nom

(gen., dat., and acc. bróður, pl. brœðr), m.

1) brother;

2) friar.

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gen. dat. acc. bróður; pl. nom. acc. bræðr, gen. bræðra, dat. bræðrum: in mod. common usage irregular forms occur, as gen. sing. bróðurs; nom. sing., and gen. dat. acc. are also sometimes confounded, esp. in keeping the nom. form bróðir through all cases, or even the reverse (but rarely) in taking bróður as a nom.; another irregularity is acc. pl. with the article, bræður-nar instead of bræður-na, which latter form only survives in writing, the former in speaking. There is besides an obsolete poetical monosyllabic form brœðr, in nom. dat. acc. sing. and nom. acc. pl.; gen. sing. bræðrs; cp. such rhymes as brœðr—œðri, in a verse of Einar Skúlason (died about 1170); bræðr (dat.) Sinfjötla, Hkv. 2. 8, as nom. sing., Fagrsk. 54, v. l. (in a verse), etc., cp. Lex. Poët. This form is very rare in prose, vide however Nj., Lat. Vers. Johnsonius, 204, 333, v. 1., and a few times in Stj., e. g. síns bræðr, sinn bræðr, 160; it seems to be a Norse form, but occurs now and then in Icel. poetry even of the 15th century, e. g. bræðr nom. sing. rhymes with ræðr, Skáld H. 3. 11, G. H. M. ii. 482, but is quite strange to the spoken language: [Gr. φράτηρ; Lat. frāter; Goth. brôþar; A. S. brôðar; Engl. brother; Germ. bruder; Swed.-Dan. broder, pl. brödre]:—a brother: proverbs referring to this word—saman er bræðra eign bezt at sjá, Gísl. 17; einginn or annars bróðir í leik; móður-bræðrum verða menn líkastir, Bs. i. 134: a distinction is made between b. samfeðri or sammæðri, a brother having the same father or mother, Grág. i. 170 sqq.: in mod. usage more usual al-bróðir, brother on both sides; hálf-bróðir, a half-brother; b. skilgetinn, frater germanus móður-bróðir, a mother’s brother; föður-bróðir, a father’s brother, uncle; afa-bróðir, a grand-uncle on the father’s side; ömmu bróðir, a grand-uncle on the mother’s side; tengda-bróðir, a brother-in-law: in familiar talk an uncle is called ‘brother,’ and an aunt ‘sister.’ The ties of brotherhood were most sacred with the old Scandinavians; a brotherless man was a sort of orphan, cp. the proverb, berr er hverr á baki nema sér bróður eigi; to revenge a brother’s slaughter was a sacred duty; nú tóku þeir þetta fastmælum, at hvárr þeirra skal hefna annars eðr eptir mæla, svá sem þeir sé sambornir bræðr, Bjarn. 58: the word bróðurbani signifies a deadly foe, with whom there can be no truce, Hm. 88, Sdm. 35, Skm. 16, Hdl. 28; instances from the Sagas, Dropl. S. (in fine), Heiðarv. S. ch. 22 sqq., Grett. S. ch. 50. 92 sqq., E ch. 23, Ld. ch. 53 sqq., etc. The same feeling extended to foster-brotherhood, after the rite of blending blood has been performed; see the graphical descriptions in Fbr. S. (the latter part of the Saga), Gísl. ch. 14 sqq., etc. The universal peace of Fróði in the mythical age is thus described, that ‘no one will draw the sword even if he finds his brother’s slayer bound,’ Gs. verse 6; of the slaughter preceding and foreboding the Ragnarök ( the end of the world) it is said, that brothers will fight and put one another to death, Vsp. 46.

II. metaph.:

1. in a heathen sense; fóst-bróðir, foster-brother, q. v.; eið-bróðir, svara-bróðir, ‘oath-brother;’ leik-bróðir, play-brother, play-fellow: concerning foster-brothership, v. esp. Gísl. ii, Fbr., Fas. iii. 375 sqq., Hervar. S., Nj. 39, Ls. 9, the phrase, blanda blóði saman.

2. in a Christian sense, brother, brethren, N. T., H. E., Bs.

β. a brother, friar; Svörtu-bræðr, Blackfriars; Berfættu-bræðr, q. v.; Kórs-bræðr, Fratres Canonici, Bs., etc.

COMPDS:

I. sing., bróður-arfr, m. a brother’s inheritance, Orkn. 96, Fms. ix. 444. bróður-bani, a, m. a brother’s bane, fratricide, Ld. 236, Fms. iii. 21, vide above. bróðiir-baugr, m. weregild due to the brother, N. G. L. i. 74. bróður-blóð, n. a brother’s blood, Stj. 42. Gen. iv. 10. bróður-bætr, f. pl. weregild for a brother, Lv. 89. bróður-dauði, a, m. a brother’s death, Gísl. 24. bróður-deild, f. = bróðurhluti, Fr. bróður-dóttir, f. a brother’s daughter, niece, Grág. i. 170, Nj. 177; bróðurdóttur son, a brother’s son, N. G. L. i. 76. bróður-dráp, n. the slaying of a brother, Stj. 43, Fms. v. 290. bróður-gildr, adj. equal in right (inheritance) to a brother, Fr. bróður-gjöld, n. pl. = bróður-bætr, Eg. 312. bróður-hefnd, f. revenge for the slaying of a brother, Sturl. ii. 68. bróður-hluti, a, m. the share (as to weregild or inheritance) of a brother, Grág. ii. 175. bróður-kona, u, f. a brother’s wife, K. Á. 142. bróöur-kván, f. id., N. G. L. i. 170. bróður-lóð, n. a brother’s share of inheritance. bróður-son, m. a brother’s son, nephew, Nj. 122, Grág. i. 171, Gþl. 239, 240; bróðursona-baugr, Grág. ii. 179.

II. pl., bræðra-bani, v. bróðurbani, Fbr. 165. bræðra-búr, n. a friar’s bower in a monastery, Dipl. v. 18. bræðra-börn, n. pl. cousins (agnate), Gþl. 245. bræðra-dætr, f. pl. nieces(of brothers), Gþl. 246. bræðra-eign, f. property of brothers, Gísl. 17. bræðra-garðr, m. a ‘brothers-yard,’ monastery, D. N. bræðra-lag, n. fellowship of brethren, in heathen sense = fóstbræðralag, Hkr. iii. 300; of friars, H. E., D. I.; brotherhood, Pass. 9. 6. bræðra-mark, n. astron., the Gemini, Pr. 477. bræðra-skáli, a, m. an apartment for friars, Vm. 109. bræðra-skipti, n. division of inheritance among brothers, Hkr. iii. 52, Fas. i. 512. bræðra-synir, m. pl. cousins (of brothers), Gþl. 53.

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(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.

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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.

einginn, in old writers more freq. spelt ‘eng’ (which accords with the mod. pronunciation), engi, enginn, qs. einn-gi from einn, one, and the negative suffix -gi:—none.

A. THE FORMS vary greatly:

1. the adjective is declined, and the suffix left indeclinable; obsolete forms are, dat. eino-gi or einu-gi ( nulli), ægishjálmr bergr einugi, Fm. 17; einugi feti framar, not a step further, Ls. 1; svá illr at einugi dugi, Hm. 134; in old laws, ef maðr svarar einugi, Grág. (Þ. Þ.) i. 22; acc. sing. engi, engi mann, Hkv. 1. 37; engi frið, Hm. 15; engi jötun (acc.), Vþm. 2; engi eyjarskeggja, Fas. i. 433 (in a verse); also in prose, engi mann, Ó. H. 68; engi hlut, 33, 34: engi liðsamnað, 36, Mork. passim; engi knút fékk hann leyst, ok engi álarendann hreift, Edda 29.

2. the -gi changes into an adjective termination -igr; gen. sing. fem. einigrar, Hom. 22, Post. 645. 73; dat. sing. fem. einigri. Hom. 17; acc. sing. fem. einiga, Fas. i. 284 (in a verse); nom. pl. einigir, Jd. 1; fem. einigar, Grág. i. 354; gen. pl. einigra, Post. 73; dat. einigum: this obsolete declension is chiefly used in the sense of any, vide below.

3. declined as the pronom. adj. hverr or nekverr (= nokkur); dat. sing. fem. engarri; gen. pl. aungvarra, Fms. ix. 46, Stj. 70; dat. sing. fem. aungvarri, Mork. 187; hereto belongs also the mod. neut. sing. ekkert.

4. the word is declined as the adj. þröngr, with a final v; nom. fem. sing. öng sorg ( no sorrow), Hm. 94; nom. masc. öngr or aungr, Skv. 2. 26, Nj. 117 (in a verse), Fms. vi. 42 (Sighvat), i. 132 (Vellekla), etc.

5. adding -nn, -n to the negative suffix, thus einginn, fem. eingin, neut. pl. eingin (or enginn, engin); in the other cases this n disappears. Out of these various and fragmentary forms sprung the normal form in old and modern writings, which is chiefly made up of 1, 4, and 5: old writers prefer nom. engi or eingi, but modern only admit einginn or enginn; gen. sing. masc. neut. eingis, einskis or einkis (enskis, Grág. i. 163; einskis, 25 C), engis or eingis, Eg. 74, 714, 655 xxxii. 10; einkis, Fms. x. 409: in mod. usage einskis and einkis are both current, but eingis obsolete: neut. sing. ekki assimilated = eit-ki or eitt-ki, in mod. usage ekkert, a form clearly originating from 3 above, but which, however, never occurs in old MSS.,—Fms. iii. 75, Landn. (Mant.) 329, Gþl. 343 (cp. N. G. L. ii. 110), are all paper MSS.,—nd only now and then in those from the end of the 15th century, but is common ever since that time; the N. T. in the Ed. of 1540 spelt ekkirt: in the nom. sing. old writers mostly use eingi or engi alike for masc. and fem. (eingi maðr, eingi kona), whereas modern writers only use einginn, eingin (einginn maðr, eingin kona); this form also occurs in old MSS., though rarely, e. g. engin hafði þess gáð, Stj. 6; einginn karlmaðr, 206; eingin atkvæði, Fms. v. 318: eingin hey, Ísl. ii. 138; chiefly in MSS. of the 14th or 15th centuries: acc. sing. masc. engan or öngan is in MSS. much commoner than eingi (engi), see above, e. g. engan háska, Fms. ii. 322; fyrir engan mun, Gþl. 532, etc.: in the other cases the spelling and pronunciation are at variance. Editions and mod. writers usually spell engra, engrar, engri, engum, engu, engan, enga, engir, engar, but these forms are pronounced throughout with ö or au, öngra, öngrar, öngri, öngum or öngvum, öngu or öngvu, öngan or öngvan, önga or öngva, öngir or öngvir, öngar or öngvar; that this is no mod. innovation is amply borne out by some of the best vellum MSS., e. g. Arna-Magn. 468, Ó. H., Fb., Mork.; öngum manni, Nj. 82; öngri munuð, 10; öngvar sakir, 94; önga fárskapi, 52; aungu vætta, Stj. 208; öngvan þef, 7; öngu nýtr, Fb. i. 284, 365; öngvan hlut, 166; öngum, 25; aungum várum bræðra, 63; avngir, Ó. H. 184; öngva, 146; öngu, 184 (freq.); avnga menn, Ísl. ii. 349 (Heið. S. MS. Holm.); öngvir diskar, 337; öngum, Grág. i. 27; avngver menn, Bs. i. 337 (Miracle-book); öngom, 346, 347; önga björg, 349; en sér öngu at una, Hm. 95, Mork. passim, etc.: these forms are clearly derived from 4 above. [The word is exclusively Scandin.; Dan. ingen, neut. intet; Swed. ingen, inga, intet; Ivar Aasen ingjen, neut. inkje.]

B. THE SENSE:

I. ‘not one;’ used as adj. with a subst. none, no, not any; þeir vissu sér eingis ótta ván, Eg. 74; man hann einigrar (= ongrar) ömbunar vætta af Guði, Post. 73, and in numberless cases.

2. used absol. (Lat. nemo) as subst. none, naught; ekki er mér at eigna af þessu verki, Fms. ii. 101; enda virðask einkis vætti þau er þeir bera, Grág. i. 25; enginn konungs manna, Fms. i. 104; ok lét þá ekki ( naught) hafa af föðurarfi sínum, Eg. 25; eingi þeirra, Skálda 165; fur hann var enskis örvænt, Ísl. ii. 326; en svarar engu, Ld. 202; at öngu, for naught, Fms. iv. 317; öngum þeim er síðarr kemr, Grág. i. 27; þa skal enga veiða, none of them, ii. 338; engi einn, none, Fms. v. 239; sem engin veit fyrri gert hafa verit, K. Á. 28; ekki skorti þá (ekkert, Ed. from paper MS.), Fms. iii. 75.

β. neut. ekki with gen. pl. in a personal sense, ekki manna, ‘nought of men,’ = engir menn or enginn maðr, no man, not a single man, Ó. H.; ekki vætta, nought, Fms. viii. 18; öngu vætta, nought (dat.), xi. 90; ekki skipa, not a single ship, etc. (freq. in old writers): einskis-konar, adv. in nowise, Sks. 713: engan-veginn, adv. noways.

3. neut. ekki is freq. used as adv. = eigi, q. v., Edda 20, Fms. ii. 81, vii. 120, xi. 22, Grág. i. 206, Eg. 523.

II. any; this sense is rare and obsolete, and probably also etymologically different from the preceding (cp. A. S. ânig):

α. after a negative; á hón eigi at selja fjárheimtingar sínar, né sakar einigar, Grág. i. 354; er eigi saurgisk í einigri líkams úhreinsun, Hom. 17; hvat sem engi segir, Þiðr. 178; aldregi skalt þú þat heyra né engi annarra, 128; aldri fyrr í engri herferð, 29; má eigi þar fyrri undir búa eingi sá er tempraðan bólstað vill hafa, Sks. 45 new Ed.; né önnur eingi, Skálda (Thorodd) 165; því at hanu má hvárki vaxa nó þverra, né á engi veg skapask í sínu at kvæði, 166; eigi skal maðr gildra í mörku annars til einigra dyra, N. G. L. i. 242.

β. after a comparative; prettvísari en ekki annat kvikendi, Mar.; þíðari ok fegri en engi maðr annarr, Stj. 524; sæmilegri en engan tíma fyrr hafði hann verit, 196; um þat fram (= framar) en engi hans frænda hefir haft fyr hánum, Fagrsk. 11.

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pers. pron. he.

* * *

pers. pron. masc. he; fem. HÓN or HÚN, she; for the pronunciation of this word see introduction to letter H; as to the inflexion see Gramm. p. xxi; in the MSS. the word is usually abbreviated  = hann; hº or hō = hón; m = hánum; ar = hennar; i or e = henni: the old dat. masc. was hánum, as shewn by rhymes, mána vegr und hánum, Haustl.; but in Icel. it was no doubt sounded h́num, by way of umlaut; it was then sounded hónum with a long vowel, and lastly honum with a short vowel, which also is the mod. form; the old MSS. often spell hánum in full; the spelling hönum in old printed books recalls the old form h́num; from Pass. 9. 7 it may be seen that in the middle of the 17th century the dative was sounded precisely as at present.

