyinga-sagna, Ó. H. 90, l. 3 from the bottom: [from segja; cp. Engl. saw; Germ. sage.]

B. A story, tale, legend, history. The very word owes its origin to the fact that the first historical writings were founded on tradition only; the written record was a ‘saga’ or legend committed to writing; the story thus written was not even new, but had already taken shape and had been told to many generations under the same name; hence the written history and the story told were both alike called Saga, just as in Gr. both were called λόγος (Herod, i. 184, ii. 161, vi. 19). In some instances when history is mentioned by name it is difficult to say whether a told or written Saga be meant; the former seems to be the case, esp.in the Landnáma—þar hefsk saga Harðar Grímkels-sonar ok Geirs, Landn. 62; þar görðisk saga þeirra Þorbjarnar ok Hávarðar ens halta, 127; Vé-björn var víga-maðr mikill, ok er saga mikil frá honum, 150; þar af görðisk saga Ísfirðinga ok víg Þorbjarnar, id.; þar af görðisk saga Böðmóðs gerpis ok Grímólfs, 157; þar af görðisk Svarfdæla saga, 208; þar af görðisk Þorskfirðinga saga, 124; ok þar var Þórðr gellir leiddr í áðr hann tók mannvirðing, sem segir í sögu hans, 111. Some of these Sagas were perhaps never committed to writing; others not till a later date, when the tradition had deteriorated; but they were told and known by name at the time when the Landn. was first composed, see Safn i. 191. Written Sagas, again, are those recorded in later works,—ok getr hans í Laxdæla sögu, Eb. 334; sem segir í sögu Laxdæla, Grett. 15; sem segir í Bandamanna sögu, 22;. vísar svá til í sögu Bjarnar, 132; sem segir í sögu Njarðvíkinga, Ld. 296; sem í sögu Þorgils Höllu-sonar segir, 290; sem segir í Eyrbyggja sögu, Landn. (Kb.) 90; sem segir í sögu Eireks, Fms. ii. 214; sem segir í Vápnfirðinga sögu, 239; sem segir í Njáls sögu, Þorst. Síðu H. 170; ok nokkut vísar til í enum efra hlut sögu Hróks ens svarta, Sturl. i. 3 (lost): sem segir í sögu Ragnars konungs, Fas. i. 346, cp. 510; sem segir í Skjöldunga sögu, Yngl. S. ch. 33; sem segir í sögu Sigurðar hrings, Fas. iii. 216; í Ólafs sögu Tryggva sonar, 237; sem segir í Konunga sögum, as is said in the Lives of the Kings, 509, Jómsv. (1824) 52; sem segir í Jarla sögum, as is said in the Lives of the Earls (of Orkney), Fb. ii. 347; sem ritað es í sögu hans, Landn. 41, Eg. 589; hann kemr ok við Heiðarvíga sögu, Eb. 334.

2. phrases, hér hefr or hér lýkr N. M. Sögu, see hefja and lúka; hann kemr eigi við þessa sögu, he touches not the saga, is not connected with it, Grett. 22; or kemr hann við margar sögur, Eb. 334; hann er ór sögunni, he is out of the story, Nj. 22, 29, passim; or N. M. kemr til sögunnar, comes into the story; nú víkr sögunni til …, now the tale turns, to …, Nj. 6; þat er löng saga at segja frá, it is a long tale to tell, Fms. xi. 89; lesa sögu, to read a story, x. 371; er engin saga af honum, no record of him, Grett.; skal við sögu súpa en eigi of mikit drekka, Str.; svá sem sögur eru til, as the story goes, Fms. i. 7: saga also includes the events which gave rise to the tale, hence the phrase, er saga þessi görðisk, when this tale came to pass, Fs. 3, and above. Classical passages referring to the Icel. Saga writings: þat var meirr en tvau hundruð vetra tólfræð er Ísland var byggt, áðr menn tæki hér sögur at rita, Ó. H. (pref.); flestar allar sögur, þær er görzt höfðu á Íslandi áðr Brandr biskup Sæmundarson andaðisk, vóru ritaðar, en þær sögur er síðan hafa görzt vóru lítt ritaðar, áðr Sturla skúld Þórðarson sagði fyrir Íslendinga sögur, Sturl. i. 107 (Arna-Magn. No. 122 B, whence Cod. Brit. Mus.) Story-telling was one of the entertainments at public meetings in Icel., at feasts, weddings, wakes; this was called sagna-skemtan, cp. the banquet of Reykhólar, A. D. 1119; hann sagði sögu Orms Barreyjar-skálds ok vísur margar, Sturl. i. 23; dansleikr, glímur sagna-skemtan, id.; honum var kostr á boðinn hvat til gamans skyldi hafa, sögur eða dans, um kveldit, iii. 281; such entertainments are mentioned even at the meetings of the Icel. alþing, as also at Yule time, see the interesting record of the Icel. story-teller in Harald S. harðr. ch. 99 (Fms. vi. 354–356), see also Sturl. iii. 304, 305, Fbr. (Fb. ii. 210); Íngimundr var fræði-maðr mikill, ok fór vel með sögur, Sturl. i. 9; þar vóru mjök töfl uppi höfð ok sagna-skemtan, Þorf. Karl. ch. 7; hálf-sögð er saga hver er aðrir einir segja, i. e. ‘audiatur et altera pars,’ Bs. i. 582, (mod., það er ekki nema hálfsögð saga ef einn segir.)

II. tales, reports; eigi veit ek um sögur slíkar hvárt satt er, Nj. 259; jarteinir hans urðu ágætar ok fór sagan fyrir í hvert þorp, Blas. 41; seg heill sögu! Fms. vi. 207; er yðr þá eigi segjandz-saga til, Ó. H. 206; það verðr að segja svá hverja sögu sem hún gengr, a saying, every saga must be told as it happened:—sönn saga, a true story; skrök-saga, lygisaga, a fable; dæmi-saga, a parable; álfa-sögur, trolla-sögur, galdra-sögur, útilegu-manna sögur.

COMPDS: sögubók, sögubrot, söguefni, söguligr, Söguljóð, sögumaðr, sögumeistari, sögusögn, söguþáttr.

I) prep.

A. with dative.

I. Of motion;

1) towards, against;

Otkell laut at Skamkatli, bowed down to S.;

hann sneri egginni at Ásgrími, turned the edge against A.;

2) close atup to;

Brynjólfr gengr alit at honum, quite up to him;

þeir kómust aldri at honum, they could never get near him, to close quarters with him;

3) to, at;

koma at landi, to come to land;

ganga at dómi, to go into court;

4) along (= eptir);

ganga at stræti, to walk along the street;

dreki er niðr fór at ánni (went down the river) fyrir strauminum;

refr dró hörpu at ísi, on the ice;

5) denoting hostility;

renna (sœkja) at e-m, to rush at, assault;

gerði þá at þeim þoku mikla, they were overtaken by a thick fog;

6) around;

vefja motri at höfði sér, to wrap a veil round one’s head;

bera grjót at e-m, to heap stones upon the body;

7) denoting business, engagement;

ríða at hrossum, at sauðum, to go looking after horses, watching sheep;

fara at landskuldum, to go collecting rents.

II. Of position, &c.;

1) denoting presence at, near, by, upon;

at kirkju, at church;

at dómi, in court;

at lögbergi, at the hill of laws;

2) denoting participation in;

vera at veizlu, brullaupi, to be at a banquet, wedding;

vera at vígi, to be an accessory in man-slaying;

3) ellipt., vera at, to be about, to be busy at;

kvalararnir, er at vóru at pína hann, who were tormenting him;

var þar at kona nökkur at binda (was there busy dressing) sár manna;

4) with proper names of places (farms);

konungr at Danmörku ok Noregi, king of;

biskup at Hólum, bishop of Holar;

at Helgafelli, at Bergþórshváli;

5) used ellipt. with a genitive, at (a person’s) house;

at hans (at his house) gisti fjölmenni mikit;

at Marðar, at Mara’s home;

at hins beilaga Ólafs konungs, at St. Olave’s church;

at Ránar, at Ran’s (abode).

III. Of time;

1) at, in;

at upphafi, at first, in the beginning;

at skilnaði, at parting, when they parted;

at páskum, at Easter;

at kveldi, at eventide;

at þinglausnum, at the close of the Assembly;

at fjöru, at the ebb;

at flœðum, at the floodtide;

2) adding ‘komanda’ or ‘er kemr’;

at ári komanda, next year;

at vári, er kemr, next spring;

generally with ‘komanda’ understood;

at sumri, hausti, vetri, vári, next summer, &c.;

3) used with an absolute dative and present or past part.;

at sér lifanda, duing his lifetime;

at öllum ásjándum, in the sight of all;

at áheyranda höfðingjanum, in the hearing of the chief;

at upprennandi sólu, at sunrise;

at liðnum sex vikum, after six weeks are past;

at honum önduðum, after his death;

4) denoting uninterrupted succession, after;

hverr at öðrum, annarr at öðrum, one after another;

skildu menn at þessu, thereupon, after this;

at því (thereafter) kómu aðrar meyjar.

IV. fig. and in various uses;

1) to, into, with the notion of destruction or change;

brenna (borgina) at ösku, to burn to ashes;

verða at ormi, to become a snake;

2) for, as;

gefa e-t at gjöf, as a present;

eiga e-n at vin, to have one as friend;

3) by;

taka sverð at hjöltum, by the hilt;

draga út björninn at hlustunum, by the ears;

kjósa at afli, álitum, by strength, appearrance;

4) as regards as to;

auðigr at fé, wealthy in goods;

vænn (fagr) at áliti, fair of face;

5) as a law term, on the grounds of, by reason of;

ryðja ( to challenge) dóm at mægðum, kvið at frændsemi;

6) as a paraphrase of a genitive;

faðir, móðir at barni (= barns, of a child);

aðili at sök = aðili sakar;

7) with adjectives denoting colour, size, age, of;

hvítr, svartr, rauðr at lit, while, black, red of colour;

mikill, lítill at stœrð, vexti, tall, small of stature;

tvítugr at aldri, twenty years of age;

kýr at fyrsta, öðrum kálfi, a cow that has calved once, twice;

8) determining the source from which anything comes, of, from;

Ari nam ok marga frœði at Þuríði (from her);

þiggja, kaupa, geta, leigja e-t at e-m, to receive, buy, obtain, borrow a thing from one;

hafa veg (virðing) styrk at e-m, to derive honour, power, from one;

9) according, to, after (heygðr at fornum sið);

at ráði allra vitrustu manna, by the advice of;

at landslögum, by the law of the land;

at vánum, as was to be expected;

at leyfi e-s, by one’s leave;

10) in adverbial phrases;

gróa (vera grœddr) at heilu, to be quite healed;

bíta af allt gras at snøggu, quite bare;

at fullu, fully;

at vísu, surely;

at frjálsu, freely;

at eilífu, for ever and ever;

at röngu, at réttu, wrongly, rightly;

at líku, at sömu, equally, all the same;

at mun, at ráði, at marki, to a great extent.

B. with acc., after, upon (= eptir);

sonr á at taka arf at föður sinn, to take the inheritance after his father;

eiga féránsdóm at e-n, to hold a court of execution upon a person;

at þat (= eptir þat), after that, thereafter;

connected with a past part. or a., at Gamla fallinn, after the fall of Gamli;

at Hrungni dauðan, upon the death of Hrungnir.

1) as the simple mark of the infinitive, to;

at ganga, at ríða, at hlaupa, to walk, to ride, to run;

2) in an objective sense;

hann bauð þeim at fara, sitja, he bade (ordered) them to go, sit;

gefa e-m at eta, at drekka, to give one to eat, to drink;

3) denoting design or purpose, in order to (hann gekk í borg at kaupa silfr).

1) demonstrative particle before a comparative, the, all the, so much the;

hón grét at meir, she wept the more;

þykkir oss at líkara, all the more likely;

þú ert maðr at verri (so much the worse), er þú hefir þetta mælt;

2) rel. pron., who, which, that (= er);

þeir allir, at þau tíðindi heyrðu, all those who heard;

sem þeim er títt, at ( as is the custom of those who) kaupferðir reka.

conj., that;

1) introducing a subjective or objective clause;

þat var einhverju sinni, at Höskuldr hafði vinaboð, it happened once that H.;

vilda ek, at þú réðist austr í fjörðu, I should like you to go;

2) relative to svá, denoting proportion, degree;

svá mikill lagamaðr, at, so great a lawyer, that;

3) with subj., denoting end or purpose, in order that (skáru þeir fyrir þá (viz. hestana) melinn, at þeir dœi eigi af sulti);

4) since, because, as (= því at);

5) connected with þó, því, svá;

þó at (with subj.), though, although;

því at, because, for;

svá at, so that;

6) temp., þá at (= þá er), when;

þegar at (= þegar er), as soon as;

þar til at (= þar til er), until, till;

áðr at (= á. en), before;

7) used superfluously after an int. pron. or adv.;

Ólafr spurði, hvern styrk at hann mundi fá honum, what help he was likely to give him;

in a relative sense; með fullkomnum ávexti, hverr at (which) þekkr ok þægiligr mun verða.

negative verbal suffix, = ata; var-at, was not.

n. an incited conflict or fight ( see etja);

odda at, Yggs at, battle.

* * *

and að, prep., often used ellipt. dropping the case and even merely as an adverb, [Lat. ad; Ulf. at = πρός and παρά, A. S. ät; Engl. at; Hel. ad = apud; O. H. G. az; lost in mod. Germ., and rare in Swed. and Dan.; in more freq. use in Engl. than any other kindred language, Icel. only excepted]:—the mod. pronunciation and spelling is að (aþ); this form is very old, and is found in Icel. vellum MSS. of the 12th century, e. g. aþ, 623. 60; yet in earlier times it was sounded with a tenuis, as we may infer from rhymes, e. g. jöfurr hyggi at | hve ek yrkja fat, Egill: Sighvat also makes it rhyme with a t. The verse by Thorodd—þar vastu at er fjáðr klæðið þvat (Skálda 162)—is hardly intelligible unless we accept the spelling with an aspirate (að), and say that þvað is = þvá = þváði, lavabat; it may be that by the time of Thorodd and Ari the pure old pronunciation was lost, or is ‘þvat’ simply the A. S. þvât, secuit? The Icelanders still, however, keep the tenuis in compounds before a vowel, or before h, v, or the liquids l, r, thus—atyrða, atorka, athöfn, athugi, athvarf, athlægi; atvinna, atvik; atlaga, atlíðanði ( slope), atriði, atreið, atróðr: but aðdjúpr, aðfinsla (critic), aðferð, aðkoma, aðsókn, aðsúgr (crowding), aðgæzla. In some words the pronunciation is irregular, e. g. atkvæði not aðkv-; atburðr, but aðbúnaðr; aðhjúkran not athjúkran; atgörvi not aðgörfi. At, to, towards; into; against; along, by; in regard to; after.

Mostly with dat.; rarely with acc.; and sometimes ellipt.—by dropping the words ‘home,’ ‘house,’ or the like—with gen.

WITH DAT.

A. LOC.

I. WITH MOTION; gener. the motion to the borders, limits of an object, and thus opp. to frá:

1. towards, against, with or without the notion of arrival, esp. connected with verbs denoting motion (verba movendi et eundi), e. g. fara, ganga, koma, lúta, snúa, rétta at…; Otkell laut at Skamkatli, O. louted (i. e. bowed down) towards S., Nj. 77, Fms. xi. 102; sendimaðrinn sneri ( turned) hjöltum sverðsins at konungi, towards the king, i. 15; hann sneri egginni at Ásgrími, turned the edge towards A., Nj. 220; rétta e-t at e-m, to reach, hand over, Ld. 132; ganga at, to step towards, Ísl. ii. 259.

2. denoting proximity, close up to, up to; Brynjólfr gengr … allt at honum, B. goes quite up to him, Nj. 58; Gunnarr kom þangat at þeim örunum, G. reached them even there with his arrows, 115; þeir kómust aldri at honum, they could never get near him, to close quarters, id.; reið maðr at þeim (up to them), 274; þeir höfðu rakit sporin allt at ( right up to) gammanum, Fms. i. 9; komu þeir at sjó fram, came down to the sea, Bárð. 180.

3. without reference to the space traversed, to or at; koma at landi, to land, Ld. 38, Fms. viii. 358; ríða at dyrum, Boll. 344; hlaupa at e-m, to run up to, run at, Fms. vii. 218, viii. 358; af sjáfarganginum er hann gekk at landinu, of the surf dashing against the shore, xi. 6; vísa ólmum hundi at manni, to set a fierce hound at a man, Grág. ii. 118; leggja e-n at velli, to lay low, Eg. 426, Nj. 117; hníga at jörðu, at grasi, at moldu, to bite the dust, to die, Njarð. 378; ganga at dómi, a law term, to go into court, of a plaintiff, defendant, or bystander, Nj. 87 (freq.)

4. denoting a motion along, into, upon; ganga at stræti, to walk along the street, Korm. 228, Fms. vii. 39; at ísi, on the ice, Skálda 198, Fms. vii. 19, 246, viii. 168, Eb. 112 new Ed. (á is perh. wrong); máttu menn ganga bar yfir at skipum einum, of ships alone used as a bridge, Fas. i. 378; at höfðum, at nám, to trample on the slain on the battle-field, Lex. Poët.; at ám, along the rivers; at merkiósum, at the river’s mouth, Grág. ii. 355; at endilöngu baki, all along its back, Sks. 100.

