jarteikn

1) token, proof (of a thing);

hafa e-t til jarteikna, to use as a token or evidence;

vera til jarteikna, to serve as a token;

2) miracle.

1) token, proof (of a thing);

hafa e-t til jartegna, to use as a token or evidence;

vera til jartegna, to serve as a token;

2) miracle.

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or jartein, later form jarteikn or even jarðteikn, but not so in good MSS.; in Thom. S. even spelt hjartegn; jargtegn (badly), Fms. xi. 38: that the syllable tein was sounded guttural is also shewn by the rhyme, slíks eru jarteignir, Eb. (in a verse); and fr egnar jart egnir, Leiðarv. 6; but also hr ein … jart einir, 36: in the Rekst. the former syllable jart is rhymed on bjart: [Hel. word-têkan, O. H. G. and mid. H. G. wort-zeichen shew the true etymology to be word-token, whence, by a false etymology, arose the mid. H. G. and mod. Germ. war-zeichen; in the Scandin. the w was changed into j, Dan. jertegn, Grimm’s Gramm. ii. 481, note; the word is however scarcely genuine Scandinavian, although it occurs in poems of the former part of the 11th century, e. g. the Rekst., as also in Eb. in the Hrafnsmál; but it is freq. used in the Sagas]:

I. a token, a ring, knife, belt, sword, or the like; properly, ‘a word’s token,’ which a messenger had to produce in proof that his word was true; orð ok jartegnir, orðsending ok jartegnir, Fms. i. 21. Eg. 36. 167, 467, 477; erendi ok j., 472; bréf ok j., Fms. vii. 47, (see bréf); með skilríkum vitnum ok jartegnum, Gþl. 60; senda menn með jartegnum, Eg. 67; fá e-m jartegnir sínar, bera fram jartegnir e-s, 96; bera upp örendi sín ok sýna jartegnir, Ó. H. 53; fingrgull þetta fær þú Rögnvaldi jarli, þær jartegnir mun hann kenna, id.; bar hann fram orðsendingar konungs ok sýndi þat með jartegnum, Eg. 38; þeim er taka vilja við vináttu minni ok jartegnum, Ó. H. 75; vera til jartegna, to be a token or proof of a thing, Eg. 49, 768; hafa e-t til jartegna, use as a token, proof, Sks. 725 B, Fms. viii. 197, Gísl. 97; nú tak hér gullit ok haf til jartegna, Fs. 8; nú er hér gull er þú skalt bera til jarteigna, at ek sendi þik, 7; fluttu sendimenn hér með konungi berar jarteignir af jarli at þeir fóru með sönnum hans eyrendum, Hkr. i. 327; sannar jartegnir, til sannra jartegna at þú segir satt, þá fær þú honum, Fms. iii. 61, Eg. 28, 476; þat eru miklar jartegnir, hve hlyðnir …, it is a great token, how …, Íb. 16; þat vóru jarteinir, at herr var í landi, it served as a token, that …, Fms. i. 167.

II. in sing. as well as plur. a miracle, esp. as a token or proof of the holiness of a saint, Nj. 162, Clem. 47, 59, Fms. vii. 351, xi. 38, Rb. 374, 418, Hkr. ii. 393; þat mun þér þykkja jartein—Þat kalla ek atburð, segir hann, en eigi jartein, Sturl ii. 54; báru jarteinir vitni heilagleik hans, Greg. 57; Guðs jarteinir, Fms. i. 133.

2. a mystery; vita jartegnir ríkis Guðs, Hom. 67 (Mark iv. 11): in mod. usage, N. T., Pass., Vídal., krapta-verk, and not jarteikn.

III. gramm. token, value, of a letter; hafa eitt hljóð ok jartein, Skálda 166 (Thorodd); þeirra stafa má þarnask ef vill í váru máli, þvíat engi er einka jartein þeirra, 167; líkneski, nafn ok j., id.

COMPDS: jarteinabók, jarteinagörð, jarteinakraptr, jarteinamaðr, jarteinarsamliga.