2. sing. fem. hón (ho in mod. Norse, hoo in Lancashire) seems to be the older form; the MSS. use both forms hón and hún, but the former is the usual one; it was prob. sounded h́n, which again points to a long root vowel, hánn, hána? [Cp. Ulf. is; Germ. er; A. S., Engl., and Hel. he; old Fris. hi; in the Scandin. idioms with a suffixed demonstrative particle, vide Gramm. p. xxviii; Dan. and Swed. han, hun, etc.]

B. As this word appears almost in every line only special usages need be mentioned, as, ef maðr færir ómaga fram ok beri fé undir hann (acc., sc. ómagi), eðr eigi hann (nom., the same) fé, þá skal hann (nom., sc. maðr) beiða hann (acc., sc. ómagi) með vátta, at hann (nom., the same) seli hánum (dat., sc. maðr) fjár-heimting á hönd þeim mönnum er hann (nom., sc. ómagi) á fé undir, Grág. i. 279; here the context is very perplexing, chiefly owing to the identity of acc. and nom. sing. masc., but also because the pron. is sometimes demonstr., sometimes reflexive; in the latter case an Icel. would now say sér instead of hánum: so also, þá skal hann beiða samþingis-goða, at hanu fái honum (i. e. sibi) mann, 10: again, skal hann selja sókn ok vörn ef hann vill, ok svá varðveizlu fjár síns þess er hann á hér eptir, 146; þá skal hón ráða við ráð frænda síns ( her) nokkurs, 307; Gunnarr kenndi féit at þat var hit sama sem hann (i. e. Njal) hafði honum (i. e. to Gunnar) greitt, Nj. 56.

II. the pers. pron. is often prefixed to a pr. name, as a sign of familiarity; farit upp til hestsins ok gætið hans Kols, Nj. 56; eðr hverr maðr er hann Gunnarr, what sort of a man is Gunnar? 51; ok hleypr á hann Þorkel upp, 114; ok leitið ér at honum Höskuldi, go and look after Hoskuld, 171; sæmd er ek veitta honum Þórólfi bróður þínum, Eg. 112; segir hann Pálnir, Fms. xi. 47; hón Ingibjörg, 49; hann Gísli, Grett. (in a verse); ok berjask við hann Ólaf, Fagrsk. 86; hans Vígólfs, Sól.; svá er, segir hann Þórðr, Ísl. ii. 329:—this has become very freq. in mod. conversational usage, so that a person (nay, even an animal or a ship that has a name) is scarcely ever named without the pron., bidd’ ‘ann Jón að koma, segð’ ‘onum Jóni, vekt’ ‘ana Sigríði; hún Sigga litla, hann Jón litli, etc.; or of ponies, sækt’ ‘ann Brún, legð’ á ‘ana Skjónu; cp. the dialogue in Ísl. Þjóðs. i. 612,—ég skal fylla mína hít, segir ‘ún Hvít, ég ét sem ég þoli, segir ‘ann boli, etc.; or Kvöldv. ii. 197,—taktú þarna frá ‘enni Reyðr og gefð’ ‘enni Hyrnu, hún Húfa hefir flækt sig í niðrbandinu.

III. er hann = who, that; sá maðr er hann vill, Grág. i. 19, 27, 36, vide p. 132.

2. answering to Fr. on, Germ. man, Engl. one; væri sverðit til tækt er hann vildi, when one wished, Eg. 505; but this use is very rare.

or hvárr-tveggja; an older form, hvaðar-tveggi, occurs in Hkr. i. 205 (in a verse), and acc. m. hvaðran-tveggja, Korm. 224 (middle of the 10th century).

A. Forms:—the older declension is hvárr-tveggja, originally in two words, of which the latter is a gen. of tveir, literally = uter duorum, whether of twain; this form freq. occurs in old writers, the latter part being indecl., thus, neut. hvárt-tveggja, utrum duorum, Grág. i. 113, Hom. 156, Eg. 61, v. 1.: gen. hvárs-tveggja, Fms. i. 19, Grág. ii. 144: dat. hvárum-tveggja, hváru-tveggja, Fms. ii. 310, vii. 251, x. 304, Hkr. iii. 8, Grág. i. 113, Nj. 64, Eg. 181, Ísl. ii. 332; dat. fem. hvárri-tveggja, Sks. 215 B: acc. hvárn-tveggja, Nj. 145, Fms. i. 12, 13, K. Þ. K. 158: nom. pl. hvárir-tveggja, Sks. 272: gen. pl. hvárra-tveggja, Fms. x. 276.

II. tveggja afterwards took a kind of weak inflexion, viz. tveggi in nom. sing., tveggju in the oblique cases and in plur., in dat. tveggjum, but these forms are often applied with great irregularity; nom. sing. hvárr-tveggi, Grág. i. 6l, Fms. i. 17, 265, x. 249, Nj. 39, 55, 59, Ld. 290, Landn. 47, Ísl. ii. 360, 366, 369, Eg. 765, Js. 8, Hkr. iii. 8, passim: gen. fem. hvarrar tveggju, Boll. 326 C: dat. fem. sing. hvárri-tveggju, Grág. ii. 228, Nj. 210, v. 1.: acc. fem. hvára-tveggju, Fms. i. 62: pl. hvárir-tveggju, 655 xvii. i, Grág. i. 69, 107, Fms. i. 38, Eg. 267, Fb. ii. 103, 211, Fbr. 98, passim: acc. pl. hvára-tveggju, Grág. i. 78, Ld. 210: gen. pl. hvárra-tveggju, Eg. 32, Fms. ii. 14: dat. pl. hvárum-tveggjum, Grág. i. 30, ii. 44, Fms. i. 114, Landn. 160, passim.

2. mixed irreg. forms, nom. pl. hvárir-tveggi, Grág. i. 69; hváru-tveggju (as nom. pl.), Ísl. ii. 254, scarcely occurs in good old MSS., but is freq. in mod. usage even as an indecl. form.

B. Usage:

I. either, each of two, both, Lat. uterque, Gr. ἑκάτερος, used both as adjective and substantive: 1. as adjective; ór hvárritveggju hlustinni, Nj. 210; ór hvárutveggju liðinu, Hkr. iii. 8; hvárumtveggjum leysingjunum, Fms. i. 114; ór hvárutveggja því vatni, vii. 251; hvárrtveggi herrinn, Hkr. iii. 8; um Mæri hváratveggju, Fms. i. 62; at hvárritveggju tiltekju þessi. Grág. ii. 228; á Bálkastöðum hvárumtveggjum, Landn. 160.

2. as substantive, with gen.; hvárrtveggi þeirra, Grág. i. 61; hvárumtveggja þeirra, Nj. 64; hugr hvárstveggja þeirra, Fms. i. 19: with a possess, pron., hvárrtveggi okkarr, Nj. 55.

β. absol., til hvárstveggja, góðs ok ílls, Grág. ii. 144; hvárttveggja, fuglar ok aðrar skepnur, Sks. 103 B; við skaplyndi hvárratveggju, Fms. ii. 14; hvárttveggja, ok þó …, Sks. 351 B; at hvárirtveggi nemi orð annarra, Grág. i. 69.

II. the neut. hvárttveggja, used as adverb, both; þá hefir þat h. tynt góðum siðum ok dugandi mönnum, Sks. 348; very freq. in mod. usage with the particle enda ironically expressing dislike, það er hvortveggja hann kann mikit, enda veit hann af því, ‘tis true he knows much, but he lets it be seen.

(gen. sing. alnar or álnar; pl. alnar or álnir), f. = öln;

1) the old Icelandic ell (about half a yard);

2) unit of value, an ell of woollen stuff (alin vaðmáls), = one sixth of an ounce(eyrir).

* * *

f. A dissyllabic form alun appears in old poetry, v. Lex. Poët. In early prose writers a monosyllabic form öln prevails in nom. dat. acc. sing., D. I. i. 310. l. 22 (MS. of the year 1275), 314. l. 16 (MS. year 1250), 311, 312. l. 16, 313. l. 7, 89. l. 1. Nom. pl., α. the old, alnar; β. the later, alnir: the former in -ar, in D. I. i. 309 (a MS. of the year 1275), 310–312 (MS. year 1370), 313, 316. l. 19, 318. 1. 15. The pl. in -ir, D. I. i. 89 sqq., in MSS. of the 13th and 14th centuries. In the contracted form aln- the simple radical vowel soon became a diphthongal á, viz. álnar, álnir, álnum, álna, and is at present so spelt and pronounced. We find an acute accent indeed in álna (gen pl.), D. I. i. 313. l. 25 (MS. year 1375), and dinar, id. l, 7; álnom, 1. 28; ölnum with changed vowel, N. G. L. i. 323 (in an Icel. transcript). The present declension is, nom. acc. alin, gen. álnar; pl. nom. acc. álnir, gen. álna, dat. alnum.

I. properly the arm from the elbow to the end of the middle finger [Gr. ώλένη, Lat. ulna, cp. A. S. el-boga, Engl. el-bow, etc.]; almost obsolete, but still found in the words ölbogi qs. öln-bogi, ‘elbow,’ and úlf-liðr, prop. uln- or óln-liðr, wrist, commonly pronounced unl-liðr [false etymol., v. Edda, p. 17]; cp. Ísl. Þjóðs. ii. 19, where tungl (luna) and unl- rhyme. Freq. in poetry in such compounds as alun-leygr, -brandr, ölun-grjót, alnar-gim, alin-leygr, the standing poët, name of gold and gems being ignis or lapis cubiti.

II. mostly metaph.:

1. an ell, [Ulf. aleina; A. S. eln; Engl. ell; O. H. G. elina; Dan. alen; Lat. ulna, cp. cubitum] ; the finger, arm, foot were the original standards for measure. The primitive ell measured the length from the elbow to the point of the second finger, and answered to about half a yard Engl. = 18 inches. The Icel. ell before the year 12OO measured just half a yard. About this year, by a law of bishop Paul, the ell was doubled into a stika, a stika being precisely = two ells = an Engl. ell of that time. To prevent the use of bad measure, a just and lawful stika (yard) was marked on the walls of the churches, esp. that at Thingvellir, as an authorised standard, Páls S. ch. 9, Bs. i. 135, D. I. i. 309, 316, Jb. Kb. 26; ensk lérept tveggja álna, English linen of two ells measure, id.; þat er mælt, at at graftar kirkju hverri skal mæla stiku lengd, þá er rétt sé at hafa til álna máls, ok megi menn þar til ganga ef á skilr um alnar, 309. During the whole of the 15th century the Icel. trade was mainly in British hands; thus the Engl. double ell probably prevailed till the end of the 15th or beginning of the 16th century. The Hanse Towns ell = 21 1/11 inches was then introduced, and abolished in the year 1776, when the Dan. ell = 24 inches came into use. At present the Hanse Towns ell is called Íslenzk alin (Icel. ell), and the original half-yard ell is quite obsolete; cp. Jón Sigurðsson in D. I. i. 306–308, and Pál Vidal. s. v. alin.

2. a unit of value, viz. an ell (half-yard measure) of woollen stuff (vaðmál); the vaðmál (Halliwell wadmal, Engl. woadmal, Orkn. and Shell, wadmaal and vadmel) was in Icel. the common medium of payment, whence an ell became the standard unit of value or property, whether in land or chattels; 120 ells make a hundred, v. that word. In D. I. i. 316 we are told that, about the year 1200, three ells were equal in value to one ounce of ordinary silver, whence the expression þriggja álna eyrir (a common phrase during the 13th century). The value of the ell of vaðmal, however, varied greatly; during the 11th and 12th centuries six ells made an ounce, D. I. i. 88. In Norway we find mentioned níu, ellifu álna aurar (nine, eleven ells to an ounce). In Grág. (Kb.) ii. 192, § 245, it is said that, about the year 1000, four ells in Icel. made an ounce, and so on; vide Dasent, Essay in 2nd vol. of Burnt Njal., and Pal Vidal. s. v. alin.

COMPDS: álnarborð, álnarbreiðr, alnarkefli, álnartíund, álnarvirði, álnasök.

* * *

n. and m. altar.

* * *

n. and rarely altara, n. or altari, a, m.; mod. heteroclite altari, n. pl. öturu; the forms -eri, -era [altare] also appear:—an altar, a Christian word, the altar in heathen temples being called ‘stallr,’ Nj. 279, K. Á. 28, 208, Stj. freq.; altaris, 625. 84; altari þín, 655 xxiii. 2; altari (nom. pl.), xiv B. 2, Pm. 47: masc., altara (acc.) fim alna langan …, but þat (neut.) skal með eiri búa, a little below, altarans (gen.), altarann (nom. sing.), altaris (gen. neut.), altarit (neut. nom.), Stj. 307, 308, indifferently neut. or masc., Symb. 24; alteri, 1812. 17; altera (dat. neut.), 655 iii. 2, 623. 54.

COMPDS: altarisblæja, altarisbók, altarisbrík, altarisbúnaðr, altarisdagr, altarisdúkr, altarisfórn, altarisgólf, altarishorn, altarishús, altarisklæði, altarislíkneski, altarismessa, altarisplata, altarisskrá, altarisstaðr, altarissteinn, altarisstika, altarisþjónusta.

* * *

(-da, -dr), v.

1) to appear to one (en) in a dream (sá maðr dreymir mik opt);

2) to dream (ein kona dreymdi þann draum); usually impers., with double acc., mik dreymdi draum, I dreamt a dream; konung dreymdi aldri, the king never had a dream.

* * *

d and ð, poët. obsol. pret. reflex. dreymdumk; [draumr; A. S. dryman = psallere; Hel. drômian = jubilari; Engl. dream; Germ. träumen; Dan. drömme; Swed. drömma]:—to dream; in Icel. impers. and with a double acc., that of the dreamer and the dream or person appearing; thus, mik dreyindi draum, mik dreymdi mann, etc.; þat dreymdi mik, Nj. 95; hvat hefir þik dreymt, id.; hinn veg d. mik þó, 53; hann kvað sik dreymt hafa Hákon jarl (acc.), 122; dreymt hefir mik mart í vetr, Ld. 126; enn dreymdi hann enn þriðja draum, Fms. xi. 8; or poët., draum dreymdumk = draum dreymdi mik, I dreamt a dream, Bjarn. 49; or with ‘at’ with subj., hann (acc.) dreymði þat, at hann væri at lögbergi, Íb. ch. 4, cp. 385: konung dreymdi aldri, the king never had a dream, Hkr. i. 171; the phrase, at dreyma fyrir daglátunum, esp. of light merry dreams at daybreak, which people in Icel. consider a sign of good health, Fél. ix.

β. pers., the appearance in nom., (rare), sá maðr (nom.) dreymir mik jafnan, Fs. 98; dreymdi Svein Þórr heldr ófryniligr, Fms. ii. 162; þat er fyrir eldi er járn (nom. pl.) dreyma, Gkv. 2. 38; um vetrinn vóru dreymdir draumar margir, Bs. i. 497; vide draumr.

* * *

card. numb. and pron.

1) one;

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

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

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

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

allt í eina leið, all in one way;

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

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

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

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

einn vinr Þóris, a certain friend of Th.;

before numbers, about, some;

einar fimm þúsundir, some five thousand;

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

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

5) after a negation, any;

né eitt, not anything;

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

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

einna verst, by far the worst;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

vín eitt, wine only;

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

fáir einir, only a few;

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

einn saman, einn samt, quite alone;

kona eigi ein saman, not alone, with child;

at eins, only, but;

eigi at eins, not only;

því at eins, only in that case;

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

at einu = at eins.