5. denoting hostility, to rush at, assault; renna at, hlaupa at, ganga, fara, ríða, sækja, at e-m, (v. those words), whence the nouns atrenna, athlaup, atgangr, atför, atreið, atsókn, etc.

β. metaph., kom at þeim svefnhöfgi, deep sleep fell on them, Nj. 104. Esp. of weather, in the impers. phrase, hríð, veðr, vind, storm görir at e-m, to be overtaken by a snow storm, gale, or the like; görði þá at þeim þoku mikla, they were overtaken by a thick fog, Bárð. 171.

6. denoting around, of clothing or the like; bregða skikkju at höfði sér, to wrap his cloak over his head, Ld. 62; vefja motri at höfði sér, to wrap a snood round her head, 188; sauma at, to stick, cling close, as though sewn on; sauma at höndum sér, of tight gloves, Bs. i. 453; kyrtill svá þröngr sem saumaðr væri at honum, as though it were stitched to him, Nj. 214; vafit at vándum dreglum, tight laced with sorry tags, id.; hosa strengd fast at beini, of tight hose, Eg. 602; hann sveipar at sér iðrunum ok skyrtunni, he gathers up the entrails close to him and the skirt too, Gísl. 71; laz at síðu, a lace on the side, to keep the clothes tight, Eg. 602.

β. of burying; bera grjót at einum, to heap stones upon the body, Eg. 719; var gör at þeim dys or grjóti, Ld. 152; gora kistu at líki, to make a coffin for a body, Eb. 264, Landn. 56, Ld. 142.

γ. of summoning troops or followers; stefna at sér mönnum, to summon men to him, Nj. 104; stefna at sér liði, Eg. 270; kippa mönnum at sér, to gather men in haste, Ld. 64.

7. denoting a business, engagement; ríða at hrossum, at sauðum, to go looking after after horses, watching sheep, Glúm. 362, Nj. 75; fara at fé, to go to seek for sheep, Ld. 240; fara at heyi, to go a-haymaking, Dropl. 10; at veiðum, a-hunting; at fuglum, a-fowling; at dýrum, a-sbooting; at fiski, a-fishing; at veiðiskap, Landn. 154, Orkn. 416 (in a verse), Nj. 25; fara at landskuldum, to go a-collecling rents, Eg. 516; at Finnkaupum, a-marketing with Finns, 41; at féföngum, a-plundering, Fms. vii. 78; ganga at beina, to wait on guests, Nj. 50; starfa at matseld, to serve at table, Eb. 266; hitta e-n at nauðsynjum, on matters of business; at máli, to speak with one, etc., Fms. xi. 101; rekast at e-m, to pursue one, ix. 404; ganga at liði sér, to go suing for help, Grág. ii. 384.

β. of festivals; snúa, fá at blóti, veizlu, brullaupi, to prepare for a sacrificial banquet, wedding, or the like, hence at-fangadagr, Eb. 6, Ld. 70; koma at hendi, to happen, befall; ganga at sínu, to come by one’s own, to take it, Ld. 208; Egill drakk hvert full er at honum kom, drained every horn that came to him, Eg. 210; komast at keyptu, to purchase dearly, Húv. 46.

8. denoting imaginary motion, esp. of places, cp. Lat. spectare, vergere ad…, to look or lie towards; horfði botninn at höfðanum, the bight of the bay looked toward the headland, Fms. i. 340, Landn. 35; also, skeiðgata liggr at læknum, leads to the brook, Ísl. ii. 339; á þann arminn er vissi at sjánum, on that wing which looked toward the sea, Fms. viii. 115; sár þau er horft höfðu at Knúti konungi, xi. 309.

β. even connected with verbs denoting motion; Gilsáreyrr gengr austan at Fljótinu, G. extends, projects to F. from the east, Hrafh. 25; hjá sundi því, er at gengr þingstöðinni, Fms. xi. 85.

II. WITHOUT MOTION; denoting presence at, near, by, at the side of, in, upon; connected with verbs like sitja, standa, vera…; at kirkju, at church, Fms. vii. 251, K. f). K. 16, Ld. 328, Ísl. ii. 270, Sks. 36; vera at skála, at húsi, to be in, at home, Landn. 154; at landi, Fms. i. 82; at skipi, on shipboard, Grág. i. 209, 215; at oldri, at a banquet, inter pocula; at áti, at dinner, at a feast, inter edendum, ii. 169, 170; at samförum ok samvistum, at public meetings, id.; at dómi, in a court; standa (to take one’s stand) norðan, sunnan, austan, vestan at dómi, freq. in the proceedings at trials in lawsuits, Nj.; at þingi, present at the parliament, Grág. i. 142; at lögbergi, o n the hill of laws, 17, Nj.; at baki e-m, at the back of.

2. denoting presence, partaking in; sitja at mat, to sit at meat, Fms. i. 241; vera at veizlu, brullaupi, to be at a banquet, nuptials, Nj. 51, Ld. 70: a law term, vera at vígi, to be an accessory in manslaying, Nj. 89, 100; vera at e-u simply means to be about, be busy in, Fms. iv. 237; standa at máli, to stand by one in a case, Grág. ii. 165, Nj. 214; vera at fóstri, to be fostered, Fms. i. 2; sitja at hégóma, to listen to nonsense, Ld. 322; vera at smíð, to be at one’s work, Þórð. 62: now absol., vera at, to go on with, be busy at.

3. the law term vinna eið at e-u has a double meaning:

α. vinna eið at bók, at baugi, to make an oath upon the book by laying the band upon it, Landn. 258, Grág., Nj.; cp. Vkv. 31, Gkv. 3. 3, Hkv. 2. 29, etc.: ‘við’ is now used in this sense.

β. to confirm a fact (or the like) by an oath, to swear to, Grág. i. 9, 327.

γ. the law phrase, nefna vátta at e-u, of summoning witnesses to a deed, fact, or the like; nefna vátta at benjum, to produce evidence, witnesses as to the wounds, Nj., Grág.; at görð, Eg. 738; at svörum, Grág. i. 19: this summoning of witnesses served in old lawsuits the same purpose as modern pleadings and depositions; every step in a suit to be lawful must be followed by such a summoning or declaration.

4. used ellipt., vera at, to be about, to be busy at; kvalararnir er at vóru at pína hann, who were tormenting him; þar varstu at, you were there present, Skálda 162; at várum þar, Gísl. (in a verse): as a law term ‘vera at’ means to be guilty, Glúm. 388; vartattu at þar, Eg. (in a verse); hence the ambiguity of Glum’s oath, vask at þar, I was there present: var þar at kona nokkur ( was there busy) at binda sár manna, Fms. v. 91; hann var at ok smíðaði skot, Rd. 313; voru Varbelgir at ( about) at taka af, þau lög …, Fms. ix. 512; ek var at ok vafk, I was about weaving, xi. 49; þeir höfðu verit at þrjú sumur, they had been busy at it for three summers, x. 186 (now very freq.); koma at, come in, to arrive unexpectedly; Gunnarr kom at í því, G. came in at that moment; hvaðan komtú nú at, whence did you come? Nj. 68, Fms. iii. 200.

5. denoting the kingdom or residence of a king or princely person; konungr at Danmörk ok Noregi, king of…, Fms. i. 119, xi. 281; konungr, jarl, at öllum Noregi, king, earl, over all N., íb. 3, 13, Landn. 25; konungr at Dyflinni, king of Dublin, 25; but í or yfir England!, Eg. 263: cp. the phrase, sitja at landi, to reside, of a king when at home, Hkr. i. 34; at Joini, Fms. xi. 74: used of a bishop; biskup at Hólum, bishop of Hólar, Íb. 18, 19; but biskup í Skálaholti, 19: at Rómi, at Rome, Fbr. 198.

6. in denoting a man’s abode (vide p. 5, col. 1, l. 27), the prep. ‘at’ is used where the local name implies the notion of by the side of, and is therefore esp. applied to words denoting a river, brook, rock, mountain, grove, or the like, and in some other instances, by, at, e. g. at Hofi (a temple), Landn. 198; at Borg ( a castle), 57; at Helgafelli (a mountain), Eb. constantly so; at Mosfelli, Landn. 190; at Hálsi (a hill), Fms. xi. 22; at Bjargi, Grett. 90; Hálsum, Landn. 143; at Á ( river), 296, 268; at Bægisá, 212; Giljá, 332; Myrká, 211; Vatnsá, id.; þverá, Glúm. 323; at Fossi (a ‘force’ or waterfall), Landn. 73; at Lækjamoti (waters-meeting), 332; at Hlíðarenda ( end of the lithe or hill), at Bergþórshváli, Nj.; at Lundi (a grove), at Melum (sandhill), Landn. 70: the prep. ‘á’ is now used in most of these cases, e. g. á Á, á Hofi, Helgafelli, Felli, Hálsi, etc.

β. particularly, and without any regard to etymology, used of the abode of kings or princes, to reside at; at Uppsölum, at Haugi, Alreksstöðum, at Hlöðum, Landn., Fms.

γ. konungr lét kalla at stofudyrum, the king made a call at the hall door, Eg. 88; þeir kölluðu at herberginu, they called at the inn, Fms. ix. 475.

7. used ellipt. with a gen., esp. if connected with such words as gista, to be a guest, lodge, dine, sup (of festivals or the like) at one’s home; at Marðar, Nj. 4; at hans, 74; þingfesti at þess bóanda, Grág. i. 152; at sín, at one’s own home, Eg. 371, K. Þ. K. 62; hafa náttstað at Freyju, at the abode of goddess Freyja, Eg. 603; at Ránar, at Ran’s, i. e. at Ran’s house, of drowned men who belong to the queen of the sea, Ran, Eb. 274; at hins heilaga Ólafs konungs, at St. Olave’s church, Fms. vi. 63: cp. ad Veneris, εις Κίμωνος.

B. TEMP.

I. at, denoting a point or period of time; at upphafi, at first, in the beginning, Ld. 104; at lyktum, at síðustu, at lokum, at last; at lesti, at last, Lex. Poët., more freq. á lesti; at skilnaði, at parting, at last, Band. 3; at fornu, in times of yore, formerly, Eg. 267, D. I. i. 635; at sinni, as yet, at present; at nýju, anew, of present time; at eilífu, for ever and ever; at skömmu, soon, shortly, Ísl. ii. 272, v. l.

II. of the very moment when anything happens, the beginning of a term; denoting the seasons of the year, months, weeks, the hours of the day; at Jólum, at Yule, Nj. 46; at Pálmadegi, on Palm Sunday, 273; at Páskum, at Easter; at Ólafsvöku, on St. Olave’s eve, 29th of July, Fms.; at vetri, at the beginning of the winter, on the day when winter sets in, Grág. 1. 151; at sumarmálum, at vetrnáttum; at Tvímánaði, when the Double month (August) begins, Ld. 256, Grág. i. 152; at kveldi, at eventide, Eg. 3; at því meli, at that time; at eindaga, at the term, 395; at eykð, at 4 o’clock p. m., 198; at öndverðri æfi Abra hams, Ver. II; at sinni, now at once, Fms. vi. 71; at öðruhverju, every now and then.

β. where the point of time is marked by some event; at þingi, at the meeting of parliament (18th to the 24th of June), Ld. 182; at féránsdómi, at the court of execution, Grág. i. 132, 133; at þinglausnum, at the close of the parliament (beginning of July), 140; at festarmálum, eðr at eiginorði, at betrothal or nuptials, 174; at skilnaði, when they parted, Nj. 106 (above); at öllum minnum, at the general drinking of the toasts, Eg. 253; at fjöru, at the ebb; at flæðum, at flood tide, Fms. viii. 306, Orkn. 428; at hrörum, at an inquest, Grág. i. 50 (cp. ii. 141, 389); at sökum, at prosecutions, 30; at sinni, now, as yet, v. that word.

III. ellipt., or adding ‘komanda’ or ‘er kemr,’ of the future time:

1. ellipt., komanda or the like being understood, with reference to the seasons of the year; at sumri, at vetri, at hausti, at vári, next summer, winter…, Ísl. ii. 242; at miðju sumri, at ári, at Midsummer, next year, Fas. i. 516; at miðjum vetri, Fms. iv. 237,

2. adding ‘komanda’ or ‘er kemr;’ at ári komanda, Bárð. 177; at vári er kemr, Dipl. iii. 6.

IV. used with an absolute dat. and with a pres. part.:

1. with pres. part.; at morni komanda, on the coming morrow, Fms. i. 263; at sér lifanda, in vivo, in his life time, Grág. ii. 202; at þeim sofundum, illis dormientibus, Hkr. i. 234; at öllum ásjándum, in the sight of all, Fms. x. 329; at úvitanda konungi, illo nesciente, without his knowledge, 227; at áheyranda höfðingjanum, in the chief’s bearing, 235.

2. of past time with a past part. (Lat. abl. absol.); at hræjum fundnum, on the bodies being found, Grág. ii. 87; at háðum dómum ok föstu þingi, during the session, the courts being set, i. 484; at liðnum sex vikum, after six weeks past, Band. 13; at svá búnu, so goru, svá komnu, svá mæltu (Lat. quibus rebus gestis, dictis, quo facto, dicto, etc.), v. those words; at úreyndu, without trial, without put ting one to the test, Ld. 76; at honum önduðum, illo mortuo.

3. ellipt. without ‘at;’ en þessum hlutum fram komnum, when all this has been done, Eb. 132.

V. in some phrases with a slight temp, notion; at görðum gildum, the fences being strong, Gþl. 387; at vörmu spori, at once, whilst the trail is warm; at úvörum, unawares, suddenly, Nj. 95, Ld. 132; at þessu, at this cost, on that condition, Eb. 38, Nj. 55; at illum leiki, to have a narrow escape, now við illan leik, Fms. ix. 473; at því, that granted, Grág. ii. 33: at því, at pessu, thereafter, thereupon, Nj. 76.

2. denoting succession, without interruption, one after another; hverr at öðrum, annarr maðr at öðrum, aðrir at öðrum; eina konu at annarri, Eg. 91, Fms. ii. 236, vi. 25, Bs. i. 22, 625. 80, H. E. i. 522.

C. METAPH. and in various cases:

I. denoting a transformation or change into, to, with the notion of destruction; brenna at ösku, at köldum kolum, to burn to ashes, to be quite destroyed, Fms. i. 105, Edda 3, Sturl. ii. 51: with the notion of transformation or transfiguration, in such phrases as, verða at e-u, göra e-t at e-u, to turn it into:

α. by a spell; verða at ormi, to become a snake, Fms. xi. 158; at flugdrekum, Gullþ. 7; urðu þau bönd at járni, Edda 40.

β. by a natural process it can often be translated by an acc. or by as; göra e-n at urðarmanni, to make him an outlaw, Eg. 728; græða e-n at orkumlamanni, to heal him so as to maim him for life, of bad treatment by a leech, Eb. 244: in the law terms, sár görist at ben, a wound turning into a ben, proving to be mortal, Grág., Nj.; verða at ljúgvætti, to prove to be a false evidence, Grág. i. 44; verða at sætt, to turn into reconciliation, Fms. i. 13; göra e-t at reiði málum, to take offence at, Fs. 20; at nýjum tíðindum, to tell as news, Nj. 14; verða fátt at orðum, to be sparing of words, 18; kveðr (svá) at orði, to speak, utter, 10; verða at þrifnaði, to geton well, Fms. vii. 196: at liði, at skaða, to be a help or hurt to one; at bana, to cause one’s death, Nj. 223, Eg. 21, Grág. ii. 29: at undrum, at hlátri, to become a wonder, a laughing-stock, 623. 35, Eg. 553.

II. denoting capacity, where it may be translated merely by as or for; gefa at Jólagjöf, to give for a Christmas-box, Eg. 516; at gjöf, for a present; at erfð, at láni, launum, as an inheritance, a loan; at kaupum ok sökum, for buying and selling, Ísl. ii. 223, Grág. i. 423; at solum, ii. 204; at herfangi, as spoil or plunder; at sakbótum, at niðgjöldum, as a compensation, weregeld, i. 339, ii. 171, Hkr. ii. 168; taka at gíslingu, to take as an hostage, Edda 15; eiga e-n at vin, at óvin, to have one as friend or foe, illt er at eiga þræl at eingavin, ‘tis ill to have a thrall for one’s bosom friend (a proverb), Nj. 77; fæða, eiga, at sonum (syni), to beget a son, Edda 8, Bs. i. 60 (but eiga at dóttur cannot be said); hafa möttul at yfirhöfn, Fms. vii. 201; verða nökkut at manni (mönnum), to turn out to be a worthy man; verða ekki at manni, to turn out a worthless person, xi. 79, 268.

2. in such phrases as, verða at orðum, to come towards, Nj. 26; var þat at erindum, Eg. 148; hafa at veizlum, to draw veizlur ( dues) from, Fms. iv. 275, Eg. 647; gora e-t at álitum, to take it into consideration, Nj. 3.