* * *

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

VI. used adverb.:

1. gen. sing. eins,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

γ. einn ok sér-hverr, one and all.

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

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

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

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

m., or sann-leiki, a, m.; in nom. and gen. the strong form prevails, in dat. and acc. the weak; thus in the Icel. N. T., the received text of 1644:

α. weak form, nom. sannleiki, 2 Cor. vii. 14; gen. sannleika, sannleikans, John i. 14, Rom. ii. 20, xv. 8, 1 Cor. v. 8, 2 Cor. iv. 2, 1 Pet. i. 22, 1 John v. 6, 2 John 2: dat. and acc. sannleika, sannleikann, sannleikanum, John v. 33, viii. 32, 40, 44, 45, xvii. 19, xviii. 37, Rom. i. 18, 25, ii. 8, 2 Cor. xiii. 8, Gal. iii. 1, iv. 16, Ephes. iv. 15, 2 Thess. ii. 12, 1 Tim. ii. 7, 2 Tim. ii. 18, 25, James iii. 14, v. 19, 1 John ii. 21, 2 John 1, 3 John 3; í sannleika, Mark xii 32, N. T. passim.

β. strong decl., nom. sannleikr, samileikrinn. John i. 17, viii. 32, xiv. 6, Rom. iii. 7, 2 Cor. vii. 14, xi. 10, Gal. ii. 5, Ephes. v. 9, 1 John i. 8, ii. 4: gen. sannleiks, sannleiksins, John xvi. 13, 2 Thess. ii. 10, 13, 1 Tim. ii. 4, iii. 15, Tit. i. 1, Hebr. x. 26, 1 Pet. i. 22, 2 Pet. ii. 2, 1 John iv. 6, 3 John 8: acc. sannleik, sannleikinn, Rom. ix. 1, 1 Tim. ii. 7, John viii. 32, 46, xvi. 7, 2 Cor. xii. 6, Gal. ii. 14, 2 Tim. ii. 25, 1 John i. 6, ii. 21, 2 John 1: dat. sannleik, sannleiknum, 1 Tim. vi. 5, 2 Tim. iii. 8, iv. 4, Tit. i. 14, 1 John iii. 19, 3 John 3.

B. Truth; sannleikrinn, Edda (pref.); Guð er sannleikr, K. Á. 200; taka fyrir sannleik, Fms. ix. 424: í sannleika, in truth, Rb. 362: the saying, sannleikanum verðr hverr sárreiðastr; sannleiks-gata, -ást, -elska, -hatr, H. E. i. 510, Al. 106, Stj., Vídal.

(þessi, þetta), dem. pron. this (þessi kona, or kona þessi);

í þessu, in this moment.

* * *

fem. þessi, neut. þetta, a demonstr. pron.

A. THE FORMS.—The Icel., like other Teut. languages, except the Goth., has two demonstr. prons., one simple, sá sú þat, another emphatic or deictic, þessi, þetta (cp. Gr. ὁ and ὅδε, Lat. hic and hicce); the latter is a compound word, the particle -si, sometimes changed into -sa, being suffixed to the cases of the simple pronoun; Dr. Egilsson, in Lex. Poët., first explained that this suffix was the imperative ‘see,’ Goth. sai; þessi, as well as the Engl. thi-s, the-se, tho-se, is therefore qs. the-see, that-see. The forms vary much:

I. the earliest declension is with the suffixed particle, like -gi in ein-gi, q. v., indeclinable; it is mostly so on the Runic stones, where we find the following forms,—dat. þeim-si ( huic-ce), Rafn 178; acc. þann-si ( hunc-ce), passim; þá-si ( hanc-ce): plur. þeir-si ( hi-ce); dat. þeim-si ( his-ce); acc. þá-si ( hos-ce); neut. plur. þau-si ( haec-ce), passim: of this declension the vellums have only preserved the dat. sing. neut. því-sa, and the dat. masc. sing. and plur. þeim-a. On the Runic stones the acc. masc. sing. and plur., the acc. fem. plur., and the acc. neut. plur. are, so to say, standing phrases—to raise ‘this stone,’ ‘these stones,’ or ‘these kumbls’ (neut. plur.), or to carve ‘these Runes;’ but the other cases can only be assumed from later forms; in the Runic inscriptions they are wanting, because there was no occasion for them; thus því-sa and þeima are freq. in old Icel. vellums, but are hardly met with in Runes. Even nom. sing. masc. and fem. sá-si ( hic-ce) and sú-si ( haec-ce) are said to occur in two or three Runic inscriptions.

II. the whole word was next turned into a regular adjective with the inflexion at the end, just like margr from mann-gi, öngr from ein-gi, in which case the suffix became assimilated to the preceding pronoun, sometimes the inflexive s and sometimes the final letter of the pronoun prevailing; hence arose the forms as given in Gramm. p. xxi:

α. the s prevailed in the forms þessi qs. þer-si; in þes-sa; in þessum qs. þeim-sum, þem-sum; rununi þimsum ( hisce literis) occurs in Rafn 165, but is there erroneously explained; in þessu qs. því-su: acc. plur. þessa qs. þá-sa, þessar qs. þær-sar, þessi qs. þau-si.

β. again, the final of the pronoun prevailed in þenna qs. þann-sa, þetta qs. þat-sa; so also in þeima, which stands for þeimnia, which again is an assimilation for þeim-sa or þeim-si.

2. the older form for gen. and dat. sing. fem., as also gen. plur., is bisyllabic (gen. þessa, dat. þessi, gen. plur. þessa); þessar messu, Hom. 41; þessar upp-rásar, Fms. i. 166: í þessi útlegð, 78; af þessi sótt, ix. 390; til þessa saka, Grág. i. 324, and passim; hence, later, þessarrar, þessarri, þessarra; thus, þessarrar, MS. 544. 151; þessarri, Sks. 672 B; þessarrar, 786 B, and so in mod. usage.

III. a spec. form is þessor (q. v.), formed like nokkorr or engarr, but only used in nom. sing. fem. and nom. acc. neut. plur. (þessor bæn, þessor orð); it seems to be a Norse form: [A. S. þes, pl. þâs; Engl. this, these; Hel. þese; O. H. G. deser; Germ. dieser; Dan.-Swed. denne is formed from the old acc. þenna; pl. disse.]

B. THE SENSE.— This, pl. these. For the usages see the writers passim; it suffices to observe, that þessi is used both as adjective and as substantive; as adjective it may be placed before or after its noun (þessi kona or kona þessi): ellipt. usages are, í þessu, in this moment, Fms. ii. 60; í þessi (viz. hríð), in this nick of time, x. 415. For its usage with the article inn, see hinn, p. 263, col. 1 (II. 1); þessi inn skakk-borni, sveinn, Al. 29; þenna inn unga dreng, 656 C. 32, and passim.

* * *

a negative suffix to verbs, not;

era útmakligt, at it is not unmeet that.

* * *

á, prep., often used elliptically, or even adverbially, [Goth. ana; Engl. on; Germ. an. In the Scandinavian idioms the liquid n is absorbed. In English the same has been supposed to happen in adverbial phrases, e. g. ‘along, away, abroad, afoot, again, agate, ahead, aloft, alone, askew, aside, astray, awry,’ etc. It is indeed true that the Ormulum in its northern dialect freq. uses o, even in common phrases, such as ‘o boke, o land, o life, o slæpe, o strande, o write, o naht, o loft,’ etc., v. the glossary; and we may compare on foot and afoot, on sleep (Engl. Vers. of Bible) and asleep; A. S. a-butan and on-butan (about); agen and ongean (again, against); on bæc, aback; on life, alive; on middan, amid. But it is more than likely that in the expressions quoted above, as well as in numberless others, as well in old as in modern English, the English a- as well as the o- of the Ormulum and the modern Scottish and north of England o- are in reality remains of this very á pronounced au or ow, which was brought by the Scandinavian settlers into the north of England. In the struggle for supremacy between the English dialects after the Conquest, the Scandinavian form á or a won the day in many cases to the exclusion of the Anglo-Saxon on. Some of these adverbs have representatives only in the Scandinavian tongues, not in Anglo-Saxon; see below, with dat. B. II, C. VII; with acc. C. I. and VI. The prep. á denotes the surface or outside; í and ór the inside; at, til, and frá, nearness measured to or from an object: á thus answers to the Gr. επί; the Lat. in includes á and i together.]

With dat. and acc.: in the first case with the notion of remaining on a place, answering to Lat. in with abl.; in the last with the notion of motion to the place, = Lat. in with acc.

WITH DAT.

A. Loc.

I. generally on, upon; á gólfi, on the floor, Nj. 2; á hendi, on the hand (of a ring), 48, 225; á palli, 50; á steini, 108; á vegg, 115; á sjá ok á landi, on sea and land. In some instances the distinction between d and i is loose and wavering, but in most cases common sense and usage decide; thus ‘á bók’ merely denotes the letters, the penmanship, ‘í’ the contents of a book; mod. usage, however, prefers ‘í,’ lesa í bók, but stafr á bók. Old writers on the other hand; á bókum Enskum, in English books, Landn. 24, but í Aldafars bók, 23 (in the book De Mensurâ Temporum, by Bede), cp. Grág. i. 76, where á is a false reading instead of at; á bréfi, the contents of a letter: of clothing or arms, mítr á höfði, sverð á hlið, mitre on head, sword on side, Fms. i. 266, viii. 404; hafa lykil á sér, on one’s person, 655 xxvii. 22; möttull á tyglum, a mantle hanging on (i. e. fastened by) laces, Fms. vii. 201: á þingi means to be present at a meeting; í þingi, to abide within a jurisdiction; á himni, á jörðu, on (Engl. in) heaven and earth, e. g. in the Lord’s Prayer, but í helviti, in hell; á Gimli, Edda (of a heavenly abode); á báti, á skipi denote crew and cargo, ‘í’ the timber or materials of which a ship is built, Eg. 385; vera í stafni á skipi, 177: á skógi, to be abroad in a wood (of a hunter, robber, deer); but to be situated (a house), at work (to fell timber), í skógi, 573, Fs. 5, Fms. iii. 122, viii. 31, xi. 1, Glúm. 330, Landn. 173; á mörkinni, Fms. i. 8, but í mörk, of a farm; á firðinum means lying in a firth, of ships or islands (on the surface of the water), þær eyjar liggja á Breiðafirði, Ld. 36; but í firði, living in a district named Firth; á landi, Nj. 98, Fms. xi. 386.

II. á is commonly used in connection with the pr. names or countries terminating in ‘land,’ Engl. in, á Englandi, Írlandi, Skotlandi, Bretlandi, Saxlandi, Vindlandi, Vínlandi, Grænalandi, Íslandi, Hálogalandi, Rogalandi, Jótlandi, Frakklandi, Hjaltlandi, Jamtalandi, Hvítramannalandi, Norðrlöndum, etc., vide Landn. and the index to Fms. xii. In old writers í is here very rare, in modern authors more frequent; taste and the context in many instances decide. An Icelander would now say, speaking of the queen or king, ‘á Englandi,’ ruling over, but to live ‘í Englandi,’ or ‘á Englandi;’ the rule in the last case not being quite fixed.

2. in connection with other names of countries: á Mæri, Vörs, Ögðum, Fjölum, all districts of Norway, v. Landn.; á Mýrum (in Icel.), á Finnmörk, Landn., á Fjóni (a Danish island); but í Danmörk, Svíþjóð (á Svíþjóðu is poët., Gs. 13).

3. before Icel. farms denoting open and elevated slopes and spaces (not too high, because then ‘at’ must be used), such as ‘staðr, völlr, ból, hjalli, bakki, heimr, eyri,’ etc.; á Veggjum, Landn. 69; á Hólmlátri, id.: those ending in ‘-staðr,’ á Geirmundarstöðum, Þórisstöðum, Jarðlangsstöðum…, Landn.: ‘-völlr,’ á Möðruvöllum: á Fitjum (the farm) í Storð (the island), í Fenhring (the island) á Aski (the farm), Landn., Eg.: ‘-nes’ sometimes takes á, sometimes í (in mod. usage always ‘í’), á Nesi, Eb. 14, or í Krossnesi, 30; in the last case the notion of island, νησος, prevails: so also, ‘fjörðr,’ as, þeir börðust á Vigrafirði (of a fight o n the ice), Landn. 101, but orusta í Hafrsfirði, 122: with ‘-bær,’ á is used in the sense of a farm or estate, hón sa á e-m bæ mikit hús ok fagrt, Edda 22; ‘í bæ’ means within doors, of the buildings: with ‘Bær’ as pr. name Landn. uses ‘í,’ 71, 160, 257, 309, 332.

4. denoting on or just above; of the sun, when the time is fixed by regarding the sun in connection with points in the horizon, a standing phrase in Icel.; sól á gjáhamri, when the sun is on the crag of the Rift, Grág. i. 26, cp. Glúm. 387; so, brú á á, a bridge on a river, Fms. viii. 179, Hrafn. 20; taka hús á e-m, to surprise one, to take the house over his head, Fms. i. 11.

III. á is sometimes used in old writers where we should now expect an acc., esp. in the phrase, leggja sverði (or the like) á e-m, or á e-m miðjum, to stab, Eg. 216, Gísl. 106, Band. 14; þá stakk Starkaðr sprotanum á konungi, then Starkad stabbed the king with the wand, Fas. iii. 34; bíta á kampi (vör), to bite the lips, as a token of pain or emotion, Nj. 209, 68; taka á e-u, to touch a thing, lay hold of it, v. taka; fá á e-u, id. (poët.); leggja hendr á (better at) síðum, in wrestling, Fms. x. 331; koma á úvart á e-m, to come on one unawares, ix. 407 (rare).

B. TEMP. of a particular point or period of time, at, on, in:

I. gener. denoting during, in the course of; á nótt, degi, nætrþeli …, Bs. i. 139; or spec. adding a pron. or an adject., á næsta sumri, the next summer; á því ári, þingi, misseri, hausti, vári, sumri …, during, in that year …, Bs. i. 679, etc.; á þrem sumrum, in the course of three summers, Grág. i. 218; á þrem várum, Fms. ii. 114; á hálfs mánaðar fresti, within half a month’s delay, Nj. 99; á tvítugs, sextugs … aldri, á barns, gamals aldri, etc., at the age of …, v. aldr: á dögum e-s, in the days of, in his reign or time, Landn. 24, Hrafn. 3, Fms. ix. 229.

II. used of a fixed recurrent period or season; á várum, sumrum, haustum, vetrum, á kveldum, every spring, summer …, in the evenings, Eg. 711, Fms. i. 23, 25, vi. 394, Landn. 292: with the numeral adverbs, cp. Lat. ter in anno, um sinn á mánuði, ári, once a month, once a year, where the Engl. a is not the article but the preposition, Grág. i. 89.

III. of duration; á degi, during a whole day, Fms. v. 48; á sjau nóttum, Bárð. 166; á því meli, during that time, in the meantime, Grág. i. 259.

IV. connected with the seasons (á vetri, sumri, vári, hausti), ‘á’ denotes the next preceding season, the last winter, summer, autumn, Eb. 40, 238, Ld. 206: in such instances ‘á’ denotes the past, ‘at’ the future, ‘í’ the present; thus í vetri in old writers means this winter; á vetri, last winter; at vetri, next winter, Eb. 68 (in a verse), etc.

C. In various other relations, more or less metaphorically, on, upon, in, to, with, towards, against:

I. denoting object, in respect of, against, almost periphrastically; dvelja á náðum e-s, under one’s protection, Fms. i. 74; hafa metnað á e-u, to be proud of, to take pride in a thing, 127.

2. denoting a personal relation, in; bæta e-t á e-m, to make amends, i. e. to one personally; misgöra e-t á e-m, to inflict wrong on one; hafa elsku (hatr) á e-m, to bear love ( hatred) to one, Fms. ix. 242; hefna sín á e-m, to take revenge on one’s person, on anyone; rjúfa sætt á e-m, to break truce on the person of any one, to offend against his person, Nj. 103; hafa sár á sér, 101; sjá á e-m, to read on or in one’s face; sér hann á hverjum manni hvárt til þín er vel eðr illa, 106; var þat brátt auðséð á hennar högum, at …, it could soon be seen in all her doings, that …, Ld. 22.

3. also generally to shew signs of a thing; sýna fáleika á sér, to shew marks of displeasure, Nj. 14, Fs. 14; taka vel, illa, lítt, á e-u, to take a thing well, ill, or indifferently, id.; finna á sér, to feel in oneself; fann lítt á honum, hvárt …, it could hardly be seen in his face, whether …, Eb. 42; líkindi eru á, it is likely, Ld. 172; göra kost á e-u, to give a choice, chance of it, 178; eiga vald á e-u, to have power over …, Nj. 10.

II. denoting encumbrance, duty, liability; er fimtardómsmál á þeim, to be subject to …, Nj. 231; the phrase, hafa e-t á hendi, or vera á hendi e-m, on one’s hands, of work or duty to be done; eindagi á fé, term, pay day, Grág. i. 140; ómagi (skylda, afvinna) á fé, of a burden or encumbrance, D. I. and Grág. in several passages.

III. with a personal pronoun, sér, mér, honum …, denoting personal appearance, temper, character, look, or the like; vera þungr, léttr … á sér, to be heavy or light, either bodily or mentally; þungr á sér, corpulent, Sturl. i. 112; kátr ok léttr á sér, of a gay and light temper, Fms. x. 152; þat bragð hafði hann á sér, he looked as if, … the expression of his face was as though …, Ld., cp. the mod. phrase, hafa á sér svip, bragð, æði, sið, of one’s manner or personal appearance, to bear oneself as, or the like; skjótr (seinn) á fæti, speedy ( slow) of foot, Nj. 258.

IV. as a periphrasis of the possessive pronoun connected with the limbs or parts of the body. In common Icel. such phrases as my hands, eyes, head … are hardly ever used, but höfuð, eyru, hár, nef, munnr, hendr, fætr … á mér; so ‘í’ is used of the internal parts, e. g. hjarta, bein … í mér; the eyes are regarded as inside the body, augun í honum: also without the possessive pronoun, or as a periphrasis for a genitive, brjóstið á e-m, one’s breast, Nj. 95, Edda 15; súrnar í augum, it smarts in my eyes, my eyes smart, Nj. 202; kviðinn á sér, its belly, 655 xxx. 5, Fms. vi. 350; hendr á henni, her hands, Gísl. (in a verse); í vörunum á honum, on his lips, Band. 14; ristin á honum, his step, Fms. viii. 141; harðr í tungu, sharp of tongue, Hallfred (Fs. 114); kalt (heitt) á fingrum, höndum, fótum …, cold ( warm) in the fingers, hands, feet …, i. e. with cold fingers, etc.; cp. also the phrase, verða vísa (orð) á munni, of extemporising verses or speeches, freq. in the Sagas; fastr á fótum, fast by the leg, of a bondsman, Nj. 27: of the whole body, díla fundu þeir á honum, 209. The pers. pron. is used only in solemn style (poetry, hymns, the Bible), and perhaps only when influenced by foreign languages, e. g. mitt hjarta hví svo hryggist þú, as a translation of ‘warumb betrübst du dich mein Herz?’ the famous hymn by Hans Sachs; instead of the popular hjartað í mér, Sl. 43, 44: hjartað mitt is only used as a term of endearment, as by a husband to his wife, parents to their child, or the like, in a metaphorical sense; the heart proper is ‘í mér,’ not ‘mitt.’

2. of other things, and as a periphrasis of a genitive, of a part belonging to the whole, e. g. dyrr á husi = húsdyrr, at the house-doors; turn á kirkju = kirkju turn; stafn, skutr, segl, árar … á skipi, the stem, stern, sail … of a ship, Fms. ix. 135; blöð á lauk, á tré …, leaves of a leek, of a tree …, Fas. i. 469; egg á sverði = sverðs egg; stafr á bók; kjölr á bók, and in endless other instances.

V. denoting instrumentality, by, on, or a-, by means of; afla fjár á hólmgöngum, to make money a-duelling, by means of duels, Eg. 498; á verkum sínum, to subsist on one’s own work, Njarð. 366: as a law term, sekjast á e-ju, to be convicted upon …, Grág. i. 123; sekst maðr þar á sínu eigini ( a man is guilty in re sua), ef hann tekr af þeim manni er heimild ( possessio) hefir til, ii. 191; falla á verkum sínum, to be killed flagranti delicto, v. above; fella e-n á bragði, by a sleight in wrestling; komast undan á flótta, to escape by flight, Eg. 11; á hlaupi, by one’s feet, by speed, Hkr. ii. 168; lifa á e-u, to feed on; bergja á e-u, to taste of a thing; svala sér á e-u, to quench the thirst on.

VI. with subst. numerals; á þriðja tigi manna, up to thirty, i. e. from about twenty to thirty, Ld. 194; á öðru hundraði skipa, from one to two hundred sail strong, Fms. x. 126; á níunda tigi, between eighty and ninety years of age, Eg. 764, v. above: used as prep., á hendi, on one’s hand, i. e. bound to do it, v. hönd.

VII. in more or less adverbial phrases it may often be translated in Engl. by a participle and a- prefixed; á lopti, aloft; á floti, afloat; á lífi, alive; á verðgangi, a-begging; á brautu, away; á baki, a-back, behind, past; á milli, a-tween; á laun, alone, secretly; á launungu, id.; á móti, against; á enda, at an end, gone; á huldu, hidden; fara á hæli, to go a-heel, i. e. backwards, Fms. vii. 70;—but in many cases these phrases are transl. by the Engl. partic. with a, which is then perh. a mere prefix, not a prep., á flugi, a-flying in the air, Nj. 79; vera á gangi, a-going; á ferli, to be about; á leiki, a-playing, Fms. i. 78; á sundi, a-swimming, ii. 27; á verði, a-watching, x. 201; á hrakningi, a-wandering; á reiki, a-wavering; á skjálfi, a-shivering; á-hleri, a-listening; á tali, a-talking, Ísl. ii. 200; á hlaupi, a-running, Hkr. ii. 268; á verki, a-working; á veiðum, a-hunting; á fiski, a-fishing; á beit, grazing: and as a law term it even means in flagranti, N. G. L. i. 348.

VIII. used absolutely without a case in reference to the air or the weather, where ‘á’ is almost redundant; þoka var á mikil, a thick fog came on, Nj. 267; niðamyrkr var á, pitch darkness came on, Eg. 210; allhvast á norðan, a very strong breeze from the north, Fms. ix. 20; þá var á norðrænt, a north wind came on, 42, Ld. 56; hvaðan sem á er, from whatever point the wind is; var á hríð veðrs, a snow storm came on, Nj. 282; görði á regn, rain came on, Fms. vi. 394, xi. 35, Ld. 156.

WITH ACC.

A. Loc.

I. denoting simple direction towards, esp. connected with verbs of motion, going, or the like; hann gékk á bergsnös, Eg. 389; á hamar, Fas. ii. 517.

2. in phrases denoting direction; liggja á útborða, lying on the outside of the ship, Eg. 354; á annat borð skipinu, Fms. vii. 260; á bæði borð, on both sides of the ship, Nj. 124, Ld. 56; á tvær hliðar, on both sides, Fms. v. 73. Ísl. ii. 159; á hlið, sidewards; út á hlið, Nj. 262, Edda 44; á aðra hönd henni, Nj. 50, Ld. 46; höggva á tvær hendr, to hew or strike right and left, Ísl. ii. 368, Fas. i. 384, Fms. viii. 363, x. 383.

3. upp á, upon; hann tók augu Þjaza ok kastaði upp á himin, Edda 47: with verbs denoting to look, see, horfa, sjá, líta, etc.; hann rak skygnur á land, he cast glances towards the land, Ld. 154.

II. denoting direction with or without the idea of arriving:

1. with verbs denoting to aim at; of a blow or thrust, stefna á fótinn, Nj. 84; spjótið stefnir á hann miðjan, 205: of the wind, gékk veðrit á vestr, the wind veered to west, Fms. ix. 28; sigla á haf, to stand out to sea, Hkr. i. 146, Fms. i. 39: with ‘út’ added, Eg. 390, Fms. x. 349.

2. conveying the notion of arriving, or the intervening space being traversed; spjótið kom á miðjan skjöldinn, Eg. 379, Nj. 96, 97; langt upp á land, far up inland, Hkr. i. 146: to reach, taka ofan á belti, of the long locks of a woman, to reach down to the belt, Nj. 2; ofan á bringu, 48; á þa ofan, 91.

III. without reference to the space traversed, connected with verbs denoting to go, turn, come, ride, sail, throw, or the like, motion of every kind; hann kastar honum á völlinn, he flings him down, Nj. 91; hlaupa á skip sitt, to leap on board his ship, 43; á hest, to mount quickly, Edda 75; á lend hestinum, Nj. 91; hann gengr á sáðland sitt, he walks on to his fields, 82: on, upon, komast á fætr, to get upon one’s legs, 92; ganga á land, to go a-shore, Fms. i. 40; ganga á þing, vii. 242, Grág. (often); á skóg, á merkr ok skóga, into a wood, Fb. i. 134, 257, Fms. xi. 118, Eg. 577, Nj. 130; fara á Finnmörk, to go travelling in Finmark, Fms. i. 8; koma, fara á bæ, to arrive at the farm-house; koma á veginn, Eg. 578; stíga á bát, skip, to go on board, 158; hann gékk upp á borg, he went up to the burg (castle), 717; en er þeir komu á loptriðið, 236; hrinda skipum á vatn, to float the ships down into the water, Fms. i. 58; reka austr á haf, to drift eastwards on the sea, x. 145; ríða ofan á, to ride down or over, Nj. 82.

IV. in some cases the acc. is used where the dat. would be used, esp. with verbs denoting to see or hear, in such phrases as, þeir sá boða mikinn inn á fjörðinn, they saw great breakers away up in the bight of the firth, the acc. being due perhaps to a motion or direction of the eye or ear towards the object, Nj. 124; sá þeir fólkit á land, they saw the people in the direction of land, Fas. ii. 517: in phrases denoting to be placed, to sit, to be seated, the seat or bench is freq. in the acc. where the dat. would now be used; konungr var þar á land upp, the king was then up the country, the spectator or narrator is conceived as looking from the shore or sea-side, Nj. 46; sitja á miðjan bekk, to be seated on the middle bench, 50; skyldi konungs sæti vera á þann bekk … annat öndvegi var á hinn úæðra pall; hann setti konungs hásæti á miðjan þverpall, Fms. vi. 439, 440, cp. Fagrsk. l. c., Sturl. iii. 182; eru víða fjallbygðir upp á mörkina, in the mark or forest, Eg. 58; var þar mörk mikil á land upp, 229; mannsafnaðr er á land upp (viewed from the sea), Ld. 76; stóll var settr á mótið, Fas. i. 58; beiða fars á skip, to beg a passage, Grág. i. 90.

V. denoting parts of the body; bíta e-n á barka, to bite one in the throat, Ísl. ii. 447; skera á háls, to cut the throat of any one, Nj. 156; brjóta e-n á háls, to break any one’s neck; brjóta e-n á bak, to break any one’s back, Fms. vii. 119; kalinn á kné, frozen to the knees with cold, Hm. 3.

VI. denoting round; láta reipi á háls hesti, round his horse’s neck, 623. 33; leggja söðul á hest, Nj. 83; and ellipt., leggja á, to saddle; breiða feld á hofuð sér, to wrap a cloak over his head, 164; reyta á sik mosa, to gather moss to cover oneself with, 267; spenna hring á hönd, á fingr, Eg. 300.

VII. denoting a burden; stela mat á tvá hesta, hey á fimtán hesta, i. e. a two, a fifteen horse load, Nj. 74: metaph., kjósa feigð á menn, to choose death upon them, i. e. doom them to death, Edda 22.

B. TEMP.

I. of a period of time, at, to; á morgun, to-morrow (í morgun now means the past morning, the morning of to-day), Ísl. ii. 333.

II. if connected with the word day, ‘á’ is now used before a fixed or marked day, a day of the week, a feast day, or the like; á Laugardag, á Sunnudag …, on Saturday, Sunday, the Old Engl. a-Sunday, a-Monday, etc.; á Jóladaginn, Páskadaginn, on Yule and Easter-day; but in old writers more often used ellipt. Sunnudaginn, Jóladaginn …, by dropping the prep. ‘á,’ Fms. viii. 397, Grág. i. 18.

III. connected with ‘dagr’ with the definite article suffixed, ‘á’ denotes a fixed, recurring period or season, in; á daginn, during the day-time, every day in turn, Grett. 91 A.

IV. connected with ‘evening, morning, the seasons,’ with the article; á kveldit, every evening, Ld. 14; á sumarit, every summer, Vd. 128, where the new Ed. Fs. 51 reads sumrum; á haust, every autumn, Eg. 741 (perh. a misprint instead of á haustin or á haustum); á vetrinn, in the winter time, 710; á várit, every spring, Gþl. 347; the sing., however, is very rare in such cases, the old as well as mod. usage prefers the plur.; á nætrnar, by night, Nj. 210; á várin, Eg. 710; á sumrin, haustin, á morgnana, in the morning (á morgin, sing., means to-morrow); á kveldin, in the evening, only ‘dagr’ is used in sing., v. above (á daginn, not á dagana); but elliptically and by dropping the article, Icelanders say, kveld og morgna, nótt og dag, vetr sumar vor og haust, in the same sense as those above mentioned.

V. denoting duration, the article is dropped in the negative phrase, aldri á sinn dag, never during one’s life; aldri á mína daga, never in my life, Bjarn. 8, where a possess. pron. is put between noun and prep., but this phrase is very rare. Such phrases as, á þann dag, that day, and á þenna dag, Stj. 12, 655 xxx. 2. 20, are unclassical.

VI. á dag without article can only be used in a distributive sense, e. g. tvisvar á dag, twice a-day; this use is at present freq. in Icel., yet instances from old writers are not on record.