III. denoting belonging to, fitting, of parts of the whole or the like; vóru at honum (viz. the sword) hjölt gullbúin, the sword was ornamented with a hilt of gold, Ld. 330; umgörð at ( belonging to) sverði, Fs. 97 (Hs.) in a verse; en ef mór er eigi at landinu, if there be no turf moor belonging to the land, Grág. ii. 338; svá at eigi brotnaði nokkuð at Orminum, so that no harm happened to the ship Worm, Fms. x. 356; hvatki er meiðir at skipinu eðr at reiðinu eðr at viðum, damage done t o …, Grág. ii. 403; lesta ( to injure) hús at lásum, við eðr torfi, 110; ef land hefir batnað at húsum, if the land has been bettered as to its buildings, 210; cp. the phrase, göra at e-u, to repair: hamlaðr at höndum eðr fótum, maimed as to hands or feet, Eg. 14; heill at höndum en hrumr at fótum, sound in band, palsied in foot, Fms. vii. 12; lykill at skrá, a key belonging, fitting, to the latch; hurð at húsi; a key ‘gengr at’ ( fits) skrá; and many other phrases. 2. denoting the part by which a thing is held or to which it belongs, by; fá, taka at…, to grasp by …; þú tókt við sverði hans at hjöltunum, you took it by the bill, Fms. i. 15; draga út björninn at hlustum, to pull out the bear by the ears, Fas. ii. 237; at fótum, by the feet, Fms. viii. 363; mæla ( to measure) at hrygg ok at jaðri, by the edge or middle of the stuff, Grág. i. 498; kasta e-m at höfði, head foremost, Nj. 84; kjósa e-n at fótum, by the feet alone, Edda 46; hefja frændsemi at bræðrum, eða at systkynum, to reckon kinship by the brother’s or the sister’s side, Grág. i. 28; kjósa at afli, at álitum, by strength, sight, Gs. 8, belongs rather to the following.

IV. in respect of, as regards, in regard to, as to; auðigr at fé, wealthy of goods, Nj. 16, 30, 51; beztir hestar at reið, the best racehorses, 186; spekingr at viti, a man of great intellect, Ld. 124; vænn (fagr) at áliti, fair of face, Nj. 30, Bs. i. 61; kvenna vænst at ásjónu ok vits munum, of surpassing beauty and intellect, Ld. 122; fullkominn at hyggju, 18; um fram aðra menn at vinsældum ok harðfengi, of surpassing popularity and hardihood, Eb. 30.

2. a law term, of challenging jurors, judges, or the like, on account of, by reason of; ryðja ( to challenge) at mægðum, guðsifjum, frændsemi, hrörum …; at leiðarlengd, on account of distance, Grág. i. 30, 50, Nj. (freq.)

3. in arithm. denoting proportion; at helmingi, þriðjungi, fjórðungi, tíunda hluta, cp. Lat. ex asse, quadrante, for the half, third… part; máttr skal at magni (a proverb), might and main go together, Hkr. ii. 236; þú munt vera at því mikill fræðimaðr á kvæði, in the same proportion, as great, Fms. vi. 391, iii. 41; at e-s hluta, at… leiti, for one’s part, in turn, as far as one is con cerned, Grág. i. 322, Eg. 309, Fms. iii. 26 (freq.): at öðrum kosti, in the other case, otherwise (freq.) More gener., at öllu, öngu, in all (no) respects; at sumu, einhverju, nokkru, partly; at flestu, mestu, chiefly.

4. as a paraphrase of a genitive; faðir, móðir at barni (= barns); aðili at sök (= sakar a.); morðingi at barni (= barns), faðerni at barni (barns); illvirki at fé manna (cp. Lat. felo de se), niðrfall at sökum (saka), land gangr at fiskum (fiska), Fms. iv. 274, Grág. i. 277, 416, N. G. L. i. 340, K. Þ. K. 112, Nj. 21.

5. the phrase ‘at sér,’ of himself or in himself, either ellipt. or by adding the participle görr, and with the adverbs vel, ilia, or the like; denoting breeding, bearing, endowments, character …; væn kona, kurteis ok vel at sér, an accomplished, well-bred, gifted lady, Nj. I; vitr maðr ok vel at sér, a wise man and thoroughly good in feeling and bearing, 5; þú ert maðr vaskr ok vel at þér, 49; gerr at sér, accomplished, 51; bezt at sér görr, the finest, best bred man, 39, Ld. 124; en þó er hann svá vel at sér, so generous, Nj. 77; þeir höfðingjar er svá vóru vel at sér, so noble-minded, 198, Fms. i. 160: the phrase ‘at sér’ is now only used of knowledge, thus maðr vel að sér means clever, a man of great knowledge; illa að sér, a blockhead.

6. denoting relations to colour, size, value, age, and the like; hvitr, svartr, grár, rauðr … at lit, white, swarthy, gray, red … of colour, Bjarn. 55, 28, Ísl. ii. 213, etc.; mikill, lítill, at stærð, vexti, tall, small of size, etc.; ungr, gamall, barn, at aldri, young, old, a child of age; tvítugr, þrítugr … at aldri, twenty, thirty … years of age (freq.): of animals; kyr at fyrsta, öðrum … kálfi, a cow having calved once, twice…, Jb. 346: value, amount, currency of money, kaupa e-t at mörk, at a mark, N. G. L. 1. 352; ok er eyririnn at mörk, amounts to a mark, of the value of money, Grág. i. 392; verðr þá at hálfri murk vaðmála eyrir, amounts to a half a mark, 500.

β. metaph. of value, connected with verbs denoting to esteem, hold; meta, hafa, halda at miklu, litlu, vettugi, engu, or the like, to hold in high or low esteem, to care or not to care for (freq.): geta e-s at góðu, illu, öngu, to mention one favourably, unfavourably, indifferently … (freq.), prop. in connection with. In many cases it may be translated by in; ekki er mark at draumum, there is no meaning in dreams, no heed is to be paid to dreams, Sturl. ii. 217; bragð er at þá barnið finnr, it goes too far, when even a child takes offence (a proverb): hvat er at því, what does it mean? Nj. 11; hvert þat skip er vöxtr er at, any ship of mark, i. e. however small, Fms. xi. 20.

V. denoting the source of a thing:

1. source of infor mation, to learn, perceive, get information from; Ari nam ok marga fræði at Þuríði, learnt as her pupil, at her hands, as St. Paul at the feet of Gamaliel, (just as the Scotch say to speer or ask at a person); Ari nam at Þorgeiri afraðskoll, Hkr. (pref.); nema kunnáttu at e-m, used of a pupil, Fms. i. 8; nema fræði at e-m, xi. 396.

2. of receiving, acquiring, buying, from; þiggja e-t at e-m, to receive a thing at his hands, Nj. 51; líf, to be pardoned, Fms. x. 173; kaupa land at e-m, to buy it from, Landn. 72, Íb. II, (now af is more freq. in this sense); geta e-t at e-m, to obtain, procure at one’s hands, impetrare; þeirra manna er þeir megu þat geta at, who are willing to do that, Grág. i. I; heimta e-t at e-m (now af), to call in, demand (a debt, money), 279; fala e-t at e-m (now af), to chaffer for or cheapen anything, Nj. 73; sækja e-t at e-m, to ask, seek for; sækja heilræði ok traust at e-m, 98; leiga e-t at e-m (now af), to borrow, Grág. ii. 334; eiga e-t (fé, skuld) at e-m, to be owed money by any one, i. 399: metaph. to deserve of one, Nj. 113; eiga mikit at e-m, to have much to do with, 138; hafa veg, virðing, styrk, at, to derive honour, power from, Fms. vi. 71, Eg. 44, Bárð. 174; gagn, to be of use, Ld. 216; mein, tálma, mischief, disadvantage, 158, 216, cp. Eg. 546; ótta, awe, Nj. 68.

VI. denoting conformity, according to, Lat. secundum, ex, after; at fornum sið, Fms. i. 112; at sögn Ara prests, as Ari relates, on his authority, 55; at ráði allra vitrustu manna, at the advice of, Ísl. ii. 259, Ld. 62; at lögum, at landslögum, by the law of the land, Grág., Nj.; at líkindum, in all likelihood, Ld. 272; at sköpum, in due course (poet.); at hinum sama hætti, in the very same manner, Grág. i. 90; at vánum, as was to be expected, Nj. 255; at leyfi e-s, by one’s leave, Eg. 35; úlofi, Grág. ii. 215; at ósk, vilja e-s, as one likes…; at mun, id. (poet.); at sólu, happily (following the course of the sun), Bs. i. 70, 137; at því sem …, as to infer from …, Nj. 124: ‘fara, láta, ganga at’ denotes to yield, agree to, to comply with, give in, Ld. 168, Eg. 18, Fms. x. 368.

VII. in phrases nearly or quite adverbial; gróa, vera græddr, at heilu, to be quite healed, Bárð. 167, Eb. 148; bíta at snöggu, to bite it bare, Fms. xi. 6; at þurru, till it becomes dry, Eb. 276; at endilöngu, all along, Fas. ii; vinnast at litlu, to avail little, 655 x. 14; at fullu, fully, Nj. 257, Hkr. i. 171; at vísu, of a surety, surely, Ld. 40; at frjálsu, freely, 308; at líku, at sömu, equally, all the same, Hom. 80, Nj. 267; at röngu, wrongly, 686 B. 2; at hófi, temperately, Lex. Poët.; at mun, at ráði, at marki, to a great extent; at hringum, utterly, all round, (rare), Fms. x. 389; at einu, yet, Orkn. 358; svá at einu, því at einu, allt at einu, yet, however, nevertheless.

VIII. connected with comparatives of adverbs and adjectives, and strengthening the sense, as in Engl. ‘the,’ so much the more, all the more; ‘at’ heldr tveimr, at ek munda gjarna veita yðr öllum, where it may be translated by so much the more to two, as I would willingly grant it to all of you; hon grét at meir, she grat (wept) the more, Eg. 483; þykir oss at líkara, all the more likely, Fms. viii. 6; þess at harðari, all the harder, Sturl. iii. 202 C; svá at hinn sé bana at nær, Grág. ii. 117; at auðnara, at hólpnara, the more happy, Al. 19, Grett. 116 B; þess at meiri, Fms. v. 64; auvirðismaðr at meiri, Sturl. ii. 139; maðr at vaskari, id.; at feigri, any the more fey, Km. 22; maðr at verri, all the worse, Nj. 168; ok er ‘at’ firr…, at ek vil miklu heldr, cp. Lat. tantum abest… ut, Eg. 60.

β. following after a negation; eigi at síðr, no less, Nj. 160, Ld. 146; eigi… at meiri maðr, any better, Eg. 425, 489; erat héra at borgnara, any the better off for that, Fms. vii. 116; eigi at minni, no less for that, Edda (pref.) 146; eigi at minna, Ld. 216, Fms. ix. 50; ekki at verri drengr, not a bit worse for that, Ld. 42; er mér ekki son minn at bættari, þótt…, 216; at eigi vissi at nær, any more, Fas. iii. 74.

IX. following many words:

1. verbs, esp. those denoting, a. to ask, enquire, attend, seek, e. g. spyrja at, to speer (ask) for; leita at, to seek for; gæta, geyma at, to pay attention to; huga, hyggja at; hence atspurn, to enquire, aðgæzla, athugi, attention, etc.

β. verbs denoting laughter, play, joy, game, cp. the Engl. to play at …, to laugh at …; hlæja, brosa at e-u, to laugh, smile at it; leika (sér) at e-u, to play at; þykja gaman at, to enjoy; hæða, göra gys at …, to make sport at …

γ. verbs denoting assistance, help; standa, veita, vinna, hjálpa at; hence atstoð, atvinna, atverk:—mode, proceeding; fara at, to proceed, hence atför and atferli:—compliance; láta, fara at e-u, v. above:— fault; e-t er at e-u, there is some fault in it, Fms. x. 418; skorta at e-u, to fall short of, xi. 98:—care, attendance; hjúkra at, hlýja at, v. these words:—gathering, collecting; draga, reiða, flytja, fá at, congerere:—engagement, arrival, etc.; sækja at, to attack; ganga at, vera at, to be about; koma at, ellipt. to arrive: göra at, to repair: lesta at, to impair (v. above); finna at, to criticise (mod.); telja at, id.: bera at, to happen; kveða at e-m, to address one, 625. 15, (kveða at (ellipt.) now means to pronounce, and of a child to utter (read) whole syllables); falla at, of the flood-tide (ellipt.): metaph. of pains or straits surrounding one; þreyngja, herða at, to press hard: of frost and cold, with regard to the seasons; frjósa at, kólna at, to get really cold (SI. 44), as it were from the cold stiffening all things: also of the seasons themselves; hausta, vetra að, when the season really sets in; esp. the cold seasons, ‘sumra at’ cannot be used, yet we may say ‘vára að’ when the spring sets in, and the air gets mild.

δ. in numberless other cases which may partly be seen below.

2. connected ellipt. with adverbs denoting motion from a place; norðan, austan, sunnan, vestan at, those from the north, east…; utan at, innan at, from the outside or inside.

3. with adjectives (but rarely), e. g. kærr, elskr, virkr (affectionate), vandr (zealous), at e-m; v. these words.

WITH ACC.

TEMP.: Lat. post, after, upon, esp. freq. in poetry, but rare in prose writers, who use eptir; nema reisi niðr at nið (= maðr eptir mann), in succession, of erecting a monument, Hm. 71; in prose, at þat. posthac, deinde, Fms. x. 323, cp. Rm., where it occurs several times, 2, 6, 9, 14, 18, 24, 28, 30, 35; sonr á at taka arf at föður sinn, has to take the inheritance after his father, Grág. i. 170 new Ed.; eiga féránsdóm at e-n, Grág. i. 89; at Gamla fallinn, after the death of G., Fms. x. 382; in Edda (Gl.) 113 ought to be restored, grét ok at Oð, gulli Freyja, she grat (wept) tears of gold for her lost husband Od. It is doubtful if it is ever used in a purely loc. sense; at land, Grág. (Sb.)ii. 211, is probably corrupt; at hönd = á hönd, Grág. (Sb.) i. 135; at mót = at móti, v. this word.

☞ In compounds (v. below) at- or að- answers in turn to Lat. ad- or in- or con-; atdráttr e. g. denotes collecting; atkoma is adventus: it may also answer to Lat. ob-, in atburðr = accidence, but might also be compared with Lat. occurrere.

and að, the mark of the infinitive [cp. Goth. du; A. S. and Engl. to; Germ. zu]. Except in the case of a few verbs ‘at’ is always placed immediately before the infinitive, so as to be almost an inseparable part of the verb.

I. it is used either,

1. as, a simple mark of the infinitive, only denoting an action and independent of the subject, e. g. at ganga, at hlaupa, at vita, to go, to run, to know; or,

2. in an objective sense when following such verbs as bjóða segja…, to invite, command …; hann bauð þeim at ganga, at sitja, be bade, ordered them to go, sit, or the like; or as gefa and fá; gefa e-m at drekka, at eta, to give one to drink or to eat, etc. etc.

β. with the additional notion of intention, esp. when following verba cogitandi; hann ætlaði, hafði í hyggju at fara, he had it in his mind to go (where ‘to go’ is the real object to ætlaði and hafði í hyggju).

3. answering to the Gr. ινα, denoting intention, design, in order to; hann gékk í borg at kaupa silfr, in order to buy, Nj. 280; hann sendi riddara sína með þeim at varðveita þær, 623. 45: in order to make the phrase more plain, ‘svá’ and ‘til’ are frequently added, esp. in mod. writers, ‘svá at’ and contr. ‘svát’ (the last however is rare), ‘til at’ and ‘til þess at,’ etc.

II. in the earlier times the infin., as in Greek and Lat., had no such mark; and some verbs remain that cannot be followed by ‘at;’ these verbs are almost the same in Icel. as in Engl.:

α. the auxiliary verbs vil, mun ( μέλλω), skal; as in Engl. to is never used after the auxiliaries shall, will, must; ek vil ganga, I will go; ek mun fara, (as in North. E.) I mun go; ek skal göra þat, I shall do that, etc.

β. the verbs kunna, mega, as in Engl. I can or may do, I dare say; svá hygginn at hann kunni fyrir sökum ráða, Grág. ii. 75; í öllu er prýða má góðan höfðingja, Nj. 90; vera má, it may be; vera kann þat, id.: kunnu, however, takes ‘at’ whenever it means to know, and esp. in common language in phrases such as, það kann að vera, but vera kann þat, v. above.

γ. lata, biðja, as in Engl. to let, to bid; hann lét (bað) þá fara, he let (bade) them go.

δ. þykkja, þykjast, to seem; hann þykir vera, he is thought to be: reflex., hann þykist vera, sibi videtur: impers., mér þykir vera, mibi videtur, in all cases without ‘at.’ So also freq. the verbs hugsa, hyggja, ætla, halda, to think, when denoting merely the act of thinking; but if there be any notion of intention or purpose, they assume the ‘at;’ thus hann ætlaði, hugði, þá vera góða menn, he thought them to be, acc. c. inf.; but ætlaði at fara, meant to go, etc.

ε. the verbs denoting to see, bear; sjá, líta, horfa á … ( videre); heyra, audire, as in Engl. I saw them come, I heard him tell, ek sá þá koma, ek heyrði hann tala.