VII. denoting a movement onward in time, such as, liðið á nótt, dag, kveld, morgun, sumar, vetr, vár, haust (or nóttina, daginn …), jól, páska, föstu, or the like, far on in the night, day …, Edda 33; er á leið vetrinn, when the winter was well on, as the winter wore on, Nj. 126; cp. áliðinn: also in the phrase, hniginn á inn efra aldr, well stricken in years, Ld. 68.

C. Metaph. and in various relations:

I. somewhat metaphorically, denoting an act only (not the place); fara á fund, á vit e-s, to call for one, Eg. 140; koma á ræðu við e-n, to come to a parley with, to speak, 173; ganga á tal, Nj. 103; skora á hólm, to challenge to a duel on an island; koma á grið, to enter into a service, to be domiciled, Grág. i. 151; fara á veiðar, to go a-hunting, Fms. i. 8.

β. generally denoting on, upon, in, to; bjóða vöxtu á féit, to offer interest on the money, Grág. i. 198; ganga á berhögg, to come to blows, v. berhögg; fá á e-n, to make an impression upon one, Nj. 79; ganga á vápn e-s, to throw oneself on an enemy’s weapon, meet him face to face, Rd. 310; ganga á lagið, to press on up the spear-shaft after it has passed through one so as to get near one’s foe, i. e. to avail oneself of the last chance; bera fé á e-n, to bribe, Nj. 62; bera öl á e-n, to make drunk, Fas. i. 13; snúinn á e-t, inclined to, Fms. x. 142; sammælast á e-t, to agree upon, Nj. 86; sættast, verða sáttr á e-t, in the same sense, to come to an agreement, settlement, or atonement, 78, Edda 15, Eb. 288, Ld. 50, Fms. i. 279; ganga á mála, to serve for pay as a soldier, Nj. 121; ganga á vald e-s, to put oneself in his power, 267; ganga á sætt, to break an agreement; vega á veittar trygðir, to break truce, Grág. ii. 169.

II. denoting in regard to, in respect to:

1. of colour, complexion, the hue of the hair, or the like; hvítr, jarpr, dökkr … á hár, having white, brown, or dark … hair, Ísl. ii. 190, Nj. 39; svartr á brún ok brá, dark of brow and eyebrow; dökkr á hörund, id., etc.

2. denoting skill, dexterity; hagr á tré, a good carpenter; hagr á járn, málm, smíðar …, an expert worker in iron, metals …, Eg. 4; fimr á boga, good at the bow: also used of mastership in science or arts, meistari á hörpuslátt, a master in striking the harp, Fas. iii. 220; fræðimaðr á kvæði, knowing many poems by heart, Fms. vi. 391; fræðimaðr á landnámssögur ok forna fræði, a learned scholar in histories and antiquities (of Are Frode), Ísl. ii. 189; mikill á íþrótt, skilful in an art, Edda (pref.) 148; but dat. in the phrase, kunna (vel) á skíðum, to be a cunning skater, Fms. i. 9, vii. 120.

3. denoting dimensions; á hæð, lengd, breidd, dýpt …, in the heighth, length, breadth, depth …, Eg. 277; á hvern veg, on each side, Edda 41 (square miles); á annan veg, on the one side, Grág. i. 89.

β. the phrase, á sik, in regard to oneself, vel (illa) á sik kominn, of a fine ( ugly) appearance, Ld. 100, Fas. iii. 74.

III. denoting instrumentality; bjargast á sínar hendr, to live on the work of one’s own hands, (á sínar spýtur is a mod. phrase in the same sense); (vega) á skálir, pundara, to weigh in scales, Grág. ii. 370; at hann hefði tvá pundara, ok hefði á hinn meira keypt en á hinn minna selt, of a man using two scales, a big one for buying and a little one for selling, Sturl. i. 91; á sinn kostnað, at one’s own expense; nefna e-n á nafn, by name, Grág. i. 17, etc. The Icel. also say, spinna á rokk, snældu, to spin on or with a rock or distaff; mala á kvern, to grind in a ‘querne,’ where Edda 73 uses dat.; esp. of musical instruments, syngja, leika á hljóðfæri, hörpu, gígju …; in the old usage, leika hörpu …, Stj. 458.

IV. denoting the manner or way of doing:

1. á þessa lund, in this wise, Grág. ii. 22; á marga vega, á alla, ymsa vega, in many, all, respects, Fms. i. 114; á sitt hóf, in its turn, respectively, Ld. 136, where the context shews that the expression answers to the Lat. mutatis mutandis; á Þýðersku, after German fashion, Sks. 288.

2. esp. of language; mæla, rita á e-a tungu, to speak, write in a tongue; á Írsku, in Irish, Ld. 76; Norrænu, in Norse, Eb. 330, Vm. 35; a Danska tungu, in Danish, i. e. Scandinavian, Norse, or Icelandic, Grág. i. 18; á Vára tungu, i. e. in Icelandic, 181; rita á Norræna tungu, to write in Norse, Hkr. (pref.), Bs. i. 59:—at present, dat. is sometimes used.

3. in some phrases the acc. is used instead of the dat.; hann sýndi á sik mikit gaman, Fms. x. 329; hann lét ekki á sik finna, he shewed no sign of motion, Nj. 111; skaltú önga fáleika á þik gera (Cod. Kalf.), 14.

V. used in a distributive sense; skal mörk kaupa gæzlu á kú, eðr oxa fim vetra gamlan, a mark for every cow, Grág. i. 147; alin á hvert hross, 442; á mann, per man (now freq.): cp. also á dag above, lit. B.

VI. connected with nouns,

1. prepositional; á hendr (with dat.), against; á hæla, at heel, close behind; á bak, at back, i. e. past, after; á vit (with gen.), towards.

2. adverbially; á braut, away, abroad; á víxl, in turns; á mis, amiss; á víð ok dreif, a-wide and a-drift, i. e. dispersedly.

3. used almost redundantly before the following prep.; á eptir, after, behind; á undan, in front of; á meðal, á milli, among; á mót, against; á við, about, alike; á frá (cp. Swed. ifrån), from (rare); á fyrir = fyrir, Haustl. 1; á hjá, beside (rare); á fram, a-head, forwards; á samt, together; ávalt = of allt, always: following a prep., upp á, upon; niðr á, down upon; ofan á, eptir á, post eventum, (temp.) á eptir is loc., id., etc.

VII. connected with many transitive verbs, answering to the Lat. ad- or in-, in composition, in many cases periphrastically for an objective case. The prep. generally follows after the verb, instead of being prefixed to it as in Lat., and answers to the Engl. on, to; heita kalla, hrópa á, to call on; heyra, hlusta, hlyða á, to hearken to, listen to; hyggja, hugsa á, to think on; minna á, to remind; sjá, líta, horfa, stara, mæna, glápa, koma auga … á, to look on; girnast á, to wish for; trúa á, to believe on; skora á, to call on any one to come out, challenge; kæra á, to accuse; heilsa á, to greet; herja, ganga, ríða, hlaupa, ráða … á, to fall on, attack, cp. ágangr, áreið, áhlaup; ljúga á, to tell lies of, to slander; telja á, to carp at; ausa, tala, hella, kasta, verpa … á, to pour, throw on; ríða, bera, dreifa á, to sprinkle on; vanta, skorta á, to fall short of; ala á, to plead, beg; leggja á, to throw a spell on, lay a saddle on; hætta á, to venture on; gizka á, to guess at; kveða á, to fix on, etc.: in a reciprocal sense, haldast á, of mutual strife; sendast á, to exchange presents; skrifast á, to correspond (mod.); kallast á, to shout mutually; standast á, to coincide, so as to be just opposite one another, etc.

f. [Lat. aqua; Goth. ahva; Hel. aha; A. S. eâ; O. H. G. aha, owa; cp. Germ. ach and aue; Fr. eau, eaux; Engl. Ax-, Ex-, etc., in names of places; Swed.-Dan. å; the Scandinavians absorb the hu, so that only a single vowel or diphthong remains of the whole word]:—a river. The old form in nom. dat. acc. sing. is , v. the introduction to A, page 1, Bs. i. 333 sq., where ́n, ́ (acc.), and ́na; so also Greg. 677; the old fragm. of Grág. ii. 222, 223, new Ed. In the Kb. of the Edda the old form occurs twice, viz. page 75, ́na (acc.), (but two lines below, ána), í ́nni (dat.) The old form also repeatedly occurs in the Kb. and Sb. of the Grág., e. g. ii. 266, 267: gen. sing. ár; nom. pl. ár, gen. á contracted, dat. ám, obsolete form ́m; Edda 43, Eg. 80, 99, 133, 185: proverbs, at ósi skal á stemma, answering to the Lat. principiis obsta, Edda 60; hér kemr á til sæfar, here the river runs into the sea, metaph. = this is the very end, seems to have been a favourite ending of old poems; it is recorded in the Húsdrápa and the Norðsetadrápa, v. Edda 96, Skálda 198; cp. the common saying, oil vötn renna til sævar, ‘all waters run into the sea.’ Rivers with glacier water are in Icel. called Hvítá, White river, or Jökulsá: Hitá, Hot river, from a hot spring, opp. to Kaldá, v. Landn.: others take a name from the fish in them, as Laxá, Lax or Salmon river (freq.); Örriða á, etc.: a tributary river is þverá, etc.: ár in the Njála often means the great rivers Ölfusá and Þjórsá in the south of Iceland. Áin helga, a river in Sweden, Hkr. ii: á is also suffixed to the names of foreign rivers, Tempsá = Thames; Dóná, Danube (Germ. Don-au), (mod.), etc. Vide Edda (Gl.) 116, 117, containing the names of over a hundred North-English and Scottish rivers.

COMPDS: áráll, árbakki, árbrot, ardjúp, árfarvegr, árfors, árgljúfr, árhlutr, ármegin, árminni, ármót, áróss, árreki, árstraumr, árströnd, árvað, árvegr, árvöxtr.

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(pl. -ar), f. leather-strap.

* * *

f., old form nom. dat. acc. sing. ́l; öl heitir drykkr, en ́l er band, Skálda (Thorodd) 163: gen. sing. and nom. pl. álar; (the mod. form is ól, keeping the ó throughout all the cases; gen. pl. ólar):—a strap, esp. of leather; ál löng, Fms. vi. 378, Edda 29, Sks. 179: a proverb, sjaldan er bagi að bandi eðr byrdi að ól.

β. esp. the leather straps for fastening a cloak, etc. to the saddle, = slagálar, Orkn. 12, Bjarn. 68, Fbr. 57 new Ed.

γ. a bridle, rein; beislit fanst þegar ok var komit á álna, Bs. i. 314, note 2.

COMPDS: álarendi, álarreipi.

I) (older form es), rel. part. in old poems and in law phrases ‘es’ is suffixed to a demonstrative or interrogative word, pron. or adv., as s: sás, sús, þats, þeims, þærs; þars, þás, þegars, síðans, hveims, hvars, &c., = sá es, sú es, þar es, þá es, &c.

I. used as a rel. pron., indecl., who, which, that;

1) Mörðr hét maðr, er (nom.) kallaðr var gígja;

grös fögr, er (acc.) hón hafði í hendi;

aðra hluti þá, er (gen.) menn vildu visir verða;

þann einn son, er (dat.) hann ann lítit;

2) with a prep. placed at the end of the sentence;

land, er hann kom frá, the land he came from;

jötunn, er ór steini var höfuðit á (viz. honum), whose head was of stone;

3) ellipt., the prep. being understood;

ór þeim ættum, er mér þóttu fuglarnir fljúga (viz. ór), from the quarter that I thought the birds flew from;

þeir hafa nú látit líf sitt, er mér þykkir eigi vert at lifa (viz. eptir), whom I think it is not worth while to outlive;

4) a personal or demonstr. pron. may be added to the rel. part., er þú, er þik; er hann, er hón, er hana, er hans, er hennar, er þeim, er þeiri, er þeira, etc.;

œrr ertu, Loki, er þú (who) yðra telr ljóta leiðstafi;

sá maðr, er hann vill, that man who wishes;

nema ein Goðrún, er hón æva grét, who never wept;

ekkja heitir sú, er búandi hennar (whose husband) varð sóttdauðr;

þann konung, er undir honum eru skatt-konungar, that king under whom are tributary kings;

5) in the fourteenth century added to the int. pron., hverr;

þat herbergi, í hverju er hann ( in which = er hann í því) hefir sitt ráð ok ræðr;

II. as a conj. and adv.

1) local, er, þar er, there where;

hann sá á eldinum fölskann, er netit hafði brunnit, where the net had been burnt;

Ó. gekk þar til, er H. lá, to the spot where H. lay;

2) of time, er, þá er, when;

ok er, and when;

en er, but when;

þar til er, until;

í því er, just when;

eptir (þat) er, when;

þegar er, as soon as (þegar er lýsti, stóð konungr upp);

síðan er, since;

meðan er, while;

næst er vér kómum, next when we came;

þá lét í hamrinum, sem er reið gengr, as when it thunders;

3) = at, that;

ok fannst þat á öllu, er hón þóttist vargefin, that she thought she was thrown away;

ek em þess sæll, er okkart félag sleit, I am happy that;

skyldi fara fyrst leyniliga, en þó kom þar, er allir vissu, but it came to this, that every one knew of it.

II) from vera.

* * *

old form es, mod. sometimes eð, but usually ‘er;’ indecl. Particle used as relat. pron. or as relat. adv.; in very old MSS. always es, and rhymed so by old poets; in the 12th century it changed into er. In poems and in law phrases the particle ‘es’ is suffixed to the pronoun or adverb, as s or z, e. g. thus: as pron., sá’s = sá es (so in ‘people’s Engl.’ he as, him as, for he who, etc.), Hkr. iii. 11 (Sighvat); dat. þeim’s = þeim es, illi qui, Hm. 3, Fms. vi. 38 (Sighvat); acc. masc. þann’z or þann’s = þann es, illum qui, Vsp. 45 (MS.), Od. i, Hm. 44, 120, Hým. 39, Am. 90; neut. þatz = þat es, illud quod, Hm. 39, Am. 37, Hkv. Hjörv. 3, Fms. iii. 9 (Hallfred): as conj. or adv., hvárt’z … eða = hvárt es … eða, utrum … an, Grág. (Ed. 1853); hvárt’z hann vill at reiða eða …, i. 25, 145, 152, 155, 156, 161, 233, ii. 50: as adv., þegar’s = þegar es, as soon as, Grág. (Ed. 1853) i. 94, Am. 30; síðan’s = síðan es, since (Old Engl. sithens, sithence), 78; even sem’s = sem es, Am. 103; hvar’s = hvar es, wherever, 47, Mork. 138, Hm. 138; hve’s = hve es, however, 140 (MS. hvers), Skálda 190 (in a verse); þar’s = þar es, there where, i. e. where, Grág. i. 46, 153, Hm. 66, Hbl. 60, Gm. 8, Ls. 50, Mork. 18, 34, 37, 62, 170, Skálda 189 (Bragi), Edda (Ht.) 124, where this anastrophe is called bragar-mál, poetical diction; hvarge’s = hvarge es, wherever, Grág. ii. 44. The Icel. has no relat. pron. but only the relat. particles er and sem, both of them indecl. in gender, case, and number; in simple sentences the sense (gender etc.) is clear from the context; and the language has certain expedients to meet the deficiency.

A. Used as relat. pron. which, who, that:

I. used alone, where there is perhaps an ellipse of the demonstrative, er = er hann (þeir, þær, þeim, etc.);

α. nom., á þeim bæ, er Abia heitir, 625. 83; Mörðr hét maðr, er kallaðr var Gigja, Nj. 1; hann átti dóttur eina, er Unnr hét, id.; þá skulu þeir, er fær eru ( who are) saman, Grág. i. 9; maðr, er þessa þurfi, id.; at þeim svörum, er verða, 19; lið þat, er þeim hafðI þangat fylgt, Fms. i. 62; konur þær, er völfur vóru kallaðar, iii. 212; þeim unga manni, er þar sitr hjá þér, id.

β. acc., þingfesti manna þeirra, er ( quos) menn vilja sækja, Grág. i. 19; sakar þeirrar, er ( quam) ek hefi höfðað, id.

γ. gen., aðra hluti þá, er ( quorum) menn viidu vísir verða, Fms. iii. 212.

δ. dat., þann einn, er ( cui) hann ann lítið, Fms. i. 86.

ε. joined to a demonstrative; allir Þrændir, þeir er …, all the Th., who …, Fms. i. 62.

II. with a prep., which, as often in Engl., is placed at the end of the sentence; er hann kom til, whom he came to; land, er hann kom frá, the land he came from; so Lat. quocum venit = er hann kom með sub quibus = er … undir; in quibus = er … í, etc.: the prep. may also be a penultimate, e. g. the phrase, er mér er á ván, wlich I have a hope of; or, er hann var yfir settr, whom he was set over, etc.; this use of the pronoun is undoubtedly elliptical, the corresponding demonstrative pronoun being left out, although the ellipse is not felt; þvengrinn sá er muðrinn Loka var saman rifjaðr með (Kb. omits the prep.), the lace that the mouth of Loki was stitched with, Edda 71; öðrum höfðingjum, þeim er honum þótti liðs at ván (that is to say, þeim, er honum þótti liðs van at þeim), at whose hands, i. e. from whom he thought help likely to come, Fms. i; þeir er ek mæli þetta til (= er ek mæli þetta til þeirra), those to whom I speak, xi. 12; er engi hefir áðr til orðit, Nj. 190; in stórúðgi jötunn, er ór steini var höfuðit á (= er ór steini var höfuðit á honum), whose head was of stone. Hbl. 15; því er vér urðum á sáttir, Fms. xi. 34; við glugg þann í loptinu, er fuglinn hafðI áðr við setið. the window close to which the bird sat. Eg.: nokkurum þeim höfðingja, er mér sé eigandi vinátta við (viz. þá). Ó. H. 78: þá sjón, er mér þykir mikils um vert (viz. hana), 74; er mér þat at sýn orðit, er ek hefi opt heyrt frá sagt (= frá því sagt), 57; til vatns þess, er Á en Helga fellr ór, 163: til kirkju þeirra, es bein eru færð til, Grág. i. 13 new Ed.

2. ellipt. the prep. being understood, esp. to avoid the repetition of it; ekirinn sá er brendr vár Ásgarðr (viz. með), Edda (pref.); hann gékk til herbergis þess, er konungr var inni (viz. í), he went to the house that the king was in, Ó. H. 160, Fb. iii. 251; dyrr þær, er ganga mátti upp á húsit (viz. gegnum, through), the doors through which one could walk up to the house, Eg. 421; ór þeim ættum er mér þóttu fuglarnir fljúga (viz. ór), the airt ( quarter) that I thought the birds flew from, Ísl. ii. 196; yfir þeim manni, er Mörðr hafði sök sína fram sagt (viz. yfir), the man over whose head ( to whom) Mord had pleaded his suit, Nj. 242; þrjú þing, þau er menn ætluðu (viz. á), three parliaments, in ( during) which men thought …, 71; nær borg þeirri, er konungr sat (viz. í), near the town the king resided in, Eg. 287; Montakassin, er dyrkast Benedictus, Monte Cassino, where B. is worshipped, Fms. xi. 415; þeir hafa nú látið lif sitt fyrir skömmu, er mér þykir eigi vert at lifa (viz. eptir), they, whom methinks it is not worth while to outlive, 150; fara eptir með hunda, er þeir vóru vanir at spyrja þá upp (viz. með), er undan hljópusk, they pursued with hounds, that they were wont to pick up fugitives with, i. e. with bloodbounds, v. 145; þat er í þrem stöðum, er dauðum má sök gefa (viz. í), it is in three places that a man can be slain with impunity, N. G. L. i. 62; þat er í einum stað, er maðr hittir (viz. í), it is in one place that …, id.

III. a demonstrative pron. may be added to the relat. particle, e. g. er þeirra = quorum, er þeim = quibus, er hans, er hennar = cujus; but this is chiefly used in old translations from Lat., being rarely found in original writings; þann konung, er undir honum eru skatt-konungar, that king under whom vassals serve, Edda 93; ekkja heitir sú, er búandi hennar ( whose husband) varð sótt-dauðr; hæll er sú kona kölluð er búandi hennar er veginn, 108; sú sam-stafa, er raddar-stafr hennar er náttúrlega skammr, that syllable, the vowel of which is naturally short, Skálda 179; sá maðr, er hann vill, that man who wishes, Grág. i. 19; sá maðr, er hann skal fasta, 36; nema ein Guðrún, er hón æva grét, G. that never wailed, Gh. 40; þess manns, er hann girnisk, Hom. 54; sæl er sú bygghlaða … er ór þeirri …, felix est illud horreum … unde …, Hom. 15; engi er hærri speki en sú, er í þeirri …, nulla melior est sapientia quam ea, qua …, 28; varðveita boðorð hans, fyrir þann er vér erum skapaðir, ejusque mandata custodire, per quem creati sumus, 28; harða göfugr er háttr hófsemi, fyrir þá er saman stendr …, nobilis virtus est valde temperantia, per quam …, id.; elskendum Guð þann er svá mælti, Deum diligentibus qui ait, id.; skírn Græðara várs, er í þeirri, 56; er á þeim = in quibus, 52: rare in mod. writers, enginn kann að játa eðr iðrast réttilega þeirrar syndar, er hann þekkir ekki stærð hennar og ílsku, Vídal. i. 226.

IV. in the 14th century, the relat. pron. hverr was admitted, but by adding the particle er; yet it has never prevailed, and no relative pronoun is used in Icel. (except that this pronoun occurs in the N. T. and sermons, e. g. Luke xi. 1, whose blood Pilate had mingled, is rendered hverra blóði Pilatus hafði blandað; an old translator would have said, er P. hafði blandað blóði þeirra): hvern er þeir erfðu, M. K. 156; hverjar er hón lauk mér, id.; af hverju er hann megi marka, Stj. 114; hvat er tákna mundi, Fms. xi. 12.

V. the few following instances are rare and curious, er þú, er ek, er mér, er hón; and are analogous to the Germ. der ich, der du, I that, thou that; in Hm. l. c. ‘er’ is almost a superfluous enclitic, eyvitar fyrna er maðr annan skal, Hm. 93; sáttir þínar er ek vil snemma hafa, Alm. 7; ójafnt skipta er þú mundir, Hbl. 25; þrár hafðar er ek hefi, Fsm. 50; auði frá er mér ætluð var, sandi orpin sæng, Sl. 49; lauga-vatn er mér leiðast var eitt allra hluta, 50; ærr ertu Loki, er þú yðra telr, Ls. 29, cp. 21, Og. 12, Hkv. 2. 32; tröll, er þik bíta eigi járn, Ísl. ii. 364. ☞ This want of a proper relat. pron. has probably preserved Icel. prose from foreign influences; in rendering Lat. or mod. Germ. into Icel. almost every sentence must be altered and broken up in order to make it vernacular.

B. Conj. and adv. joined with a demonstrative particle, where, when:

1. loc., þar er, there where = ubi; þar er hvárki sé akr né eng, Grág. i. 123; hvervetna þess, er, N. G. L. passim.

2. temp. when; ok er, and when; en er, but when: þá er, then when; þar til er, until, etc., passim; annan dag, er menn gengu, Nj. 3; brá þeim mjök við, er þan sá hann, 68; sjaldan fór þá svá, er vel vildi, Ld. 290; ok í því er Þórgils, and in the nick of time when Th., id.: þá lét í hamrinum sem er ( as when) reið gengr, Ísl. ii. 434; næst er vér kómum, next when we came, Eg. 287; þá er vér, when we, id.

II. conj. that (vide ‘at’ II, p. 29); þat er (is) mitt ráð er ( that) þú kallir til tals, Eg. 540; ok þat, er hann ætlar, Nj. 7: ok fansk þat á öllu, er ( that) hon þóttisk vargefin, 17; en þessi er (is) frásögn til þess, er ( that) þeir vóru Heljar-skinn kallaðir, Sturl. i. 1; ok finna honum þá sök, er (en MS.) hann hafði verit, that he had been, Fms. vii. 331; af hverju er hann megi marka, from which he may infer, Stj. 135; hvárt er (en MS.) er (is) ungr eða gamall, either that he is young or old, N. G. L. i. 349; spurði hann at, hvárt er, asked him whether, Barl. 92; mikill skaði, er slíkr maðr, that such a man, Fms. vi. 15; hlægligt mér þat þykkir, er ( that) þú þinn harm tínir, Am. 53; er þér gengsk illa, that it goes ill with thee, 53, 89; hins viltú geta, er ( that) vit Hrungnir deildum, Hbl. 15.

2. denoting cause; er dóttir mín er hörð í skapi, for that my daughter is hard of heart, Nj. 17.

β. er þó, although, Skálda 164.

3. þegar er, as soon as, when, Fms. iv. 95, cp. þegar’s above: alls er þú ert, for that thou art, i. 305; síðan er, since, after that, Grág. i. 135; en siðan er Freyr hafði heygðr verít, Hkr. (pref.); but without ‘er,’ N. G. L. i. 342. In the earliest and best MSS. distinction is made between eptir er ( postquam), þegar er ( quum), meðan er ( dum), síðan er ( postquam), and on the other hand eptir ( post), þegar ( jam), meðan ( interdum), síðan (post, deinde); cp. meðan’s, síðan’s, þegar’s, above; but in most old MSS. and writers the particle is left out, often, no doubt, merely from inaccuracy in the MSS., or even in the editions, (in MSS. ‘er’ is almost always spelt  and easily overlooked): again, in mod. usage the particle ‘at, að,’ is often used as equivalent to ‘er,’ meðan að, whilst; síðan að, since that; þegar að, postquam, (vide ‘at’ V, p. 29.)

3rd pers. pres. is, vide vera.

(gen., dat. and acc. föður, pl. feðr), m. father.

* * *

m., gen. dat. and acc. föður: pl. nom. and acc. feðr, gen. feðra, dat. feðrum; there also occurs a monosyllabic nom. föðr or feðr, gen. föðrs or feðrs, dat. and acc. föðr or feðr, the pl. as in faðir; this form occurs passim in MSS. and editions, but is less correct and quite obsolete, Eg. 178, Fms. i. 6, N. G. L. i. 52, Stj. 130: in mod. usage in gen. both föður and föðurs, better föðrs: feðr nd veðr are rhymed, Edda 95; cp. also the compds all-föðr (of Odin), but Al-faðir of God in mod. usage: [Goth. fadar; A. S. fader; Early Engl. fader, mod. father; O. H. G. fatar, mod. vater; Swed.-Dan. fader; Lat. pāter; Gr. πατήρ; all of them bisyllabic]:—a father, N. G. L. i. 30, Grág. i. 170, Stj. 71, Hom. 47, passim:—in eccl. sense, Lat. pater, a father of the church, Stj. 126; speki feðra, Eluc. 2, K. Á. 30; faðir ok forstjóri, father and ruler, Mar.:—God, heavenly Father, N. T.; Foðir Vor, Our Father (i. e. the Lord’s Prayer, Lat. Pater Noster). Proverb or saying, fleygir fúsum til föður húsa, swift is the ride towards a father’s house.

COMPDS: föðurafi, föðurarfr, föðurbani, Föðurbetringr, föðurbróðir, föðurbætr, föðurdauði, föðurdráp, föðurerfð, föðurfaðir, föðurfrændi, föðurgarðr, föðurgjöld, föðurhefndir, föðurhús, föðurkyn, föðurland, föðurlauss, föðurleifð, föðurliga, föðurmóðir, föðursystir, föðurverringr, föðurætt.

II. in many COMPDS used as adj., e. g. föður-ást, f. and föður-elska, u, f. fatherly love; föður-hendr, f. pl. fatherly hands; föður-hirting, f. fatherly punishment; föður-hjarta, n. fatherly heart.

2. guð-faðir, a god-father; tengda-faðir, a father-in-law; stjúp-faðir, a step-father; fóstr-faðir, a foster-father; al-faðir, all-father.

* * *

(gen. gásar; pl. gæss), f. goose (galt hann gagl fyrir gás).

* * *

f., gen. gásar, nom. pl. gæss, acc. gæs, mod. nom. gæs, gæsar, pl. gæsir, gæsa, gæsum, keeping the æ through all cases: [Dan. gaas, pl. gjæs; A. S. gôs, pl. gês or gees; Engl. goose, pl. geese; O. H. G. ganzo; Germ. gans, pl. gänse; cp. Lat. anser, dropping the initial; Gr. χήν]:—a goose, Grág. ii. 346, 347, N. G. L. i. 211 (Js. 78), Korm, 206, Ó. H. 86, Gkv. 1. 16; heim-g., a tame goose; grá-g., a ‘grey goose,’ wild goose; brand-g., q. v.

COMPDS: gásafiðri, gæsafjaðrir.

2. gás, cunnus, Fms. xi. 52.

II. Gásir, f. pl. the local name of a harbour in Icel., Landn.

(or -ki after t or s), a particle suffixed to nouns and adverbs.

A. In a positive sense [Lat. - que], ever, Lat. -que, -cunque:

1. with the pronoun hverr ( quis) through all cases, answering to the Lat. quis-que: out of the Laws we can nearly make a full paradigm:—nom. hverr-gi or hver-gi, Lat. quis-que, qui-cunque, Grág. Kb. i. 14, 31, 45, 85, 171 (twice), 183, 195, 221, ii. 7, 23, 82, 101: nom. and acc. neut. hvat-ki ( quod-que). i. 34, 155, 162, 183, 244, ii. 77, 140, 154, Jómsv. 15, Íb. 3; also hvárt-ki, id., Grág. Kb. i. 61 (twice): gen. hvers-kis (cujus-que), 238: dat. hverjun-gi (cui-que), 31, 156: acc. masc. hvern-gi (quem-que), 147, 155, 221, 225, 245, ii. 47, 66: abl. hve-gi or hví-gi, however, i. 147, 195, ii. 64, 101, 128, 151, Jómsv. 14:—plur. acc. neut. hver-gi (quae-que): dual dat. sing. hvárun-gi megin, on both sides (of a river), Grág. Kb. ii. 93:—even in historical prose, því at hit næsta sumar gat hvergi ber á Íslandi, the following summer every man gathered berries in Iceland (to make some kind of wine), Bs. i. 135, (or are we to read hvar-gi, everywhere?).