ζ. sometimes after the verbs eiga and ganga; hann gékk steikja, be went to roast, Vkv. 9; eiga, esp. when a mere periphrasis instead of skal, móður sína á maðr fyrst fram færa (better at færa), Grág. i. 232; á þann kvið einskis meta, 59; but at meta, id. l. 24; ráða, nema, göra …, freq. in poetry, when they are used as simple auxiliary verbs, e. g. nam hann sér Högna hvetja at rúnum, Skv. 3. 43.

η. hljóta and verða, when used in the sense of must (as in Engl. he must go), and when placed after the infin.of another verb; hér muntu vera hljóta, Nj. 129; but hljóta at vera: fara hlýtr þú, Fms. 1. 159; but þú hlýtr at fara: verða vita, ii. 146; but verða at vita: hann man verða sækja, þó verðr (= skal) maðr eptir mann lifa, Fms. viii. 19, Fas. ii. 552, are exceptional cases.

θ. in poetry, verbs with the verbal neg. suffix ‘-at,’ freq. for the case of euphony, take no mark of the infinitive, where it would be indispensable with the simple verb, vide Lex. Poët. Exceptional cases; hvárt sem hann vill ‘at’ verja þá sök, eða, whatever he chooses, either, Grág. i. 64; fyrr viljum vér enga kórónu at bera, en nokkut ófrelsi á oss at taka, we would rather bear no crown than …, Fms. x. 12; the context is peculiar, and the ‘at’ purposely added. It may be left out ellipt.; e. g. þá er guð gefr oss finnast (= at finnast), Dipl. ii. 14; gef honum drekka (= at drekka), Pr. 470; but mostly in unclassical writers, in deeds, or the like, written nastily and in an abrupt style.

and að, conj. [Goth. þatei = οτι; A. S. þät; Engl. that; Germ, dass; the Ormul. and Scot. at, see the quotations sub voce in Jamieson; in all South-Teutonic idioms with an initial dental: the Scandinavian idioms form an exception, having all dropped this consonant; Swed. åt, Dan. at]. In Icel. the Bible translation (of the 16th century) was chiefly based upon that of Luther; the hymns and the great bulk of theol. translations of that time were also derived from Germany; therefore the germanised form það frequently appears in the Bible, and was often employed by theol. authors in sermons since the time of the Reformation. Jón Vidalin, the greatest modern Icel. preacher, who died in 1720, in spite of his thoroughly classical style, abounds in the use of this form; but it never took root in the language, and has never passed into the spoken dialect. After a relative or demonstr. pronoun, it freq. in mod. writers assumes the form eð, hver eð, hverir eð, hvað eð, þar eð. Before the prep. þú (tu), þ changes into t, and is spelt in a single word attú, which is freq. in some MS.;—now, however, pronounced aððú, aððeir, aððið …, = að þú…, with the soft Engl. th sound. It gener. answers to Lat. ut, or to the relat. pron. qui.

I. that, relative to svá, to denote proportion, degree, so…, that, Lat. tam, tantus, tot…, ut; svá mikill lagamaðr, at…, so great a lawyer, that…, Nj. 1; hárið svá mikit, at þat…, 2; svá kom um síðir því máli, at Sigvaldi, it came so far, that…, Fms. xi. 95, Edda 33. Rarely and unclass., ellipt. without svá; Bæringr var til seinn eptir honum, at hann … (= svá at), Bær. 15; hlífði honum, at hann sakaði ekki, Fas. iii. 441.

II. it is used,

1. with indic, in a narrative sense, answering partly to Gr. οτι, Lat. quod, ut, in such phrases as, it came to pass, happened that …; þat var einhverju sinni, at Höskuldr hafði vinaboð, Nj. 2; þat var á palmdrottinsdag, at Ólafr konungr gékk út um stræti, Fms. ii. 244.

2. with subj. answering to Lat. acc. with infin., to mark the relation of an object to the chief verb, e. g. vilda ek at þú réðist, I wished that you would, Nj. 57.

β. or in an oblique sentence, answering to ita ut…; ef svá kann verða at þeir láti…, if it may be so that they might…, Fms. xi. 94.

γ. with a subj. denoting design, answering to ϊνα or Lat. ut with subj., in order that; at öll veraldar bygðin viti, ut sciat totus orbis, Stj.; þeir skáru fyrir þá melinn, at þeir dæi eigi af sulti, ut ne fame perirent, Nj. 265; fyrsti hlutr bókarinnar er Kristindómsbálkr, at menn skili, in order that men may understand, Gþl. p. viii.

III. used in connection with conjunctions,

1. esp. þó, því, svá; þó at freq. contr. þótt; svát is rare and obsolete.

α. þóat, þótt (North. E. ‘thof’), followed by a subjunctive, though, although, Lat. etsi, quamquam (very freq.); þóat nokkurum mönnum sýnist þetta með freku sett… þá viljum vér, Fms. vi. 21: phrases as, gef þú mér þó at úverðugri, etsi indignae (dat.), Stj. MS. col. 315, are unclass., and influenced by the Latin: sometimes ellipt. without ‘þó,’ eigi mundi hón þá meir hvata göngu sinni, at (= þóat) hon hraeddist bana sinn, Edda 7, Nj. 64: ‘þó’ and ‘at’ separated, svarar hann þó rétt, at hann svari svá, Grág. i. 23; þó er rétt at nýta, at hann sé fyrr skorinn, answering to Engl. yet—though, Lat. attamen —etsi, K. Þ. K.

β. því at, because, Lat. nam, quia, with indic.; því at allir vóru gerfiligir synir hans, Ld. 68; því at af íþróttum verðr maðr fróðr, Sks. 16: separated, því þegi ek, at ek undrumst, Fms. iii. 201; því er þessa getið, at þat þótti, it i s mentioned because …, Ld. 68.

γ. svá at, so that, Lat. ut, ita ut; grátrinn kom upp, svá at eingi mátti öðrum segja, Edda 37: separated, so … that, svá úsvúst at …, so bad weather, that, Bs. i. 339, etc.

2. it is freq. used superfluously, esp. after relatives; hver at = hverr, quis; því at = því, igitur; hverr at þekkr ok þægiligr mun verða, Fms. v. 159; hvern stvrk at hann mundi fá, 44; ek undrumst hvé mikil ógnarraust at liggr í þér, iii. 201; því at ek mátti eigi þar vera elligar, því at þar var kristni vel haldin, Fas. i. 340.

IV. as a relat. conj.:

1. temp, when, Lat. quum; jafnan er ( est) mér þá verra er ( quum) ek fer á braut þaðan, en þá at ( quum) ek kem, Grett. 150 A; þar til at vér vitum, till we know, Fms. v. 52; þá at ek lýsta (= þá er), when, Nj. 233.

2. since, because; ek færi yðr (hann), at þér eruð í einum hrepp allir, because of your being all of the same Rape, Grág. i. 260; eigi er kynlegt at ( though) Skarphéðinn sé hraustr, at þat er mælt at…, because (since) it is a saying that…, Nj. 64.

V. in mod. writers it is also freq. superfluously joined to the conjunctions, ef að = ef, si, (Lv. 45 is from a paper MS.), meðan að = meðan, dum; nema að, nisi; fyrst að = fyrst, quoniam; eptir að, síðan að, postquam; hvárt að = hvárt, Lat. an. In the law we find passages such as, þá er um er dæmt eina sök, at þá eigu þeir aptr at ganga í dóminn, Grág. i. 79; ef þing ber á hina helgu viku, at þat á eigi fyrir þeim málum at standa, 106; þat er ok, at þeir skulu reifa mál manna, 64; at þeir skulu með váttorð þá sök sækja, 65: in all these cases ‘at’ is either superfluous or, which is more likely, of an ellipt. nature, ‘the law decrees’ or ‘it is decreed’ being understood. The passages Sks. 551, 552, 568, 718 B, at lokit (= at ek hefi lokit), at hugleitt (= at ek hefi h.), at sent (= at ek hefi sent) are quite exceptional.

and að, an indecl. relat. pronoun [Ulf. þatei = ος, ος αν, οστις, οσπερ, οιος, etc.; Engl. that, Ormul. at], with the initial letter dropped, as in the conj. at, (cp. also the Old Engl. at, which is both a conj. and a pronoun, e. g. Barbour vi. 24 in Jamieson: ‘I drede that his gret wassalage, | And his travail may bring till end, | That at men quhilc full litil wend.’ | ‘His mestyr speryt quhat tithings a t he saw.’—Wyntoun v. 3. 89.) In Icel. ‘er’ (the relat. pronoun) and ‘at’ are used indifferently, so that where one MS. reads ‘er,’ another reads ‘at,’ and vice versâ; this may easily be seen by looking at the MSS.; yet as a rule ‘er’ is much more freq. used. In mod. writers ‘at’ is freq. turned into ‘eð,’ esp. as a superfluous particle after the relative pron. hverr (hver eð, hvað eð, hverir eð, etc.), or the demonstr. sá (sá eð, þeir eð, hinir eð, etc.):—who, which, that, enn bezta grip at ( which) hafði til Íslands komið, Ld. 202; en engi mun sá at ( cui) minnisamara mun vera, 242; sem blótnaut at ( quae) stærst verða, Fms. iii. 214; þau tiðendi, at mér þætti verri, Nj. 64, etc. etc.

n. collision (poët.); odda at, crossing of spears, crash of spears, Höfuðl. 8.

β. a fight or bait of wild animals, esp. of horses, v. hesta-at and etja.

the negative verbal suffix, v. -a.

* * *

(ber; bar, bárum; borinn), v.

I.

1) to bear, carry, convey (bar B. biskup í börum suðr í Hvamm);

bera (farm) af skipi, to unload a ship;

bera (mat) af borði, to take (the meat) off the table;

bera e-t á hesti, to carry on horseback;

2) to wear (bera klæði, vápn, kórónu);

bera œgishjálm, to inspire fear and awe;

3) to bear, produce, yield (jörðin berr gras; tré bera aldin, epli);

4) to bear, give birth to, esp. of sheep and cows;

kýr hafði borit kálf, had calved;

absol., ván at hón mundi bera, that the cow would calve;

the pp. is used of men; hann hafði verit blindr borinn, born blind;

verða borinn í þenna heim, to be born into this world;

þann sóma, sem ek em til borinn, born to;

borinn e-m, frá e-m (rare), born of;

Nótt var Nörvi borin, was the daughter of N.;

borinn Sigmundi, son of S.;

5) bera e-n afli, ofrafli, ofrliði, ofrmagni, ofríki, to bear one down, overcome, oppress, one by odds or superior force;

bera e-n ráðum, to overrule one;

bera e-n málum, to bear one down (wrongfully) in a lawsuit;

bera e-n sök, to charge one with a fault;

bera e-n bjóri, to make drunk with beer;

verða bráðum borinn, to be taken by surprise;

borinn verkjum, overcome by pains;

þess er borin ván, there is no hope, all hope is gone;

borinn baugum, bribed; cf. bera fé á e-n, to bribe one;

6) to lear, be capable of bearing (of a ship, horse, vehicle);

þeir hlóðu bæði skipin sem borð báru, with as much as they could carry;

fig., to sustain, support (svá mikill mannfjöldi, at landit fekk eigi borit);

of persons, to bear up against, endure, support (grief, sorrow, etc.);

absol., bar hann drengiliga, he bore it manfully;

similarly, bera (harm) af sér, berast vel (illa, lítt) af;

bar hon sköruliga af sér, she bore up bravely;

hversu berst Auðr af um bróðurdauðann, how does she bear it?

hon berst af lítt, she is much cast down;

bera sik vel upp, to bear well up against;

7) bera e-t á, e-n á hendr e-m, to charge or tax one with (eigi erum vér þess valdir, er þú berr á oss);

bera (kvið) á e-n, to give a verdict against, declare guilty (í annat sinn báru þeir á Flosa kviðinn);

bera af e-m (kviðinn), to give a verdict for;

bera e-t af sér, to deny having done a thing;

bera or bera vitni, vætti, to bear witness, testify;

bera or bera um e-t, to give a verdict in a case;

bera e-n sannan at sök, to prove guilty by evidence;

bera e-n undan sök, to acquit;

bera í sundr frændsemi þeirra, to prove (by evidence) that they are not relations;

bera e-m vel (illa) söguna, to give a favourable (unfavourable) account of one;

refl. (pass.), berast, to be proved by evidence (þótt þér berist þat faðerni, er þú segir);

8) to set forth, report, tell;

bera e-m kveðju (orð, orðsending), to bring one a greeting, compliments (word, message);

bera or bera fram erindi sín fyrir e-n, to state (tell) one’s errand or to plead one’s case before one;

bera e-m njósn, to apprise one;

bera e-t upp, to produce, mention, tell;

bera upp gátu, to give (propound) a riddle;

bera upp erindi sín, to state one’s errand;

bera saman ráð sín, to consult together;

eyddist það ráð, er þeir báru saman, which they had designed;

9) to keep, hold, bear, of a title (bera jarlnafn, konnungsnafn);

bera (eigi) giptu, gæfu, hammingju, auðnu til e-s, (not) to have the good fortune to do a thing (bar hann enga gæfu til at þjóna þér);

bera vit, skyn, kunnáttu á e-t, to have knowledge of, uniderstanding about;

vel viti borinn, endowed with a good understanding;

bera hug, áræði, þor, traust til e-s, to have courage, confidence to do a thing;

bera áhyggju fyrir e-u, to be concerned about;

bera ást, elsku, hatr til e-s, to bear affection, love, hatred to;

10) to bear off or away, carry off (some gain);

bera sigr af e-m, af e-u, to carry off the victory from or in;

hann hafði borit sigr af tveim orustum, he had been victorious in two battles;

bera hærra (lægra) hlut to get the best (the worst) of it;

bera efra (hærra) skjöld, to gain the victory;

bera hátt (lágt) höfuðit, to bear the head high (low), to be in high (low) spirits;

bera halann bratt, lágt, to cock up or let fall the tail, to be in high or low spirits;

11) with preps.:

bera af e-m, to surpass;

en þó bar Bolli af, surpassed all the rest;

bera af sér högg, lag to ward off, parry a blow or thrust;

bera eld at, to set fire to;

bera fjötur (bönd) at e-m, to put fetters (bonds) on one;

bera vápn á e-n, to attack one with sharp weapons;

bera á or í, to smear, anoint (bera vatn í augu sér, bera tjöru í höfuð sér);

bera e-t til, to apply to, to try if it fits (bera til hvern lykil af öðrum at portinu);

bera e-t um, to wind round;

þá bar hann þá festi um sik, made it fast round his body;

bera um með e-n, to bear with, have patience with;

bera út barn, to expose a child;

12) refl., berast mikit (lítit) á, to bear oneself proudly (humbly);

láta af berast, to die;

láta fyrir berast e-s staðar, to stay, remain in a place (for shelter);

berast e-t fyrir, to design a thing (barst hann þat fyrir at sjá aldregi konur);

at njósna um, hvat hann bærist fyrir, to inquire into what he was about;

berast vápn á, to attack one another;

berast at or til, to happen;

þat barst at (happened) á einhverju sumri;

ef svá harðliga kann til at berast, if that misfortune does happen;

berast í móti, to happen, occur;

hefir þetta vel í móti borizt, it is a happy coincidence;

berast við, to be prevented;

ok nú lét almáttugr guð við berast kirkjubrunann, prevented, stopped the burning of the church;

II. impers., denoting a sort of passive or involuntary motion;

1) with acc., it bears or carries one to a place;

alla berr at sama brunni, all come to the same well (end);

bar hann (acc.) þá ofan gegnt Ösuri, he happened to come down just opposite to Ö.;

esp. of ships and sailors; berr oss (acc.) til Íslands eða annarra landa, we drift to Iceland or other countries;

þá (acc.) bar suðr í haf, they were carried out southwards;

Skarpheðin (acc.) bar nú at þeim, S. came suddenly upon them;

ef hann (acc.) skyldi bera þar at, if he should happen to come there;

e-n berr yfir, one is borne onwards, of a bird flying, a man riding;

hann (acc.) bar skjótt yfir, it passed quickly (of a flying meteor);

2) followed by preps.:

Gunnar sér, at rauðan kyrtil bar við glugginn, that a red kirtle passed before the window;

hvergi bar skugga (acc.) á, there was nowhere a shadow;

e-t berr fram (hátt), is prominent;

Ólafr konungr stóð í lyptingu ok bar hann (acc.) hátt mjök, stood out conspicuously;

e-t berr á milli, comes between;

leiti (acc.) bar á milli, a hill hid the prospect;

fig. e-m berr e-t á milli, they are at variance about a thing;

mart (acc.) berr nú fyrir augu mér, many things come now before my eyes;

veiði (acc.) berr í hendr e-m, game falls to one’s lot;

e-t berr undan, goes amiss, fails;

bera saman, to coincide;

bar nöfn þeirra saman, they had the same name;

fig., with dat.; bar öllum sögum vel saman, all the stories agreed well together;

fund várn bar saman, we met;

3) bera at, til, við, at hendi, til handa, to befall, happen, with dat. of the person;

svá bar at einn vetr, it happened one winter;

þó at þetta vandræði (acc.) hafi nú borit oss (dat.) at hendi, has befallen us;

bar honum svá til, it so befell him;

þat bar við (it so happened), at Högni kom;

raun (acc.) berr á, it is proved by fact;

4) of time, to fall upon;

ef þing (acc.) berr á hina helgu viku, if the parliament falls in the holy week;

bera í móti, to coincide, happen exactly at the same time;

5) denoting cause;

e-t berr til, causes a thing;

konungr spurði, hvat til bæri úgleði hans, what was the cause of his grief;

ætluðu þat þá allir, at þat mundi til bera, that that was the reason;

berr e-m nauðsyn til e-s, one is obliged to do a thing;

6) e-t berr undir e-n, falls to a person’s lot;

hon á arf at taka, þegar er undir hana berr, in her turn;

e-t berr frá, is surpassing;

er sagt, at þat (acc.) bæri frá, hvé vel þeir mæltu, it was extraordinary how well they spoke;

7) e-t berr bráðum, happens of a sudden;

e-t berr stóru, stórum (stœrrum), it amounts to much (more), it matters a great deal (more), it is of great (greater) importance;

8) absol. or with an adv., vel, illa, with infin.;

e-m berr (vel, illa) at gera e-t, it becomes, beseems one (well, ill) to do a thing (berr yðr vel, herra, at sjá sannindi á þessu máli);

used absol., berr vel, illa, it is beseeming, proper, fit, or unbeseeming, improper, unfit (þat þykkir eigi illa bera, at).

(að), v. to make bare (hon beraði likam sinn).

f. she-bear, = birna.

* * *

u, f.

I. [björn], a she-bear, Lat. ursa; the primitive root ‘ber’ remains only in this word (cp. berserkr and berfjall), björn (q. v.) being the masc. in use, Landn. 176, Fas. i. 367, Vkv. 9: in many Icel. local names, Beru-fjörðr, -vík, from Polar bears; fem. names, Bera, Hallbera, etc., Landn.

II. a shield, poët., the proverb, baugr er á beru sæmstr, to a shield fits best a baugr (q. v.), Lex. Poët., Edda (Gl.); hence names of poems Beru-drápa, Eg.

bar, báru, borit, pres. berr,—poët. forms with the suffixed negative; 3rd pers. sing. pres. Indic. berrat, Hm. 10; 3rd pers. sing. pret. barat, Vellekla; 1st pers. sing. barkak, Eb. 62 (in a verse); barkat ek, Hs. 8; 2nd pers. sing. bartattu; 3rd pers. pl. bárut, etc., v. Lex. Poët. [Gr. φέρειν; Lat. ferre; Ulf. bairan; A. S. beran; Germ. gebären; Engl. bear; Swed. bära; Dan. bære].

A. Lat. ferre, portare:

I. prop. with a sense of motion, to bear, carry, by means of the body, of animals, of vehicles, etc., with acc., Egil tók mjöðdrekku eina mikla, ok bar undir hendi sér, Eg. 237; bar hann heim hrís, Rm. 9; konungr lét bera inn kistur tvær, báru tveir menn hverja, Eg. 310; bera farm af skipi, to unload a ship, Ld. 32; bera (farm) á skip, to load a ship, Nj. 182; tóku alla ösku ok báru á á ( amnem) út, 623, 36; ok bar þat ( carried it) í kerald, 43, K. Þ. K. 92; b. mat á borð, í stofu, to put the meat on table, in the oven; b. mat af borði, to take it off table, Eb. 36, 266, Nj. 75, Fms. ix. 219, etc.

2. Lat. gestare, ferre, denoting to wear clothes, to carry weapons; skikkja dýr er konungr hafði borit, Eg. 318; b. kórónu, to wear the crown, Fms. x. 16; atgeir, Nj. 119; vápn, 209: metaph., b. ægishjálm, to inspire fear and awe; b. merki, to carry the flag in a battle, Nj. 274, Orkn. 28, 30, 38, Fms. v. 64, vi. 413; bera fram merki, to advance, move in a battle, vi. 406.

3. b. e-t á hesti (áburðr), to carry on horseback; Auðunn bar mat á hesti, Grett. 107; ok bar hrís á hesti, 76 new Ed.; þeir báru á sjau hestum, 98 new Ed.

II. without a sense of motion:

1. to give birth to; [the root of barn, bairn; byrja, incipere; burðr, partus; and burr, filius: cp. Lat. parĕre; also Gr. φέρειν, Lat. ferre, of child-bearing.] In Icel. prose, old as well as mod., ‘ala’ and ‘fæða’ are used of women; but ‘bera,’ of cows and sheep; hence sauðburðr, casting of lambs, kýrburðr; a cow is snembær, siðbær, Jólabær, calves early, late, at Yule time, etc.; var ekki ván at hon ( the cow) mundi b. fyr en um várit, Bs. i. 193, 194; kýr hafði borit kálf, Bjarn. 32; bar hvárrtveggi sauðrinn sinn burð, Stj. 178: the participle borinn is used of men in a great many compds in a general sense, aptrborinn, árborinn, endrborinn, frjálsborinn, goðborinn, höldborinn, hersborinn, konungborinn, óðalborinn, samborinn, sundrborinn, velborinn, úborinn, þrælborinn, etc.; also out of compds, mun ek eigi upp gefa þann sóma, sem ek em til borinn, … entitled to by inheritance, Ld. 102; hann hafði blindr verit borinn, born blind, Nj. 152, Hdl. 34, 42, Vsp. 2: esp. borinn e-m, born of one, Rm. 39, Hdl. 12, 23, 27, Hðm. 2, Gs. 9, Vþm. 25, Stor. 16, Vkv. 15; borinn frá e-m, Hdl. 24: the other tenses are in theol. Prose used of Christ, hans blezaða son er virðist at láta berast hingað í heim af sinni blezaðri móður, Fms. i. 281; otherwise only in poetry, eina dóttur (acc.) berr álfröðull (viz. the sun, regarded as the mother), Vþm. 47; hann Gjálp um bar, hann Greip um bar …, Hdl. 36: borit (sup.), Hkv. 1. 1.

β. of trees, flowers; b. ávöxt, blóm …, to bear fruit, flower … (freq.); bar aldinviðrinn tvennan blóma, Fms. ix. 265; cp. the phrase, bera sitt barr, v. barr.

2. denoting to load, with acc. of the person and dat. of the thing:

α. in prop. sense; hann hafði borit sik mjök vápnum, he had loaded himself with arms, i. e. wore heavy armour, Sturl. iii. 250.

β. but mostly in a metaph. sense; b. e-n ofrafli, ofrmagni, ofrliði, ofríki, magni, to bear one down, to overcome, oppress one, by odds or superior force, Grág. i. 101, ii. 195, Nj. 80, Hkr. ii. 371, Gþl. 474, Stj. 512, Fms. iii. 175 (in the last passage a dat. pers. badly); b. e-n ráðum, to overrule one, Nj. 198, Ld. 296; b. e-n málum, to bearhim down (wrongfully) in a lawsuit, Nj. 151; b. e-n bjóri, to make drunk, Vkv. 26: medic., borinn verkjum, sótt, Bjarn. 68, Og. 5; bölvi, Gg. 2: borne down, feeling heavy pains; þess er borin ván, no hope, all hope is gone, Ld. 250; borinn sök, charged with a cause, Fms. v. 324, H. E. i. 561; bráðum borinn, to be taken by surprise, Fms. iv. 111; b. fé, gull á e-n, to bring one a fee, gold, i. e. to bribe one, Nj. 62; borinn baugum, bribed, Alvm. 5; always in a bad sense, cp. the law phrase, b. fé í dóm, to bribe a court, Grág., Nj. 240.

3. to bear, support, sustain, Lat. sustinere, lolerare, ferre:

α. properly, of a ship, horse, vehicle, to bear, be capable of bearing; þeir hlóðu bæði skipin sem borð báru, all that they could carry, Eb. 302;—a ship ‘berr’ ( carries) such and such a weight; but ‘tekr’ ( takes) denotes a measure of fluids.

β. metaph. to sustain, support; dreif þannig svá mikill mannfjöldi at landit fékk eigi borit, Hkr. i. 56; but metaph. to bear up against, endure, support grief, sorrow, etc., sýndist öllum at Guð hefði nær ætlað hvat hann mundi b. mega, Bs. i. 139; biðr hann friðar ok þykist ekki mega b. reiði hans, Fms. iii. 80: the phrase, b. harm sinn í hljóði, to suffer silently; b. svívirðing, x. 333: absol., þótti honum mikit víg Kjartans, en þó bar hann drengilega, he bore it manfully, Ld. 226; er þat úvizka, at b. eigi slíkt, not to bear or put up with, Glúm. 327; b. harm, to grieve, Fms. xi. 425: in the phrases, b. sik, b. af sér, berask, berask vel (illa, lítt), to bear oneself, to bear up against misfortune; Guðrúnu þótti mikit fráfall Þorkels, en þó bar hon sköruliga af sér, she bore her bravely up, Ld. 326–328; lézt hafa spurt at ekkjan bæri vel af sér harmana, Eb. 88; berask af; hversu bersk Auðr af um bróðurdauðann? (how does she bear it?); hón bersk af lítt ( she is much borne down) ok þykir mikit, Gísl. 24; niun oss vandara gört en öðrum at vér berim oss vel (Lat. fortiter ferre), Nj. 197; engi maðr hefði þar jamvel borit sik, none bad borne himself so boldly, Sturl. iii. 132; b. sik vel upp, to bear well up against, bear a stout heart, Hrafn. 17; b. sik beiskliga ( sorely), Stj. 143; b. sik lítt, to be downcast, Fms. ii. 61; b. sik at göra e-t, to do one’s best, try a thing.

III. in law terms or modes of procedure:

1. bera járn, the ordeal of bearing hot iron in the hand, cp. járnburðr, skírsla. This custom was introduced into Scandinavia together with Christianity from Germany and England, and superseded the old heathen ordeals ‘hólmganga,’ and ‘ganga undir jarðarmen,’ v. this word. In Norway, during the civil wars, it was esp. used in proof of paternity of the various pretenders to the crown, Fms. vii. 164, 200, ix. Hák. S. ch. 14, 41–45, viii. (Sverr. S.) ch. 150, xi. (Jómsv. S.) ch. 11, Grett. ch. 41, cp. N. G. L. i. 145, 389. Trial by ordeal was abolished in Norway A. D. 1247. In Icel. It was very rarely mentioned, vide however Lv. ch. 23 (paternity), twice or thrice in the Sturl. i. 56, 65, 147, and Grág. i. 341, 361; it seems to have been very seldom used there, (the passage in Grett. S. l. c. refers to Norway.)

2. bera út (hence útburðr, q. v.), to expose children; on this heathen custom, vide Grimm R. A. In heathen Icel., as in other parts of heathen Scandinavia, it was a lawful act, but seldom exercised; the chief passages on record are, Gunnl. S. ch. 3 (ok þat var þá siðvandi nokkurr, er land var allt alheiðit, at þeir menn er félitlir vórn, en stóð ómegð mjök til handa létu út bera börn sín, ok þótti þó illa gört ávalt), Fs. Vd. ch. 37, Harð. S. ch. 8, Rd. ch. 7, Landn. v. ch. 6, Finnb. ch. 2, Þorst. Uxaf. ch. 4, Hervar. S. ch. 4, Fas. i. 547 (a romance); cp. Jómsv. S. ch. 1. On the introduction of Christianity into Icel. A. D. 1000, it was resolved that, in regard to eating of horse-flesh and exposure of children, the old laws should remain in force, Íb. ch. 9; as Grimm remarks, the exposure must take place immediately after birth, before the child had tasted food of any kind whatever, and before it was besprinkled with water (ausa vatni) or shown to the father, who had to fix its name; exposure, after any of these acts, was murder, cp. the story of Liafburga told by Grimm R. A.); v. Also a Latin essay at the end of the Gunnl. S. (Ed. 1775). The Christian Jus Eccl. put an end to this heathen barbarism by stating at its very beginning, ala skal barn hvert er borit verðr, i. e. all children, if not of monstrous shape, shall be brought up, N. G. L. i. 339, 363.

β. b. út (now more usual, hefja út, Am. 100), to carry out for burial; vera erfðr ok tit borinn, Odd. 20; var hann heygðr, ok út borinn at fornum sið, Fb. i. 123; b. á bál, to place (the body and treasures) upon the pile, the mode of burying in the old heathen time, Fas. i. 487 (in a verse); var hon borin á bálit ok slegit í eldi, Edda 38.

B. Various and metaph. cases.

I. denoting motion:

1. ‘bera’ is in the Grág. the standing law term for delivery of a verdict by a jury (búar), either ‘bera’ absol. or adding kvið ( verdict); bera á e-n, or b. kvið á e-n, to give a verdict against, declare guilty; bera af e-m, or b. af e-m kviðinn, to give a verdict for; or generally, bera, or b. um e-t, to give a verdict in a case; bera, or b. vitni, vætti, also simply means to testify, to witness, Nj. 111, cp. kviðburðr ( delivering of verdict), vitnisburðr ( bearing witness), Grág. ii. 28; eigi eigu búar ( jurors) enn at b. um þat hvat lög eru á landi hér, the jurors have not to give verdict in (to decide) what is law in the country, cp. the Engl. maxim, that jurors have only to decide the question of evidence, not of law, Grág. (Kb.) ch. 85; eigi eru búar skildir at b. um hvatvetna; um engi mál eigu þeir at skilja, þau er erlendis ( abroad) hafa görzt, id.; the form in delivering the verdict—höfum vér ( the jurors), orðit á eitt sáttir, berum á kviðburðinn, berum hann sannan at sökinni, Nj. 238, Grág. i. 49, 22, 138, etc.; í annat sinn báru þeir á Flosa kviðinn, id.; b. annattveggja af eðr á; b. undan, to discharge, Nj. 135; b. kvið í hag ( for), Grág. i. 55; b. lýsingar vætti, Nj. 87; b. vitni ok vætti, 28, 43, 44; b. ljúgvitni, to bear false witness, Grág. i. 28; b. orð, to bear witness to a speech, 43; bera frændsemi sundr, to prove that they are not relations, N. G. L. i. 147: reflex., berask ór vætti, to prove that oneself is wrongly summoned to bear witness or to give a verdict, 44: berask in a pass. sense, to be proved by evidence, ef vanefni b. þess manns er á hönd var lýst, Grág. i. 257; nema jafnmæli berisk, 229; þótt þér berisk þat faðerni er þú segir, Fms. vii. 164; hann kvaðst ætla, at honum mundi berask, that he would be able to get evidence for, Fs. 46.

β. gener. and not as a law term; b. á, b. á hendr, to charge; b. e-n undan, to discharge, Fs. 95; eigi erum vér þessa valdir er þú berr á oss, Nj. 238, Ld. 206, Fms. iv. 380, xi. 251, Th. 78; b. e-m á brýnn, to throw in one’s face, to accuse, Greg. 51; b. af sér, to deny; eigi mun ek af mér b., at… ( non diffitebor), Nj. 271; b. e-m gott vitni, to give one a good…, 11; b. e-m vel (illa) söguna, to bear favourable (unfavourable) witness of one, 271.

2. to bear by word of mouth, report, tell, Lat. referre; either absol. or adding kveðju, orð, orðsending, eyrindi, boð, sögu, njósn, frétt…, or by adding a prep., b. fram, frá, upp, fyrir; b. kveðju, to bring a greeting, compliment, Eg. 127; b. erindi (sín) fyrir e-n, to plead one’s case before one, or to tell one’s errand, 472, 473; b. njósn, to apprise, Nj. 131; b. fram, to deliver (a speech), talaði jungherra Magnús hit fyrsta erindi (M. made his first speech in public), ok fanst mönnum mikit um hversu úbernsliga fram var borit, Fms. x. 53; (in mod. usage, b. fram denotes gramm. to pronounce, hence ‘framburðr,’ pronunciation); mun ek þat nú fram b., I shall now tell, produce it, Ld. 256, Eg. 37; b. frá, to attest, relate with emphasis; má þat frá b., Dropl. 21; b. upp, to produce, mention, tell, þótt slík lygi sé upp borin fyrir hann, though such a lie be told him, Eg. 59; þær (viz. charges) urðu engar upp bornar ( produced) við Rút, Nj. 11; berr Sigtryggr þegar upp erindi sín (cp. Germ. ojfenbaren), 271, Ld. 256; b. upp gátu, to give (propound) a riddle, Stj. 411, Fas. i. 464; b. fyrir, to plead as an excuse; b. saman ráð sín, or the like, to consult, Nj. 91; eyddist þat ráð, er þeir báru saman, which they had designed, Post. 656 A. ii; b. til skripta, to confess (eccl.), of auricular confession, Hom. 124, 655 xx.