2. with adverbs; hvert-ki (quocun-que modo), Grág. ii. 50; nær-gi, whenever ( ubi-cunque), i. 191; hvar-gi, wherever, 25, 166, 240, ii. 128, 212.

B. In a negative sense, with a few pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and rarely in old poems with substantives:

1. with nouns, in the pr. name Lopt-ki, an απ. λεγ., Ls. 19: with appellatives, þörf-gi, no need, an απ. λεγ., Hkv. Hjörv. 39; freq. in mann-gi, no man, cp. Lat. nēmo, Íb., which is even used in mod. writers and poets; væt-ki, naught; vettu-gi (dat.) and vetter-gis (gen.), Vsp.: with adjectives, ein-gi (q. v.), none, a common word; otherwise rare, sjálf-gi, ‘self-not,’ i. e. not oneself, Ls. 29, an απ. λεγ.: with a dat. case of langr, þá löngu-gi, then not for a long time, Konr. (MS.): with pronouns, in the dual, hvárr-gi, neither, Lat. neuter, Grág. Kb. i. 46, ii. 93, 151; gen. hvárs-kis ( neutrius), freq.; dat. hvárun-gi ( neutri), i. 215; hvárum-gi, ii. 63: neut. hváru-gi, 216; hitt-ki, ne illud quidem, Hm. 21, 23; þat-ki, Hbl. 6; þat-ki at ek fá ( not even that I get) mála minn falslausan, Mork. 83.

2. with adverbs, only in poetry or laws or very old prose; svá-gi, not so, Grág. Kb. ii. 99, Mork. 83; þá-gi, then not; þey-gi, though not, qs. þó-gi; æva-gi, never: again, hver-gi (q. v.), nowhere; ei-gi (q. v.), not; aldri-gi (q. v.), never; hvár-ki (q. v.), neither, are common words in prose and in speech. The negative -gi can never be suffixed to verbs (vide ‘-at,’ p. 2); therefore býð-gi, non jubeo (in Íslands-vaka 61, a poem of the last century, Fél. i. 236), is a spurious imitation of the old idiom; neither can -at be put to nouns; ráð-at hann kunni, Jónas 105, ought therefore to be ráð hann kunni-t, issue be knew not.

C. In an indefinite sense; in a few instances -gi seems to be used almost like Latin quidem with a preceding negative: eigi miklo-gi minna, ne multo quidem minus, Heiðar. S., Ísl. ii. 360; eigi stóru-gi meiri, ne multo quidem majora, 386; engi miklo-gi görr …, nemo multo quidem plus …, Grág. i. 209; cp. also the adverbs öllun-gis or öldun-gis, quite, altogether (allr, -gi); einun-gis, only, solely (einn, -gi). both formed from dat. sing.: the obsolete vil-gi (qs. vel-gi) is ambiguous, being used both in a neg. sense = not well, and posit. = well, bene quidem, cp. Bs. i. 393, note; Hm. 66, málun-gi, is doubtful;—prob. þyrftig-at málun-gi mat should be read, -at being taken not as a prep. but as a negative verbal suffix, and -gi as a positive suffix; Icel. now say, hann á ekki málungi matar, he does not know where to look for his next meal.

☞ The negative -gi is peculiar to Scandin., and no traces of it are found in any Saxon nor German idioms; whereas, as a positive suffix, it is common to all Teutonic tongues, and remains in the Engl. many and any; ‘many’ being qs. man-y = man-ever, ‘homo-cunque,’ Goth. manags, and ‘any’ qs. ane-y = every-one; so also is the g in Icel. margr and hvárigr, which are remnants—the former of the positive, the latter of the negative -gi.

* * *

(henda, hendr), v.

1) to catch with the hand

(hann kastaði heininni í lopt upp, en allir vildu henda)

;

to pick out or up

(hann safnar mönnum til at henda svínin)

;

henda e-t augum, to catch with the eyes

;

henda til smátt ok stórt, to pick up small and great alike, look closely after

;

henda gaman (skemtan) at e-u, to take a delight in

(hann hendi skemtan at sögum ok kvæðum)

;

henda sakir á e-m, to pick up charges against one

;

2) to touch, concern one

(tíðendi þau, er bæði okkr henda)

;

3) to befall, happen to one;

þá hafði hent glœpska mikil, they had committed a great folly

;

hann kvað þat dugandi menn henda (it happened to brave men) at falla í bardögum

.

* * *

d, mod. henti, [Old Engl. hente, to seize; cp. hönd], to catch with the hand:

1. to catch; hann kastaði heininni í lopt upp, en allir vildu henda, Edda 48; hann lék at þremr handsöxum senn, ok hendi æ meðal-kaflann, Fms. ii, 169; Grímr hafði þá hent böllinn, Eg. 189; en hón hendi allar með hváptunum, Fb. i. 530.

2. to pick up or out, of sheep, deer, etc.; hann var verra at henda en aðra sauði, Ísl. ii. 330; menn fóru ok vildu henda skjarra sauði, Bs. i. 330, Fms. vii. 218; h. svín, Fs. 26; h. hrein í fjalli, Hm. 89: in pursuing one, en er Egill hafði hent þá sem hann vildi, Eg. 300; þeir hendu þræiana enn fleiri, 596; hendu þá hvárir menn fyrir öðrum, Fms. viii. 168; hann lét eigi henda börn á spjóta-oddum sem þá var víkingum títt, Landn. 308; hann hendi þá sker frá skeri þau er á leiðinni vóru (of one swimming), Fbr. 183; þessir stafir göra allt mál ok hendir málit ýmsa, Skálda 172; fara eptir sem vér skerum akrinn, ok henda (to pick up, glean) ef nokkut stendr eptir, eðr fýkr frá oss, Stj. 422; henda mula, to pick up crumbs, Mkv.: with prep., h. saman, to pick up and put together; h. saman orð, to compound words, Anecd. 1, Sks. 637.

II. metaph.,

1. phrases, henda e-t augum, to catch with the eyes, Fms. v. 140; h. reiður á e-u, to take notice of, Nj. 133; h. mörk af e-u, to draw an inference from a thing, Sks. 498; h. mið á eu, to observe; spakir menn henda á mörgu mið, the wise catch many things true, a saying, Fs. 140; henda griplur til e-s, to fumble after a thing, Eluc. 22; henda til smátt ok stórt, to pick up small and great alike, look closely after, Glúm. 390; henda smátt, to pick up every grain, to keep one’s ears and eyes open; hér er maðr á glugganum, hann er vanr að h. smátt, og hylja sig í skugganum, a ditty; h. gaman at e-u, to take interest in a thing; hann var gleðimaðr mikill ok hendi at mörgu gaman, 385; hann hendi skemtan at sögum ok kvæðum, ok at öllum strengleikum, ok hljóðfærum, Bs. i. 109; h. atvinnu af e-u, to live away from a thing, Fs. 143; h. sakir á e-m, to pick up charges against one (cp. Engl. to pick a quarrel), Lv. 40.

2. to touch, concern one; þú sagðir tíðindi þau er mik taka henda, í aftöku frænda míns, Fms. vi. 370; en mik taka henda (not enda) þung mein, Edda 94 (in a verse); skal ek sjá um fémál hans ok þat annat er hann (acc.) tekr at henda, and whatsoever concerns him, Nj. 5; tíðindi þau er bæði okkr henda, Fs. 10.

3. e-n hendir e-t, to be caught in, be overtaken by a sin, by ill luck, or the like; mik hefir hent mart til afgerða við Guð, I have happened to commit many sins against God, Fms. vii. 108; þá hafði hent glæpska mikil, they had committed great folly, Ó. H. 232, Fb. ii. 233; ef hana hefir fyrr slíkr glæpr hent, N. G. L. i. 233; mun engi sá hafa verit er jafnmikit happ hefir hent sem hann (acc.), Fms. vi. 328; hvat íllt sem mik hendir, Fs. 93; hann kvað þat dugandi menn henda ( it happened to brave men) at falla í bardögum, 39; sú skömm skal oss aldregi henda, Fms. xi. 270; má, at hana hendi eigi slík úgipta annat sinn, Nj. 23: sometimes, but less correctly, used impers., the thing in acc., hverja skyldu þá henti at ( how they were committed to) taka við konungi, Fms. viii. 238, v. l., cp. þá skömm (= sjá), Eg. 237; glæp mikinn, Fms. v. 113 (but nom. Ó. H. v. l.), iv. 367 (but nom. Fb. l. c.), cp. also Stj. 454 (v. l.), 471.

III. recipr. to bandy; hendusk heiptyrði, Am. 86.

B. To fling, throw, with dat.; it seems not to occur in old writers, (for in Anal. 193 the original vellum Fb. iii. 405 reads hann ‘skýtr’); but freq. in mod. usage, hann sveiflaði honum (the stone) í kring og henti, Od. ix. 538; thus tvíhenda, to hurl with both hands: reflex., hendask, to throw oneself forward, rush forward, to dart; hendast ór háa lopti.

* * *

(hin, hitt), dem. pron.

1) the other; á hinn fótinn, on the other leg; pl. the others, the rest (Kimbi bar sár sín engan mun betr en hinir);

2) emphatically, that; hitt ek hugða, that was what I thought; hitt vil ek vita, that I want to know.

(hin, hit), def. art., before an adjective standing alone or followed by a substantive, the, = inn, enn( eptir hinni eystri kvísl).

* * *

HIN, HIT, the article, an enclitic, which therefore can never serve as an accentuated syllable in a verse, either as rhyme or in alliteration. In good old MSS. (e. g. Cod. Reg. of Sæm.) it is hardly ever spelt with the aspirate, but is written inn, in, it or ið, or enn, en, et or eð, and thus distinguished from the demonstr. pron. hinn; but in the Editions the prob. spurious aspirate has been generally prefixed: an indecl. inu or hinu occurs often in later MSS. of the 14th century, e. g. the Fb.; but as it has not been heard of since and is unknown in the modern language, it simply seems to be a Norwegianism, thus, inu sömu orð, Th. 2; hinnu fyrri biskupa (gen. pl.), H. E. ii. 79; enu instu luti ( res intimas), Hom. 57 (Norse MS.); hinu ágæztu menn (nom. pl.), id.; innu óargu dýra, 657 A. ii. 12: [cp. Goth. jains = ἐκεινος; A. S. geond; Engl. yon; Germ. jener.]

A. The:

I. preceding the noun:

1. before an adjective standing alone or followed by a substantive; inn mæri, inn ríki, inn dimmi dreki, inn mikli mögr, Vsp.; in aldna, id.; inn góða mjöð, the good mead, Gm. 13; inn mæra mjöð, Skm. 16; inn helga mjöð, Sdm. 18; in forna fold, Hým. 24; in fríða frilla, 30; inn fróði jötum, Vþm. 20; inn gamli þulr, 9; inn hára þul, Fm. 34; inn fráni ormr, 19; opt inn betri bilar þá er inn verri vegr, Hm. 127; in alsnotra ambátt, in arma, Þkv.; enn fróði afi, Skm. 2; in ílla mæra, 32; enn fráni ormr, 27; eð manunga man, Hm. 163; enn aldna jötun, 104; en horska mær, 95; it betra, Stor. 22; ena þriðju, the third, Vsp. 20; inn móður-lausi mögr, Fm. 2; it gjalla gull, ok it glóðrauða fé, 9; ið fyrsta orð, Sdm. 14; enu skírleita goði, Gm. 39; in glýstömu græti, Hðm. 1; in svásu goð, Vþm. 17; enum frægja syni, Hm. 141; at ins tryggva vinar, 66; ennar góðu konu, 100; ins svinna mans, 162; ens dýra mjaðar, 141; ens hindra dags, 109; ens unga mans, Skm. 11; ens deykkva hrafns, Skv. 2. 20; æ til ins eina dags, Fm. 10; ena níundu hverja nótt, Skm. 21: with the ordinals, inn fyrsti, þriði …, Gm. 6 sqq., Sdm. 21 sqq.

2. so also before an adverb; it sama, likewise, Hm. 75, Fm. 4, Vþm. 22, 23, Gm. 15, Hdl. 26.

3. as an indecl. particle ‘in’ or ‘en’ before a comparative; in heldr, the more, Hm. 60, Sdm. 36, Hkv. 1. 12, Skv. 1. 21, Gh. 3, Nj. 219; in lengr, the longer, Am. 58, 61; this has been already mentioned s. v. en (p. 127, B. at bottom, and p. 128), but it is almost exclusively poetical.

II. placed between a pronoun and an adjective in the definite form:

1. after a demonstr.; sá inn fráni ormr, Fm. 26; sá inn harði hallr, Gs. 10; sá inn aldni jötun, Skm. 25; sá inn ámáttki jötunn, 10; þat ið mikla men, Þkv. 13; þat ið litla, ‘that the little,’ i. e. the little thing, Ls. 44: þann inn alsvinna jötun, Vþm. 1; þann inn aldna jötun, Fm. 29; þann inn hrímkalda jötun, 38; þess ins alsvinna jötuns, Vþm. 5; þat it unga man, Alm. 6; þann inn aldna jötun, Gm. 50; þau in harðmóðgu ský, 41; sá inn máttki munr, 93; mönnum þeim enum aldrœnum, Hbl. 44; börn þau in blíðu, Og. 9; hrís þat ið mæra, Akv. 5: in prose, fjölmenni þat it mikla, Eg. 46; þetta it mikla skip, Fms. x. 347, passim: with ordinals, segðu þat ið eina, say that the first, Vþm. 20; þat ið þriðja, fjórða …, 20 sqq.

2. after a possessive; síns ins heila hugar, síns ins svára sefa, Hm. 105; þíns ins hvassa hjörs, Fm. 29; minn inn hvassi hjörr, 6; míns ins hvassa hjörs, 28; bækr þínar inar bláhvítu, Hðm.

3. after a pers. pron.: þú hinn armi, thou wretch! Ld. 326; gakk þú hingat hinn mikli maðr! Eg. 488.

III. placed between two nouns in apposition:

1. between a proper name and a title or epithet in the definite form; Sigurðr inn Suðræni, Sigurd the Southerner, Skv. 3. 4; Atli inn Ríki, Akv. 29; Högna ins frækna, Hjalla ins blauða, 23; Guðröðr inn Göfugláti, Ýt.; Hamðir inn hugumstóri, Hðm. 25; Kjötva’nn (= Kjötva enn) Auðga, Hornklofi; Svan enum Rauða, Álfr enn Gamli, Hdl.; as also in prose, Ívarr inn Víðfaðmi, Haraldr enn Hárfagri, Ólafr inn Digri, Knútr inn Fundni, Auðr in Djúpauðga, Þorbjörg in Digra, Hildr in Mjófa, Steinólfr inn Lági, Þorkell inn Hávi, Kjarlakr inn Gamli, Björn inn Austræni, Ólafr inn Hvíti, Hálfdan inn Svarti, Sighvatr inn Rauði, Kyjólfr inn Grá, Gestr inn Spaki; Ari inn Fróði (Aren Froðe contr. = Are enn Froðe, Ó. T. 23, line 1), Ketill inn Heimski, Knútr inn Ríki, Eadvarðr inn Góði, Hálfdan inn Mildi, Ingjaldr inn Illráði, Helgi inn Magri, Úlfr inn Skjálgi, Landn., Fb. iii; cp. Gr. Νέστωρ ὁ γέρων, Σωκράτης ὁ φιλόσοφος, Germ. Nathan der Weise, Engl. Alfred the Great, etc.: of ships, Ormr inn Langi, Ormr inn Skammi.