II. in a metaphorical or circumlocutory sense, and without any sense of motion, to keep, hold, bear, of a title; b. nafn, to bear a name, esp. as honour or distinction; tignar nafn, haulds nafn, jarls nafn, lends manns nafn, konungs nafn, bónda nafn, Fms. i. 17, vi. 278, xi. 44, Gþl. 106: in a more metaph. sense, denoting endowments, luck, disposition, or the like, b. (ekki) gæfu, hamingju, auðnu til e-s, to enjoy (enjoy not) good or bad luck, etc.; at Þórólfr mundi eigi allsendis gæfu til b. um vináttu við Harald, Eg. 75, 112, 473, Fms. iv. 164, i. 218; úhamingju, 219; b. vit, skyn, kunnáttu á (yfir) e-t, to bring wit, knowledge, etc., to bear upon a thing, xi. 438, Band. 7; hence vel (illa) viti borinn, well (ill) endowed with wit, Eg. 51; vel hyggjandi borinn, well endowed with reason, Grág. ii; b. hug, traust, áræði, þor, til e-s, to have courage, confidence … to do a thing, Gullþ. 47, Fms. ix. 220, Band. 7; b. áhyggju, önn fyrir, to care, be concerned about, Fms. x. 318; b. ást, elsku til e-s, to bear affection, love to one; b. hatr, to hate: b. svört augu, to have dark eyes, poët., Korm. (in a verse); b. snart hjarta, Hom. 5; vant er þat af sjá hvar hvergi berr hjarta sitt, where he keeps his heart, Orkn. 474; b. gott hjarta, to bear a proud heart, Lex. Poët., etc. etc.; b. skyndi at um e-t, to make speed with a thing, Lat. festinare, Fms. viii. 57.

2. with some sense of motion, to bear off or away, carry off, gain, in such phrases as, b. sigr af e-m, af e-u, to carry off the victory from or in …; hann hafði borit sigr af tveim orrustum, er frægstar hafa verit, he had borne off the victory in two battles, Fms. xi. 186; bera banaorð af e-m, to slay one in a fight, to be the victor; Þorr berr banaorð af Miðgarðsormi, Edda 42, Fms. x. 400: it seems properly to mean, to bear off the fame of having killed a man; verðat svá rík sköp, at Regin skyli mitt banorð bera, Fm. 39; b. hærra, lægra hlut, ‘to bear off the higher or the lower lot,’ i. e. to get the best or the worst of it, or the metaphor is taken from a sortilege, Fms. ii. 268, i. 59, vi. 412; b. efra, hærra skjöld, to carry the highest shield, to get the victory, x. 394, Lex. Poët.; b. hátt (lágt) höfuðit, to bear the head high (low), i. e. to be in high or low spirits, Nj. 91; but also, b. halann bratt (lágt), to cock up or let fall the tail (metaph. from cattle), to be in an exultant or low mood: sundry phrases, as, b. bein, to rest the bones, be buried; far þú til Íslands, þar mun þér auðið verða beinin at b., Grett. 91 A; en þó hygg ek at þú munir hér b. beinin í Norðrálfunni, Orkn. 142; b. fyrir borð, to throw overboard, metaph. to oppress; verðr Þórhalli nú fyrir borð borinn, Th. was defied, set at naught, Fær. 234; b. brjóst fyrir e-m, to be the breast-shield, protection of one, Fms. vii. 263: also, b. hönd fyrir höfuð sér, metaph. to put one’s hand before one’s head, i. e. to defend oneself; b. ægishjálm yfir e-m, to keep one in awe and submission, Fm. 16, vide A. I. 2.

III. connected with prepp., b. af, and (rarely) yfir (cp. afburðr, yfirburðr), to excel, surpass; eigi sá hvárttveggja féit er af öðrum berr, who gets the best of it, Nj. 15; en þó bar Bolli af, B. surpassed all the rest, Ld. 330; þat mannval bar eigi minnr af öðrum mönnum um fríðleik, afi ok fræknleik, en Ormrinn Langi af öðrum skipum, Fms. ii. 252; at hinn útlendi skal yfir b. ( outdo) þann sem Enskir kalla meistara, xi. 431: b. til, to apply, try if it fits; en er þeir báru til (viz. shoes to the hoof of a horse), þá var sem hæfði hestinum, ix. 55; bera til hvern lykil at öðrum at portinu, Thom. 141; b. e-t við, to try it on (hence viðburðr, experiment, effort): b. um, to wind round, as a cable round a pole or the like, Nj. 115; þá bar hann þá festi um sik, made it fast round his body, Fms. ix. 219; ‘b. e-t undir e-n’ is to consult one, ellipt., b. undir dóm e-s; ‘b. e-t fyrir’ is to feign, use as excuse: b. á, í, to smear, anoint; b. vatn í augu sér, Rb. 354; b. tjöru í höfuð sér, Nj. 181, Hom. 70, 73, cp. áburðr; b. gull, silfr, á, to ornament with gold or silver, Ld. 114, Finnb. 258: is now also used = to dung, b. á völl; b. vápn á e-n, to attack one with sharp weapons, Eg. 583, Fms. xi. 334: b. eld at, to set fire to, Nj. 122; b. fjötur (bönd) at e-m, to put fetters (bonds) on one, Fms. x. 172, Hm. 150: metaph. reflex., bönd berask at e-m, a law term, the evidence bears against one; b. af sér, to parry off; Gyrðr berr af sér lagit, G. parries the thrust off, Fms. x. 421; cp. A. II. 3. β.

IV. reflex., berask mikit á (cp. áburðr), to bear oneself proudly, or b. lítið á, to bear oneself humbly; hann var hinn kátasti ok barst á mikit, Fms. ii. 68, viii. 219, Eb. 258; b. lítið á, Clem. 35; láta af berask, to die; Óttarr vill skipa til um fjárfar sitt áðr hann láti af b., Fms. ii. 12: berask fyrir, to abide in a place as an asylum, seek shelter; hér munu vit láta fyrir b., Fas. iii. 471; berask e-t fyrir, to design a thing, be busy about, barsk hann þat fyrir at sjá aldregi konur, Greg. 53; at njósna um hvat hann bærist fyrir, to inquire into what he was about, Fms. iv. 184, Vígl. 19.

β. recipr. in the phrase, berask banaspjót eptir, to seek for one another’s life, Glúm. 354: b. vápn á, of a mutual attack with sharp weapons, Fms. viii. 53.

γ. pass., sár berask á e-n, of one in the heat of battle beginning to get wounds and give way, Nj.:—berask við, to be prevented, not to do; ok nú lét Almáttugr Guð við berast kirkjubrunnann, stopped, prevented the burning of the church, Fms. v. 144; en mér þætti gott ef við bærist, svá at hón kæmi eigi til þín, vi. 210, vii. 219; ok var þá búit at hann mundi þegar láta hamarinn skjanna honum, en hann lét þat við berask, he bethought himself and did not, Edda 35; því at mönnum þótti sem þannig mundi helzt úhæfa við berask, that mischief would thus be best prevented, Sturl. ii. 6, iii. 80.

C. IMPERS.:—with a sort of passive sense, both in a loc. and temp. sense, and gener. denotes an involuntary, passive motion, happening suddenly or by chance:

I. with acc. it bears or carries one to a place, i. e. one happens to come; the proverb, alla (acc.) berr at sama brunni, all come to the same well (end), Lat. omnes una manet nox; bar hann þá ofan gegnt Özuri, he happened to come in his course just opposite to Ö., Lat. delatus est, Dropl. 25: esp. of ships or sailors; nú berr svá til ( happens) herra, at vér komum eigi fram ferðinni, berr oss (acc.) til Íslands eðr annara landa, it bore us to I., i. e. if we drive or drift thither, Fms. iv. 176; þá (acc. pl.) bar suðr í haf, they drifted southwards, Nj. 124.

β. as a cricketing term, in the phrase, berr (bar) út knöttinn, the ball rolls out, Gísl. 26, cp. p. 110 where it is transit.; berr Gísli ok út knöttinn, vide Vígl. ch. 11, Grett. ch. 17, Vd. ch. 37, Hallfr. S. ch. 2.

γ. Skarpheðin (acc.) bar nú at þeim, Sk. came suddenly upon them, Nj. 144; bar at Hróaldi þegar allan skjöldinn, the shield was dashed against H.’s body, 198; ok skyldu sæta honum, ef hann (acc.) bæri þar at, if he should per chance come, shew himself there, Orkn. 406; e-n berr yfir, it bears one, i. e. one is borne onwards, as a bird flying, a man riding; þóttist vita, at hann (acc.) mundi fljótara yfir bera ef hann riði en gengi, that he would get on more fleetly riding than walking, Hrafn. 7; hann (acc.) bar skjótt yfir, he passed quickly, of a flying meteor, Nj. 194; e-n berr undan, escapes.

2. also with acc. followed by prepp. við, saman, jafnframt, hjá, of bodies coinciding or covering one another: loc., er jafnframt ber jaðrana tungls ok sólar, if the orb of the moon and sun cover each other, Rb. 34; þat kann vera stundum, at tunglit (acc.) berr jafht á millum vár ok sólar (i. e. in a moon eclipse), 108; ber nokkut jaðar (acc.) þess hjá sólar jaðri, 34; Gunnarr sér at rauðan kyrtil (acc.) bar við glugginn, G. sees that a red kirtle passed before the window, Nj. 114; bar fyrir utan þat skip vápnaburð (acc.) heiðingja (gen. pl.), the missiles of the heathens passed over the ship without hurting them, flew too high, Fms. vii. 232; hvergi bar skugga (acc.) á, nowhere a shadow, all bright, Nj. 118; þangat sem helzt mátti nokkut yfir þá skugga bera af skóginum, where they were shadowed (hidden) by the trees, Fms. x. 239; e-t berr fram (hátt), a body is prominent, Lat. eminet; Ólafr konungr stóð í lyptingunni, bar hann (acc.) hátt mjök, king O. stood out conspicuously, ii. 308; b. yfir, þótti mjök bera hljóð (acc.) þar yfir er Ólafr sat, the sound was heard over there where O. sat, Sturl. i. 21; b. á milli, something comes between; leiti (acc.) bar á milli, a hill hid the prospect, Nj. 263: metaph., e-m berr e-t á milli, they come to dissent, 13, v. 1.; b. fyrir augu (hence fyrirburðr, vision), of a vision or the like; mart (acc.) berr nú fyrir augu mér, ek sé …, many things come now before my eyes, 104; hann mundi allt þat er fyrir hann hafði borit, i. e. all the dream, 195; eina nótt berr fyrir hann í svefni mikla sýn, Fms. i. 137, Rd. 290; veiði (acc.) berr í hendr e-m (a metaphor from hunting), sport falls to one’s lot; hér bæri veiði í hendr nú, here would be a game, Nj. 252; e-t berr undan (a metaphor from fishing, hunting term), when one misses one’s opportunity; vel væri þá … at þá veiði (acc.) bæri eigi undan, that this game should not go amiss, 69; en ef þetta (acc.) berr undan, if this breaks down, 63; hon bað hann þá drepa einhvern manna hans, heldr en allt (acc.) bæri undan, rather than that all should go amiss, Eg. 258: absol., þyki mér illa, ef undan berr, if I miss it, Nj. 155; viljum vér ekki at undan beri at…, we will by no means miss it…, Fms. viii. 309, v. 1. The passage Bs. i. 416 (en fjárhlutr sá er átt hafði Ari, bar undan Guðmundi) is hardly correct, fjárhlut þann would run better, cp. bera undir, as a law term, below.

II. adding prepp.; b. við, at, til, at hendi, at móti, til handa …, to befall, happen, Lat. accidere, occurrere, with dat. of the person, (v. atburðr, viðburðr, tilburðr); engi hlut skyldi þann at b., no such thing should happen as…, Fms. xi. 76; svá bar at einn vetr, it befell, x. 201; þat hefir nú víst at hendi borit, er…, Nj. 174; þó þetta vandræði (acc.) hafi nú borit oss (dat.) at hendi, Eg. 7; b. til handa, id., Sks. 327; bar honum svá til, so it befell him, Fms. xi. 425; at honum bæri engan váðaligan hlut til á veginum, that nothing dangerous should befall him on the way, Stj. 212; bæri þat þá svá við, at hann ryfi, it then perchance might happen, that …, 102; þat bar við at Högni kom, 169, 172, 82; raun (acc.) berr á, it is proved by the fact, event, Fms. ix. 474, x. 185.

2. temp., e-t berr á, it happens to fall on …; ef þing (acc.) ber á hina helgu viku, if the parliament falls on the holy week (Whitsun), Grág. i. 106; ef Crucis messu (acc.) berr á Drottins dag, Rb. 44; berr hana (viz. Petrs messu, June 29) aldrei svá optarr á öldinni, 78; þat er nú berr oss næst, what has occurred of late, Sturl. iii. 182: b. í móti, to happen exactly at a time; þetta (acc.) bar í móti at þenna sama dag andaðist Brandr biskup, Bs. i. 468; b. saman, id.; bar þat saman, at pá var Gunnarr at segja brennusöguna, just when G. was about telling the story, Nj. 269.

3. metaph. of agreement or separation; en þat (acc.) þykir mjök saman b. ok þessi frásögn, Fms. x. 276: with dat., bar öllum sögum vel saman, all the records agreed well together, Nj. 100, v. l.; berr nú enn í sundr með þeim, Bjarna ok Þorkatli at sinni, B. and Th. missed each other, Vápn. 25.

4. denoting cause; e-t (acc.) berr til …, causes a thing; ætluðu þat þá allir, at þat mundi til bera, that that was the reason, Nj. 75; at þat beri til skilnaðar okkars, that this will make us to part (divorce), 261; konungr spurði, hvat til bæri úgleði hans, what was the cause of his grief? Fms. vi. 355; þat berr til tunglhlaups, Rb. 32.

β. meiri ván at brátt beri þat (acc.) til bóta, at herviliga steypi hans ríki, i. e. there will soon come help (revenge), Fms. x. 264; fjórir eru þeir hlutir er menn (acc.) berr í ætt á landi hér, there are four cases under which people may be adopted, Grág. i. 361.

γ. e-t berr undir e-n, falls to a person’s lot; hon á arf at taka þegar er undir hana berr, in her turn, 179; mikla erfð (acc.) bar undir hana, Mar. (Fr.); berr yfir, of surpassing, Bs. ii. 121, 158; b. frá, id. (fráburðr); herðimikill svá at þat (acc.) bar frá því sem aðrir menn, Eg. 305; er sagt, at þat bæri frá hve vel þeir mæltu, it was extraordinary how well they did speak, Jb. 11; bar þat mest frá hversu illa hann var limaðr, but above all, how…, Ó. H. 74.

5. with adverbial nouns in a dat. form; e-t berr bráðum, happens of a sudden; berr þetta (acc.) nú allbráðum, Fms. xi. 139; cp. vera bráðum borinn, to be taken by surprise (above); berr stórum, stærrum, it matters a great deal; ætla ek stærrum b. hin lagabrotin (acc.), they are much more important, matter more, vii. 305; var þat góðr kostr, svá at stórum bar, xi. 50; hefir oss orðit svá mikil vanhyggja, at stóru berr, an enormous blunder, Gísl. 51; svá langa leið, at stóru bar, Fas. i. 116; þat berr stórum, hversu mér þóknast vel þeirra athæfi, it amounts to a great deal, my liking their service, i. e. I do greatly like, Fms. ii. 37; eigi berr þat allsmám hversu vel mér líkar, in no small degree do I like, x. 296.

β. with dat., it is fitting, becoming; svá mikit sem landeiganda (dat.) berr til at hafa eptir lögum, what he is legally entitled to, Dipl. iii. 10; berr til handa, it falls to one’s lot, v. above, Grág. i. 93.

III. answering to Lat. oportet, absolutely or with an adverb, vel, illa, with infinit.; e-m berr, it beseems, becomes one; berr þat ekki né stendr þvílíkum höfuðfeðr, at falsa, Stj. 132; berr yðr (dat.) vel, herra, at sjá sannindi á þessu máli, Fms. ix. 326; sagði, at þat bar eigi Kristnum mönnum, at særa Guð, x. 22; þá siðu at mér beri vel, Sks. 353 B: used absol., berr vel, illa, it is beseeming, proper, fit, unbeseeming, unfit, improper; athæfi þat er vel beri fyrir konungs augliti, 282; þat þykir ok eigi illa bera, at maðr hafi svart skinn til hosna, i. e. it suits pretty well, 301: in case of a pers. pron. in acc. or dat. being added, the sentence becomes personal in order to avoid doubling the impers. sentence, e. g. e-m berr skylda (not skyldu) til, one is bound by duty; veit ek eigi hver skylda (nom.) yðr (acc.) ber til þess at láta jarl einn ráða, Fms. i. 52: also leaving the dat. out, skylda berr til at vera forsjámaðr með honum, vii. 280; eigi berr hér til úviska mín, it is not that I am not knowing, Nj. 135.

IV. when the reflex. inflexion is added to the verb, the noun loses its impers. character and is turned from acc. into nom., e. g. þar (þat?) mun hugrinn minn mest hafa fyrir borizt, this is what I suspected, fancied, Lv. 34; cp. hugarburðr, fancy, and e-t berr fyrir e-n (above, C. I. 2); hefir þetta (nom.) vel í móti borizt, a happy coincidence, Nj. 104; ef svá harðliga kann til at berask, if the misfortunes do happen, Gþl. 55; barsk sú úhamingja (nom.) til á Íslandi, that mischief happened (no doubt the passage is thus to be emended), Bs. i. 78, but bar þá úhamingju …; þat (nom.) barsk at, happened, Fms. x. 253; fundir várir (nom.) hafa at borizt nokkurum sinnum, vii. 256; þat barsk at á einhverju sumri, Eg. 154; bærist at um síðir at allr þingheimrinn berðist, 765, cp. berast við, berask fyrir above (B. V.): berast, absol., means to be shaken, knocked about; var þess ván, at fylkingar mundu berast í hergöngunni, that they would be brought into some confusion, Fms. v. 74; Hrólfr gékk at ramliga, ok barst Atli (was shaken, gave away) fyrir orku sakir, þar til er hann féll. Fas. iii. 253; barst Jökull allr fyrir orku sakir (of two wrestling), Ísl. ii. 467, Fms. iii. 189: vide B. IV.

D. In mod. usage the strong bera—bar is also used in impersonal phrases, denoting to let a thing be seen, shew, but almost always with a negative preceding, e. g. ekki bar (ber) á því, it could ( can) not be seen; að á engu bæri, láta ekki á bera ( to keep tight), etc. All these phrases are no doubt alterations from the weak verb bera, að, nudare, and never occur in old writers; we have not met with any instance previous to the Reformation; the use is certainly of late date, and affords a rare instance of weak verbs turning into strong; the reverse is more freq. the case.

* * *

(hefi; hafða, höfðum; hafðr), v.

1) to have (þeir höfðu sjau skip ok flest stór);

hafa elda, to keep up a five;

2) to hold, celebrate (hafa vinaboð, blót, þing);

3) to keep, retain (rifu þær vefinn í sundr, ok hafði hverr þat er hélt á);

4) to use (tvau net eru rý, ok hafa eigi höfð verit);

orð þau sem hann hafði um haft, which he had made use of;

hafa fagrmæli við e-n, to flatter one;

hafa hljóðmæli við e-n, to speak secretly to one;

hafa tvimæli á e-u, to speak doubtfully of a thing;

hafa viðrmæli um e-t, to use mocking words;

hann var mjök hafðr við mál manna, much used to, versed in, lawsuits;

5) to have, hold, maintain;

hafa vináttu við e-n, to maintain friendship with one;

hafa hættumikit, to run a great risk;

hafa heilindi, to have good health;

6) to bring, carry;

hafa e-n heim með sér, to bring one home;

hann hafði lög, út hingat ór Noregi, he brought laws hither from Norway;

hafa sik (to betake oneself) til annara landa;

7) to take, carry off;

troll hafi þik, the trolls take thee;

8) to get, gain, win;

hann hafði eigi svefn, he got no sleep;

hefir sá jafnan, er hættir, he wins that ventures;

hafa gagn, sigr, to gain victor;

hafa meira hlut, to get the upper hand, gain the day;

hafa betr (verr), to get the better (worse) of it;

hafa sitt mál, to win one’s suit;

hafa tafl, to win the game;

hafa erendi, to do one’s errand, succeed;

hafa bana, to suffer death, to die;

hafa sigr, to be worsted;

hafa góðar viðtökur, to be well received;

hafa tíðindi af e-m, to get tidings of, or from, one;

hafa sœmd, óvirðing af e-m, to get honour, disgrace from one;

with gen., hafa e-s ekki, to fail to catch one (hann kemst á skóg undan, ok höfðu þeir hans ekki);

ekki munu vér hans hafa at sinni, we shall not catch him at present;

9) to wear carry (clothes, weapons);

hann hafði blán kyrtil, he wore a blue kirtle;

hafa kylfu í hendi sér, to have a club in one’s hand;

10) to behave, do, or fare, so an so esp. with an adv.;

hafa vel, illa, vetr, to behave (do) well, badly, be worse;

hafa sik vel, to behave;

hafa vel, to be well off or happy;

hafa hart, to be in a wretched plight;

11) with infin., hafa at varðveita, to have in keeping at selja, to have on sale;

lög hafið þér at mæla, you are right;

12) hafa e-n nær e-u, to expose one to (þú hafðir svá nær haft oss úfœru);

hafa nær e-u, to come near to, esp. impers.;

nær hafði okkr nú, it was a narrow escape;

svá nær hafði hausinum, at, the shot so nearly touched the head, that;

ok er nær hafði, skipit mundi fljóta, when the ship was on the point of flloating;

13) as an auxiliary verb, in the earliest time with the pp. of transitive verbs in acc.;

hefir þú hamar um fólginn, hast thou hidden the hammer?;

ek hefi sendan mann, I have sent a man;

later with indecl. neut. pp.;

hefir þú eigi sét mik, hast thou not seen me?;

14) with preps.:

hafa e-t at, to do, act;

hann tók af þér konuna, en þú hafðir ekki at, but thou didst not stir, didst take it tamely;

absol., viltu þess freista, ok vita hvat at hafi, wilt thou try and see what happens?;

hafa e-t at hlífiskildi (skotspœni), to use as a shield (as a target);

hafa e-n háði, hlátri, to mock, laugh at;

hafa e-t at engu, vettugi, to hold for naught, take no notice of;

hafa sakir á e-n have charges against one;

hafa á rás, to take to one’s heels, run off;

hafa e-t eptir, to do or repeat a thing after one;

hafa e-t fram, to produce (vápn þorgils vóru fram höfð); to carry out, hold forth;

hafa mál fram, to proceed with a suit;

var um búit, ekki fram haft, all was made ready but nothing done;

hafa e-t frammi, í frammi, to use, make use of (hafa í frammi kúgan);

ok öll lögmæt skil frammi hafa, and discharge all on official duties;

hafa e-t fyrir satt, to hold for true;

eigi em ek þar fyrir sönnu hafðr, I am not truly aimed for that, it is a false charge;

hafa e-n fyrir sökum um e-t, to charge one with;

hafa í hótum við e-n, to threaten one;

hafa e-t með höndum, to have in hand;

höfum eiai sigrinn ór hendi, let not victory slip out of our hands;

hafa ór við e-n, to behave so and so towards one (hefir þú illa ór haft við mik);

hafa e-t til e-s to use for (höfðu þeir til varnar skot ok spjót); to be a reason or ground for;

vér hyggjum þat til þess haft vera, at þar hafi menn sézt, we believe the foundation of the story is that men have been seen there;

hafa mikit (lítit) til síns máls, to have much (little) in support of one’s case;

hafa e-t til, to have at hand, possess;

orð þau, sem hann hafði um haft, the words which he had used;

keisari hafði fátt um, did not say much;

hafa e-n undir, to get one under, subdue one;

hafa e-t uppi, to take (heave) up (hafa uppi fœri, net);

Skarpheðinn hafði uppi øxina, S. heaved up the axe;

hafa flokk uppi, to raise a party, to rebel;

hafa uppi tafl, to play at a game;

hafa e-n uppi, to bring one to light;

hafa uppi rœður, to begin a discussion;

hafa e-t úti, to have done, finished (hafa úti sitt dagsverk);

hafa við e-m, to be a match for one;

hafa sik við, to exert oneself;

hafa mikit (lítit) við, to make a great (little) display;

hann söng messu ok bafði mikit við, and made much of it;

hann bad jarl leita, bann hafði lítit við þat, he did it lightly;

haf ekki slíkt við, do not say so;

haf þú lítit við at eggja sonu þina, refrain from egging on thy sons;

15) refl., hafast.

* * *

pret. hafði; subj. hefði; pres. sing. hefi (less correctly hefir), hefir, hefir; plur. höfum, hafit, hafa: the mod. pres. sing. is monosyllabic hefr or hefur, and is used so in rhymes—andvara engan hefur | … við glys heims gálaus sefur, Pass. 15. 6, but in print the true old form hefir is still retained; the monosyllabic present is used even by old writers in the 1st pers. before the personal or negative suffix, e. g. hef-k and hef-k-a ek for hefi-g and hefig-a ek, see e. g. Grág. (Kb.) 79, 82, in the old oath formula, hef-k eigi, Hallfred; hef ek, Fms. iii. 10 (in a verse); but not so in 3rd pers., e. g. hefir-a or hefir-at, Grág. l. c.: imperat. haf, hafðu: part. pass. hafðr, neut. haft;—hafat is an απ. λεγ., Vsp. 16, and is prob. qs. hafit from hefja, to heave, lift: [Ulf. haban; A. S. habban; Engl. have; Hel. hebben; Germ. haben; Dutch hebben; Dan. have, Swed. hafva: it is curious the Lat. form habere retains the consonant unchanged, cp. the Romance forms, Ital. avere, Fr. avoir, Span. haber, etc. ☞ Hafa is a weak verb, and thus distinguished from hefja (to lift, begin), which is a strong verb, answering to Lat. capere, incipere; but in sundry cases, as will be seen below, it passes into the sense of this latter word; as also in some instances into that of another lost strong verb, hafa, hóf, to behave, and hœfa, to hit]:—to have.

A. To have; hann hafði með sér ekki meira lið, Fms. i. 39; hafði hverr hirð um sik, 52; höfðu þeir áttján skip, viii. 42; Sverrir hafði tvau hundrað manna, … þeir höfðu annan samnað á landi, 328; hann hafði mikit lið ok frítt, x. 36; þeir höfðu sjau skip ok flest stór, 102; hafa fjölmennar setur, Eb. 22; hann hafði menn sína í síldveri, Eg. 42; mun ek naut hafa þar sem mér þykkir hagi beztr, 716.

II. to hold:

1. to keep, celebrate; hafa ok halda, Dipl. i. 6; hafa átrúnað, 10; hafa dóma, 12; hafa blót, Fms. iv. 254; hafa vina-veizlu, id.; hafa vina-boð, Nj. 2; hafa Jóla-boð, Eg. 516; hafa þing, Fms. ix. 449; hafa haust-boð, Gísl. 27; hafa drykkju, Eb. 154; hafa leik, Fms. x. 201, passim.

2. to hold, observe; hlýðir þat hvergi at hafa eigi lög í landi, Nj. 149; skal þat hafa, er stendr …, Grág. i. 7; skal þat allt hafa er finsk á skrá þeirri …, id.; en hvatki es mis-sagt es í fræðum þessum, þá es skylt at hafa þat (to keep, hold to be true) es sannara reynisk, Íb. 3; ok hafða ek (I kept, selected) þat ór hvárri er framarr greindi, Landn. 320, v. l.

3. to hold, keep, retain; ef hann vill hafa hann til fardaga, Grág. i. 155; skal búandinn hafa hann hálfan mánuð, 154; ok hafði hvárr þat er hélt á, Nj. 279; hitt skal hafa er um fram er, Rb. 56; kasta í burt þrjátigi ok haf þat sem eptir verðr, 494.

4. to hold an office; hafa lögsögu, to hold the office of lögsaga, Íb. passim; hafa jarldóm, konungdóm, passim; þat höfðu haft at fornu Dana-konungar, Eg. 267; þér berit konunga-nöfn svá sem fyrr hafa haft ( have had) forfeðr yðrir, en hafit lítið af ríki, Fms. i. 52; hafa ríki, to reign, Hkr. pref.

5. phrases, hafa elda, to keep a fire, cook, Fms. xi. 129; hafa fjárgæzlu, to tend sheep, Eg. 740; hafa embætti með höndum, Stj. 204; hafa gæzlur á e-u, Fms. ix. 313; hafa … vetr, to have so many winters, be of such an age (cp. Fr. avoir … ans), Íb. 15; margir höfðu lítið fátt þúsund ára, Ver. 7: hafa vörn í máli, Nj. 93; hafa e-t með höndum, to have in hand, Fms. viii. 280, ix. 239; hafa e-t á höndum, Grág. i. 38; hafa fyrir satt, to hold for true, Fms. xi. 10; hafa við orð, to intimate, suggest, Nj. 160; hafa e-t at engu, vettugi, to hold for naught, take no notice of, Fas. i. 318.

6. with prepp. or infin.,

α. with prep.; hafa til, to have, possess; ef annarr þeirra hefir til enn annarr eigi, þá er sá skyldr til at fá honum er til hefir, Grág. i. 33; ef annarr hefir til …, id.; þér ætlið at ek muna eigi afl til hafa, Ld. 28.

β. with infin.; hafa at varðveita, to have in keeping, Eg. 500; lög hafit þér at mæla, you have the law on your tongue, i. e. you are right, Nj. 101; hörð tíðindi hefi ek at segja þér, 64; sá er gripinn hefir at halda, Grág. i. 438; hafa at selja, to have on sale, Ld. 28.

III. to use; var haft til þess sker eitt, Eb. 12; þá höfðu þeir til varnar skot ok spjót, Fms. vii. 193; er þín ráð vóru höfð, that thy advice was taken, Fs. 57; Gríss hafði þessi ráð, Fms. iii. 21; ek vil at þat sé haft er ek legg til, x. 249; þykki mér þú vel hafa ( make good use of) þau tillög er ek legg fyrir þik, xi. 61; til þess alls er jarli þótti skipta, þá hafði hann þessa hluti, 129; tvau ný (net), ok hafa eigi höfð verit ( which have not been used), haf þú ( take) hvárt er þú vilt, Háv. 46; þær vil ek hafa enar nýju, en ek vil ekki hætta til at hafa enar fornu, id.; önnur er ný ok mikil ok hefir ( has) til einskis höfð ( used) verið, id.; buðkr er fyrir húslker er hafðr, Vm. 171; gjalda vápn þau er höfð eru, N. G. L. i. 75; þat hafði hann haft ( used) fyrir skála, Edda 29; þeir vóru hafðir til at festa með hús jafnan, Nj. 118; sá hólmr var hafðr til at …, Fms. i. 218; hann skyldi hafa hinn sama eið, x. 7; orð þau sem hann hafði ( had) um haft ( used), Nj. 56; orð þau er hann hafði ( made use of) í barnskírn, K. Þ. K. 14.

2. more special phrases; hafa fagrmæli við e-n, to flatter one, Nj. 224; hafa hljóðmæli við e-n, to speak secretly to one, 223; allmikil fjölkyngi mun vera við höfð áðr svá fái gört, Edda 27; hafa mörg orð um e-t, Ld. 268; hafa tvímæli á e-u, to discuss, doubt, speak diffidently of a thing, Lv. 52; hafa viðrmæli um e-t, to use mocking words, Nj. 89; hafa nafn Drottins í hégóma, to take the Lord’s name in vain, Fms. i. 310; (hann var) mjök hafðr við mál manna, much used to, versed in lawsuits, Dropl. 8: hafa sik til e-s, to use oneself to a thing, i. e. to do a mean, paltry thing; þeir er til þess vilja hafa sik, at ganga í samkundur manna úboðit, Gþl. 200; ef hann vill sik til þessa hafa, Fms. i. 99: hafa sik við, to exert oneself; skaltú ok verða þik við at hafa um þetta mál, ef þú getr þat af þér fært, Grett. 160: hafa e-n at skotspæni, to use one as a target, Nj. 222; hafa e-n at hlífi-skildi sér, to use one as a shield, 262; hafa e-n at ginningar-fifli, auga-bragði, háði, hlátri, Hm. 133, Nj. 224, passim.

IV. to have, hold, maintain, of a state or condition; hafa vináttu við e-n, to maintain friendship with one, Sks. 662; hafa vanmátt, to continue sick, Eg. 565; hafa hættu-mikit, to run a great risk, Nj. 149; hafa vitfirring, to be insane, Grág. i. 154; hafa heilindi, to have good health, 26, Hm. 67; hafa burði til e-s, to have the birthright to a thing. Eg. 479; hafa hug, áræði, hyggindi, to have the courage …, Hom. 28; hafa vit ( to know), skyn, greind … á e-u, to have understanding of a thing; hafa gaman, gleði, skemtun, ánægju af e-u, to have interest or pleasure in a thing; hafa leiða, ógeð, andstygð, hatr, óbeit á e-u, to dislike, be disgusted with, hate a thing; hafa elsku, mætr, virðing á e-u, to love, esteeem … a thing; hafa allan hug á e-u, to bend the mind to a thing; hafa grun á e-m, to suspect one; hafa ótta, beyg af e-u, to fear a thing; and in numberless other phrases.

2. with prepp.:

α. hafa e-t frammi (fram), to carry out, hold forth; hafa frammi róg, Nj. 166; hafa mál fram, to proceed with a suit, 101; stefnu-för, 78; heitstrengingar, Fms. xi. 103; ok öll lögmælt skil frammi hafa, and discharge all one’s official duties, 232; var um búit en ekki fram haft, all was made ready, but nothing done, viii. 113; beini má varla verða betri en hér er frammi hafðr, xi. 52; hafðú í frammi ( use) kúgan við þá uppi við fjöllin, Ísl. ii. 215; margir hlutir, þó at hann hafi í frammi, Sks. 276.

β. hafa mikit, lítið fyrir e-u, to have much, little trouble about a thing; (hence fyrir-höfn, trouble.)

γ. hafa við e-m (afl or the like understood), to be a match for one, Fms. vii. 170, Lv. 109, Nj. 89, Eg. 474, Anal. 176; hafa mikit, lítið við, to make a great, little display; (hence við-höfn, display, pomp); hann söng messu ok hafði mikit við, he sang mass and made a great thing of it, Nj. 157; þú hefir mikit við, thou makest a great show of it, Boll. 351; hann bað jarl leita, hann hafði lítið við þat, he did it lightly, Nj. 141; haf ekki slíkt við, do not say so, Ld. 182.