2. between an appellative and an adjective; sveinn inn hvíti, Ls. 20; hendi inni hægri, 61; þengill inn meins-vani, Gm. 16; seggr inn ungi, Skm. 2; skati inn ungi, Hdl. 9; brúðr in kappsvinna, Am. 75; hest inn hraðfæra, Gh. 18; varr inn vígfrækni, gumi inn gunnhelgi, Hðm. 30; auð inn fagra, Skv. 1. 13; orm inn frána, 1, 11; fjánda inn fólkská, Fm. 37; konungr inn Húnski, Skv. 3. 8, 18, 63, 64; orð ið fyrra, Og. 9; mál ið efsta, 16; seggr inn suðræni, Akv. 3; seggr inn æri, 6; mar’inum mélgreypa, 3, 13; borg inni há, 14; sól inni suðrhöllu, 30; veðrs ens mikla, Hkv. 1. 12; handar ennar hægri, Ls. 38, 61; vífs ins vegliga, Am. 54; konung inn kostsama, Hkm.; gramr inn glaðværi, id.; hlut inn mjóvara, Ýt. 13; konungr inn kynstóri, fylkir inn framlyndi, hilmi’nom hálsdigra, konu’na Dönsku, hverr’ enni Heinversku, Hornklofi, Sæm. (Möb.) 228–231; við arm inn vestra, Sighvat; so also in prose passim.

B. When there was no adjective the article became a suffix to the noun (see Gramm. pp. xix, xx), a usage common even in early prose, but extremely rare in poetry; the reason is, not that the poems were composed before the suffixed article had come into use, but that the metres themselves in which all the old poems were composed are older than that usage, and are not well adapted to it, so that the absence of the article became traditional. The old poem Harbarðsljóð makes an exception, no doubt not from being later than all other poems, but from being composed in a peculiar metre, half verse and half prose; thus in that single poem alone there are nearly twenty instances, or about twice or thrice as many as in all the other poems together:—váginn, Hbl. 2, 13, 15; sundit, 1, 3, 8, 13; verðinum, 4; eikjunni, 7; skipit, id.; stöðna, landit, id.; leiðina, 55; höfuðit, 15; bátinum, 53; veggsins, stokksins, steinsins, 56; matrinn, 3: other solitary instances are, goðin öll, Vsp. 27 (prob. somewhat corrupt); eiki-köstinn, Gh. 20; vömmin vár, Ls. 52.

II. in prose, old and modern, the suffixed article occurs at every step; only one or two instances are worth noticing as peculiar to the Icelandic:

1. as vocative in addressing; konan, O woman! mjöðnannan, id., Sighvat (in a verse of A. D. 1018, and so in mod. usage); elskan! hjartað! heillin! ástin, my love! dear! heart! þursinn! Fas. i. 385; hundarnir! = ω κύνες, Od. xxii. 35: also with another word, barnið gott, good child! Þrúðnaþussinn, thou monster giant! Miðgarðs-ormrinn! Fas. i. 373.

2. esp. if with a possessive adjective following, as in Gr. οὑμός, τοὐμόν, τἀμά, etc.; elskan mín, ástin mín, hjartað mitt, góðrinn minn! hér er nú ástin mín, here is my darling! Sturl. ii. 78, of a father presenting a darling child to a friend; and so in mod. usage: as abuse, hundrinn þinn, thou dog! Ísl. ii. 176; þjófrinn þinn! Fms. vii. 127; dyðrillinn þinn! ii. 279; hundinum þínum! vi. 323: this use is not confined to the vocative, e. g. konan mín biðr að heilsa, my wife (kona mín is never used); maðrinn minn, my husband; biddu foreldrana þína ( ask thy parents) að lofa þér að fara; augun hans, his eyes, Pass. 24. 4; hugrinn vor og hjartað sé, our mind and heart (cp. Gr. τω ἐμω θυμω), 43. 5; svo hjartað bæði og málið mitt | mikli samhuga nafnið þitt, 10. 7; gef þú að móður-málið mitt, 35. 9; bókin mín, my favourite book, my own book; as also, fáðu mér hattinn minn, vetlingana mína, skóna mína, give me my hat, gloves, shoes; tungan í þér, augun í þér, thy tongue, thy eyes; höfuðið á mér, fætrnir á mér, my head, my feet; hendrnar á þér (‘á mér, á þér’ are here equivalent to a possessive, see p. 37, C. IV), thy hands, cp. Homer, τα σα γούνατα; hestana þína, Gr. ϊππους τους σούς: similar is the instance, vömmin vár, the sins of ours, Ls. 52; this may be a remnant of a time when the article was used separately, even with an indefinite adjective.

3. a double article, one suffixed to the noun and the other prefixed to the word in apposition; hirðin sú in Danska, Fms. vi. 323; þau in stóru skipin, viii. 384 and passim: again, when a noun is put in the genitive after another noun the former has no article; as the Engl. phrase ‘the fish of the sea and the fowl of the air’ is in Icel. ‘fiskar sjávarins og fuglar loptsins:’ but this belongs to the syntax; see also Grimm’s D. G. iv. 432.

C. SPECIAL CHANGES, in mod. usage:

I. the demonstr. pron. sá, sú, það has in speech generally taken the place of inn, in, it; thus, sá gamli maðr, sú gamla kona, það gamla skáld; sometimes the article is dropped altogether, e. g. á fimta degi, on the fifth day (= á enum fimta degi); á sömn stundu, in the same hour; even in old writers this is found, með sömu ætlan, Bs. i. 289; á níundu tíð dags, Stj. 41, (but rarely); yet the old form is often retained in writing.

II. in case A. II. the article may be dropped; þann gamla maim, þá gömlu konu, það gamla skáld, þú armi, etc.; sá ráða-góði, sú goðum-líki, sá ágæti Odysseifr, sú vitra Penelopa, sá Jarðkringjandi Pósídon, Od. passim (in Dr. Egilsson’s translation).

III. in case A. III. 1. the article is also dropped, Knútr Ríki, Haraldr Hárfagri; even old writers (esp. in later vellums) omitted it now and then, Hálfdan Svarta, Fms. i. 1; Haraldr Grænski, 90; Haraldr Hárfagri, 192; Óttarr ungi, Hdl.: even in the Sæm. Cod. Reg., Völsungr ungi, Skv. 3. 1, 3.

IV. in case A. III. 2. the pronouns sá, sú, það, and hinn, hin, hit may be used indiscriminately, although the former is more usual.

V. lastly, in case B. the suffixed article has gained ground, and is in modern prose used more freq. than in ancient.

☞ CONCLUSION.—The old poetical language, with the sole exception of a single poem, had no article in the modern and proper sense; in every instance the ‘inn, in, it’ bears the character of a demonstrative pronoun, preceding an adjective and enhancing and emphasising its sense, like the pers. pron. hann, q. v.; but it is never attached to a single substantive; when the adjective was placed in apposition after a noun, the pronoun came to stand as an enclitic just after the noun, and was sounded as if suffixed thereto; at last it was tacked as an actual suffix to single nouns standing without apposition, and thus the true suffixed article gradually arose, first in speech, then in writing; whereas at the same time the old pronominal enclitic (A. I-III) gradually went out of use, and was either dropped or replaced by the stronger demonstrative pronoun ‘sá, sú.’

HIN, HITT, demonstr. pron., prob. identical in etymology with the preceding word, from which it is however distinguished,

1. by the neut. hitt, Dan. hint;

2. by the initial aspirate, which is never dropped;

3. by being a fully accentuated pronoun, so that the h can stand as an alliterative letter, e. g. handar ennar hægri | mun ek hinnar geta, Ls.; veitkat ek hitt hvart Heita | hungr …, Hallfred; Hitt kvað þá Hamðir, etc., Hom. 23, 25, Korm. 40; Raun er hins at Heinir | hræ …; Skáld biðr hins at haldi | hjálm …, Sighvat, Hkv. Hjörv. 26: [Ulf. jains = ἐκεινος; A. S. geond; Engl. yon; Germ. jener.]

A. This pronoun is used,

I. in a demonstr. sense, emphatically and without being opp. to a preceding demonstr.; raun er hins at …, it is proved that …; skáld biðr hins, at …, Sighvat; veitkat ek hitt hvat (hvárt) …, Hallfred; hitt ek hugða, emphatically, that was what I thought, I thought forsooth, Hm. 98; hitt kvað pá Hróðrglóð, Hðm. 13; hitt kvað þá Hamðir, 25; hitt vil ek vita, that I want to know, Vþm. 3, 6; þó ek hins get, ef …, yet I guess, that if …, Skm. 24; vita skal hitt, ef …, Korm. 40 (in a verse), Ísl. ii. 225 (in a verse); hitt var fyrr = in former times, formerly, Ýt., Fs. 94 (in a verse); hinn er sæll, er …, he is happy, that …, Hm. 8; maðr hinn er …, ‘man he that’ = the man who, 26; hinn er Surts ór Sökkdölum, Edda 51 (in a verse); veitat hinn er tin tannar, hinn er um eyki annask, Kormak (in a verse); handar innar hægri mun ek hinnar geta, er …, the right hand, that hand namely, which …, Ls. 38; this usage scarcely occurs except in old poetry.

II. demonstr. referring to another pronoun, denoting the former, farther, the other, = Dan. hiin, hint, Germ. jener, cp. Gr. ἐκεινος, Lat. ille; freq. in prose, old and mod.; fóru þeir með þau skip er þeim þóttu bezt en brenndu hin, Fms. v. 8; Kimbi bar sár sitt engan mun betr en hinir, er hann hafði áðr á fært, 92; en hitt er meira, at hann lætr sér annarra manna fé jafnheimilt, Eg. 47; kemr örvar-oddrinn í strenglag hinnar örvarinnar, Fb. iii. 405; er þú hefir mik fyrir lagt á hinu áðr, 407; hinir frændr þínir, ii. 425; á hinn fótinn, on that, the other leg, Nj. 97; þat er válítið, … hitt er undr …, Ls. 33; hinir hlaða seglunum ok bíða, Fms. x. 347; ef hinn ( the other part) er eigi þar við staddr, Grág. i. 52; hvárt hinn ( the other one) hefir jafnmikit fé hins ( of the other one) er austr er, 220; rétt er at kveðja frá hennar heimili ef hann veit hvártki hinna (gen. pl.), 339; ok vill annarr hluta en annarr eigi … ok verðr sem hinn mæli ekki um er eigi vill hluta, 393; ef maðr sendir annan mann til eindaga, ok erat hinn skyldr við at taka, id.; þess á milli er hón fór at sofa á kveldit, ok hins er hón var klædd, Ld. 14; ærit fögr er mær sjá, … en hitt veit ek eigi hvaðan þjófs-augu eru komin í ættir várar, forsooth she is a beautiful girl, but yet I know not, Nj. 2:—demonstr. in the sense of this (but rare), stjörnur þær er nær eru leiðar-stjöruu ganga aldri undir með oss, en í Blálandi eðr Arabia ganga hinar stjörnur, these very stars, Rb. 468: phrases, hitt ok annat, this and the other, Rd. 235; mod. hitt og þetta.

B. COMPOUND FORMS, hinn-ug, hinn-og, or hins-ig, mod. hins-egin, also hizig, q. v. [from vegr], adv. the other way; þótt Gísl þykki hinsig (hinn veg, v. l.) eigi síðr til vísa, Fms. vii. 46; hinnig værir þú undir brún at líta sem …, Nj. 55: locally, there, in the other place, illic, ok láta bera vætti þat hinneg var nefnt, Grág. i. 90; heimta af erfingja ef hinnig er eigi til, K. Þ. K. 28; brenndi þar ok görði hervirki eigi minna enn hinneg, Fms. vi. 340; ef hinnig mundi kostr, K. Þ. K. 24; eigi er hægra undir þeim at búa fyrir kulda sakir, enn hinnog er fyrir ofrhita sakir, Sks. 196; því at hón er kaldari hér en hizug, 70: temp. the other day, formerly (rare), er ek hinnig mælta, Og. 11.

2. denoting motion, hither, thither; hinnig deyja ór Helju halir, Vþm. 43; renna hinnig, Gh. 18; ríða hinig, Fm. 26: koma hinig, Gs. 18.

pron. = hvárgi.

* * *

or hvárgi, pron. indef.

A. Forms:—the older form was nom. hvárrgi, Grág. i. 114, ii. 307, Eg. 286, Ísl. ii. 354: neut. nom. and acc. hvártki, or with elided t, hvárki, mod. hvorki, Fms. i. 68, passim: gen. hvárskis, Grág. i. 494, N. G. L. i. 350, Fms. viii. 163, Rd. 292; hvárkis, Sks. 558: dat. m. hvárungi, Grág. i. 10, ii. 266; neut. hvárugi, i. II, 131: acc. m. hvárngi, Grág. (Kb.), see -gi, signif. B, p. 199.

II. afterwards it changed into a regular adjective, hvárigr, mod. hvorugr, pl. hvárgir, Gþl. 114; but usually uncontracted, and so in mod. usage, hvárugir, Grág. ii. 51, Ísl. ii. 267, Fms. i. 36, viii. 193, Hkr. iii. 243, Sks. 650, passim: dat. sing. fem. hvárugri, Fms. iii. 214, passim: acc. m. pl. hváruga, passim: irreg. and intermediate forms are, acc. masc. sing. hvárngan, Egill tekr því mjök hvárngan veg, Sturl. iii. 99 C, Fms. viii. 88, Thom. 111.

B. Usage:

I. neither, of two, Lat. neuter. The old form hvárgi is usually substantival; with gen., hvárrgi or hvártki þeirra, neither of them, Eg. 286, Grág. i. 237; miklu meiri sök en hvárgi hinna var, Sks. 655, passim: with a possess, pron., hvártki okkat, neither of us, Nj. 10: rarely adjectival, hvártki sverðit, Korm. 112: on the other hand, the form hvárigr is used indiscriminately as substantive or adjective; for references see the Sagas passim.

II. special usages; with annarr, neither … other, hvarigr at öðrum, Landn. 57; hvárigir kunnu öðrum þar tíðendi at segja, Ísl. ii. 349; réð hvárrgi á annan, Lv. 3; svá hvárigr réð at öðrum, Fas. i. 506; sem hvárrgi tryði öðrum, Fms. i. 217; hvárigir skildu annars mál, Fb. i. 545; ok heri hvárigir á aðra, Eg. 282; því at hvárigir vildu öðrum samneyta, Kristnir eða heiðnir, Fms. i. 265.

III. neut. as adv. hvárki, mod. hvorki; hvárki … né, neither … nor; hvárki til laga né til úlaga, Grág. i. 75; hefir h. heyrt til hans styn né hósta, Nj. 201; ok var málit hvárki sótt ne varit þaðan af, 37, Fms. i. 27, N. G. L. i. 61, Hkr. i. 196, Sturl. iii. 99, 236, Grett. 94 B, Sks. 356, passim; hvárki … né … né, Sks. 157 new Ed.; hvárki … né, … eða, Sks. 365 B, H. E. i. 419; hvárki … eða (less correct), Sks.