B. To take, carry off, win, wield, [closely akin to Lat. capere]:

I. to catch, take, esp. in the phrase, hafa ekki e-s, to miss one; hann kemsk á skóg undan, ok höfðu þeir hans ekki, he took to the forest and they missed him, Nj. 130; ekki munu vér hans hafa at sinni, we sha’nt catch him at present, Fms. vi. 278; hafða ek þess vætki vífs, Hm. 101; þeygi ek hana at heldr hefik, 95: in swearing, tröll, herr, gramir hafi þik, the trolls, ghosts, etc. take thee! tröll hafi líf, ef …, Kormak; tröll hafi Trefót allan! Grett. (in a verse); tröll hafi þína vini, tröll hafi hól þitt, Nj.; herr hafi Þóri til slægan, confound the wily Thorir! Fms. vi. 278, v. l. (emended, as the phrase is wrongly explained in Fms. xii. Gloss.); gramir hafi þik! vide gramr.

II. to carry, carry off, bring; hafði einn hjartað í munni sér, one carried the heart off in his mouth, Nj. 95; hann hafði þat ( brought it) norðan með sér, Eg. 42; hafði Þórólfr heim marga dýrgripi, 4; hann hafði með sér skatt allan, 62; skaltú biðja hennar ok hafa hana heim hingat, Edda 22; fé þat er hann hafði ( had) út haft ( carried from abroad), Gullþ. 13; á fimm hestum höfðu þeir mat, Nj. 74; bókina er hann hafði ( had) út haft, Fms. vii. 156; konungr hafði biskup norðr til Björgynjar með sér, viii. 296; biskup lét hann hafa með sér kirkju-við ok járn-klukku, Landn. 42; hann hafði með sér skulda-lið sitt ok búferli, Eb. 8; hann tók ofan hofit, ok hafði með sér flesta viðu, id.; ok hafa hana í brott, Fms. i. 3; tekr upp barnit, ok hefir heim með sér, Ísl. ii. 20; hann hafði lög út hingat ór Noregi, he brought laws hither from Norway, Íb. 5; haf þú heim hvali til bæjar, Hým. 26; ok hafa hann til Valhallar, Nj. 119.

III. to take, get; hann hafði þá engan mat né drykk, he took no food nor drink, Eg. 602; hann hafði eigi svefn, he got no sleep, Bs. i. 139.

2. to get, gain, win; öfluðu sér fjár, ok höfðu hlutskipti mikit, Eg. 4; eigi þarftú at biðja viðsmjörs þess, þvíat hann mun þat alls ekki hafa, né þú, for neither he nor thou shall get it, Blas. 28; jarl vill hafa minn fund, he will have a meeting with me, 40, Skv. 1. 4: the sayings, hefir sá jafnan er hættir, he wins that risks, ‘nothing venture, nothing have,’ Hrafn. 16; sá hefir krás er krefr, Sl. 29.

3. phrases, hafa meira hlut, to get the better lot, gain the day, Nj. 90, Fms. xi. 93; hafa gagn, sigr, to gain victory, ix. 132, Eg. 7, Hkr. i. 215, Ver. 38; hafa betr, to get the better; hafa verr, miðr, to have the worst of it, Fms. v. 86, Þorst. S. St. 48, passim; hafa mál sitt, to win one’s suit, Grág. i. 7, Fms. vii. 34; hafa kaup öll, to get all the bargain, Eg. 71; hafa tafl, to win the game, Fms. vii. 219; hafa erendi, to do one’s errand, succeed, Þkv. 10, 11, Fas. ii. 517: hafa bana, to have one’s bane, to die, Nj. 8; hafa úsigr, to be worsted, passim; hafa úfrið, to have no peace; hafa gagn, sóma, heiðr, neisu, óvirðing, skömm, etc. af e-u, to get profit, gain, honour, disgrace, etc. from a thing; hafa e-n í helju, to put one to death, Al. 123; hafa e-n undir, to get one under, subdue him, Nj. 95, 128; höfum eigi, sigrinn ór hendi, let not victory slip out of our hands, Fms. v. 294.

4. to get, receive; hann hafði góðar viðtökur, Nj. 4; hón skal hafa sex-tigi hundraða, 3; skyldi Högni hafa land, 118; selja skipit, ef hann hafði þat fyrir ( if he could get for it) sem hann vildi; Flosi spurði í hverjum aurum hann vildi fyrir hafa, hann kvaðsk vildu fyrir hafa land, 259; hafa tíðindi, sögur af e-m, to have, get tidings of or from one, Ld. 28; hafa sæmd, metorð óvirðing, to get honour, disgrace from one’s hands, Nj. 101; hafa bætr, to get compensation, Grág. i. 188; hafa innstæðuna eina, id.; hafa af e-m, to have the best of one, cheat one.

IV. to carry, wear, of clothes, ornaments, weapons:

1. of clothes, [cp. Lat. habitus and Icel. höfn = gear]; hafa hatt á höfði, Ld. 28; hafa váskufl yztan klæða, … þú skalt hafa undir ( wear beneath) hin góðu klæði þín, Nj. 32; hann hafði blán kyrtil, … hann hafði svartan kyrtil, Boll. 358; hafa fald á höfði, to wear a hood; hón hafði gaddan rautt á höfði, Orkn. 304; hann hafði um sik breitt belti, he wore a broad belt, Nj. 91; hafa fingr-gull á hendi, 146: to have about one’s person, vefja saman ok hafa í pungi sínum, Edda 27; hlutir sem mönnum var títt at hafa, Fms. xi. 128.

2. of weapons, to wield, carry; spjót þat er þú hefir í hendi, Boll. 350; hafa kylfu í hendi sér, to have a club in one’s hand, Fms. xi. 129; hafa staf í hendi, to have a stick in the hand, Bárð.; Gunnarr hafði atgeirinn ok sverðit, Kolskeggr hafði saxit, Hjörtr hafði alvæpni, Nj. 93; hann hafdi öxi snaghyrnda, Boll. 358; hann hafði kesjuna fyrir sér, he held the lance in rest, Eg. 532.

V. here may be added a few special phrases; hafa hendr fyrir sér, to grope, feel with the hands (as in darkness); hafa vit fyrir sér, to act wisely; hafa at sér hendina, to draw one’s hand back, Stj. 198; hafa e-t eptir, to do or repeat a thing after one, Konr.; hafa e-t yfir, to repeat (of a lesson): hafa sik, to betake oneself; hafa sik til annarra landa, Grett. 9 new Ed.; hann vissi varla hvar hann átti at hafa sik, he knew not where ( whither) to betake himself, Bs. i. 807; hefir hann sik aptr á stað til munklífisins, Mar.

C. Passing into the sense of hefja (see at the beginning); hafa e-t uppi, to heave up, raise; hafa flokk uppi, to raise a party, to rebel, Fb. ii. 89: hafa uppi færi, net, a fisherman’s term, to heave up, take up the net or line, Háv. 46; Skarphéðinn hafði uppi ( heaved up) öxina, Nj. 144: hafa uppi tafl, to play at a game, Vápn. 29; þar vóru mjök töfl uppi höfð ok sagna-skemtan, Þorf. Karl. 406, v. l.: hafa e-n uppi, to hold one up, bring him to light; svá máttu oss skjótast uppi hafa, Fær. 42: metaph. to reveal, vándr riddari hafði allt þegar uppi, Str. 10.

2. with the notion to begin; Bárðr hafði uppi orð sín ( began his suit) ok bað Sigríðar, Eg. 26, Eb. 142; hafa upp stefnu, to begin the summons, Boll. 350; hafa upp ræður, to begin a discussion; ræður þær er hann hafði uppi haft við Ingigerði, Fms. iv. 144, where the older text in Ó. H. reads umræður þær er hann hafði upp hafit (from hefja), 59; cp. also Vsp., þat langniðja-tal mun uppi hafat (i. e. hafit) meðan öld lifir, 16, (cp. upp-haf, beginning); þó at ek hafa síðarr um-ræðu um hann, better þó at ek hafa (i. e. hefja) síðarr upp ræðu um hann, though I shall below treat of, discuss that, Skálda (Thorodd) 168; er lengi hefir uppi verit haft síðan (of a song), Nj. 135; cp. also phrases such as, hafa á rás, to begin running, take to one’s heels, Fms. iv. 120, ix. 490; næsta morgin hefir út fjörðinn, the next morning a breeze off land arose, Bs. ii. 48: opp. is the phrase, hafa e-t úti, to have done, finished; hafa úti sitt dags-verk, Fms. xi. 431; hafa úti sekt sína, Grett. 149.

D. Passing into the sense of a lost strong verb, hafa, hóf (see at the beginning), to behave, do, act:

I. with an adverb, hafa vel, ílla, or the like, to behave, and in some instances to do well or badly, be happy or unhappy,

α. to behave; en nú vil ek eigi verr hafa en þú, Fms. iv. 342; þeir sögðu at konungr vildi verr hafa en þeir, 313; hefir þú ílla ór (málum or the like understood) haft við mik, Fs. 140; ólikr er Gísli öðrum í þolinmæði, ok hefir hann betr en vér, Gísl. 28.

β. to do so and so (to be happy, unhappy); verr hafa þeir er trygðum slitu, Mkv. 3; ílla hefir sá er annan svíkr, 18; vel hefir sá er þat líða lætr, 6; vel hefir sá ( he is happy) er eigi bíðr slíkt íllt þessa heims, Fms. v. 145; hvílíkt hefir þú, how dost thou? Mar.; hafa hart, to do badly, to be wretched; at sál Þorgils mætti fyrir þær sakir eigi hart hafa, Sturl. iii. 292, Mar.; Ólafr hafði þá hölzti ílla, O. was very poorly, D. N. ii. 156; þykisk sá bezt hafa ( happiest) er fyrstr kemr heim, Fms. xi. 248; þá hefir hann bazt af hann þegir, i. e. that is the best he can do if he holds his tongue, Hm. 19; þess get ek at sá hafi verr ( he will make a bad bargain) er þik flytr, Nj. 128; úlfgi hefir ok vel, the wolf is in a bad plight, Ls. 39; mun sá betr hafa er eigi tekr við þér, id.; betr hefðir þú, ef …, thou wouldest do better, if …, Akv. 16.

γ. adding sik; hafa sik vel, to behave well, Fms. x. 415, Stj. 436.

II. with the prep. at, to do, act, (hence at-höfn, at-hæfi, act, doing); hann lét ekki til búa vígs-málit ok engan hlut at hafa, Nj. 71; en ef þeim þykkir of lítið féit tekit, þá skulu þeir hafa at hit sama, to act in the same way, Grág. ii. 267; hvatki es þeir hafa at, Fms. xi. 132; hann tók af þér konuna, en þú hafðir ekki at, but thou didst not stir, didst take it tamely, Nj. 33; bæði munu menn þetta kalla stórvirki ok íllvirki, en þó má nú ekki at hafa, but there is no help for it, 202; eigi sýnisk mér meðal-atferðar-leysi, at vér höfum eigi at um kvámur hans, i. e. that we submit tamely to his coming, Fs. 32: absol., viltú þess freista, ok vita þá hvat at hafi, wilt thou try and see how it will do? Bjarn. 27; en nú skaltú fara fyrir, ok vita hvat at hafi, Bs. i. 712.

III. phrases, hafa hátt, to be noisy, talk loud, Fms. i. 66; við skulum ekki hafa hátt ( do not cry loud) hér er maðr á glugganum, a lullaby song; hafa lágt, to keep silent; hafa hægt, to keep quiet; hafa sik á (í) hófi, to compose oneself, Ls. 36; hafa í hótum við e-n, to use threatening ( foul) language, Fb. i. 312; hafa í glett við e-n, to banter one, Fms. viii. 289; hafa íllt at verki, to do a bad deed, Ísl. ii. 184.

E. Passing into the sense of the verb hæfa (see at the beginning), to aim at, hit, with dat.:

I. to hit; svá nær hafði hausinum, at …, the shot so nearly hit the head, that …, Fms. ii. 272; þat sama forað, sem henni hafði næst váða, those very precipices from which she had so narrow an escape, Bs. i. 200, Fms. ix. 357; nær hafði nú, at skjótr mundi verða okkarr skilnaðr, Al. 124; nær hafði okkr nú, it struck near us, it was a narrow escape, Fms. viii. 281; kvaðsk svá dreymt hafa ( have dreamed), at þeim mundi nær hafa, ix. 387, v. l.; ok er nær hafði at skipit mundi fljóta, when the ship was on the point of floating, Ld. 58; ok hafði svá nær (it was within a hair’s breadth), at frændr Þorvalds mundu ganga at honum, Nj. 160; ok hafði svá nær at þeir mundi berjask, Íb. 11, cp. Bs. i. 21: the phrase, fjarri hefir, far from it! Edda (in a verse).

2. to charge; eigi em ek þar fyrir sönnu hafðr, I am not truly aimed at for that, ‘tis a false charge, Eg. 64; þeim manni er fyrir sökum er hafðr, i. e. the culprit, Grág. i. 29; cp. the mod. phrase, hafa á e-u, to make a charge of a thing; það varð ekki á því haft, they could not make a case for a charge of it.

II. metaph. to be the ground or reason for, (hence til-hæfa, reason, fact, foundation); til þess ætla vitrir menn þat haft at Ísland sé Tile (i. e. Thule) kallað, at …, learned men suppose that is the reason that Iceland is called Thule, that …, Landn. (pref.); mikit mun til haft, er einmæli er um (there must be some reason for it, because all people say so), Þorgils segir, eigi er fyrir haft ( there is no ground whatever for it), at ek mæla betr fyrir griðum en aðrir menn, Ísl. ii. 379; vér hyggjum þat til þess haft vera, at þar hafi menn sésk, we believe the substance of the story is that men have been seen there, Fms. xi. 158; hvat er til þess haft um þat (what is the truth of the matter?), hefir sundr-þykki orðit með ykkr? Boll. 364: in the saying, hefir hverr til síns ágætis nokkut, every one gets his reputation for something, Nj. 115.

2. to happen, coincide; hefir svá til, at hann var þar sjálfr, Fms. xi. 138, v. l.

β. the phrase, hafa mikit (lítið) til síns máls, to have much ( little) reason for one’s tale, i. e. to be much, little, in the right, Fms. vii. 221, xi. 138 (v. l.), Nj. 88: um þenna hefir svá stórum, it matters so much with this man, (v. l. for mun stórum skipta), Fms. xi. 311.

F. REFLEX. to keep, dwell, abide, but only of a temporary shelter or abode, cp. Lat. habitare, (cp. also höfn, a haven); hann hefsk á náttartíma niðri í vötnum, at night-time he keeps down in the water, Stj. 77: to live, þeir höfðusk mjök í kaupferðum, they spent much of their life in travelling, Hkr. i. 276; hann hafðisk löngum í bænum, Bs. i. 353.

β. with prep. við; hér mun ek við hafask ( I will stay here) en þú far til konungs, Fb. ii. 125; hafðisk hann við á skógum eðr í öðrum fylgsnum, 302; því at hann hafðisk þá á skipum við, Fms. viii. 44; hvílsk heldr ok hafsk við í því landi, rest and stay in that land, Stj. 162; Ásgeirr hafðisk við uppi í dalnum, Sd. 154; hafask lind fyrir, to cover oneself with a shield (?), Vsp. 50; hafask hlífar fyrir, to be mailed in armour, Hkm. 11.

2. hafask at, to do, behave (cp. D. above); vóru þeir þá svá móðir, at þeir máttu ekki at hafask, Fms. ii. 149; en síðan skulut þér at hafa slíkt sem ek kann fyrir segja, i. 158; þat eitt munu við at hafask, at ek mun betr göra en þú, Nj. 19; Lambi sá hvat Steinarr hafðisk at, Eg. 747.

3. hafask vel, to do well, thrive; vaxa ok vel hafask, to wax and do well, Hm. 142; nú er þat bæn mín, at þér hafisk við vel, that you bear yourself well up, Fms. ix. 497; Jungfrúin hafðisk vel við í ferðinni, x. 86; at fé hans mundi eigi hafask at betr at meðal-vetri, Grág. ii. 326.

4. recipr., hafask orð við, to speak to one another; ok er þat ósiðlegt, at menn hafisk eigi orð við, Fs. 14; þar til er þeir hafask réttar tölur við, N. G. L. i. 182.

II. part. hafandi is used in the sense of having conceived, being with child; þá verit hann varr við at hón var hafandi, 656 B. 14; hón skyldi verða hafandi at Guðs syni, id.; generally, allt þat er hafanda var lét burð sinn ok ærðisk, Fms. vii. 187; svá sem hón verðr at honum hafandi, Stj. 178; (hence barns-hafandi, being with child.)

G. The word hafa is in the Icel., as in other Teut. languages, used as an auxiliary verb with a part. pass. of another verb, whereby a compound preterite and pluperfect are formed as follows:

I. in transitive verbs with acc. the participle also was put in acc., agreeing in gender, number, and case with the objective noun or pronoun; this seems to have been a fixed rule in the earliest time, and is used so in all old poems down at least to the middle of the 11th century, to the time of Sighvat (circ. A. D. 990–1040), who constantly used the old form,—átt is an apostrophe for átta in the verse Ó. H. 81: