plain

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(-tta, -ttr), v.

1) to change, alter (breyta átrúnaði);

refl., breytast; hafa þau eigi breyzt síðan, they have not changed since;

2) to vary; breyta háttum, to vary the metre; breyta hári sínu, to dress one’s hair; réttr ok breyttr, plain and artificial;

3) absol. to condiuct oneself, do, act; munum við báðir í brott komast, ef við breytum svá, if we do so; breyta eptir em, to imitate; breyta til es, to attempt.

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tt, [braut, via], to alter, change: bregða implies the notion of breach, breyta simply denotes change: with dat.; b. farveg (of a river), to form a new channel, Grág. i. 350, Nj. 4, Ld. 158, Fms. ii. 158, Fb. i. 292; flestar Þjóðir þurfa at b. ( transform) nafni hans til sinnar tungu, Edda 14; þá vóru snjóvar miklir ok breyttir (changed, become impassable) vegir allir, Eg. 543, Rb. 262 (where the acc. is wrong;).

β. reflex., hafa þau ekki breyzk síðan, they have not changed since, Fms. viii. 5.

γ. to vary; b. háttum, to vary the metre, Edda 121; b. hári sínu, to dress the hair, Greg. 45; b. málum, to speak rhetorically, dress one’s words, Fms. vi. 392; réttr ok b., plain and artificial, Edda 120; úbreyttr, plain.

II. metaph., absol. without case, to conduct oneself, act, do, behave; ef við breytum svá, if we do so, Nj. 202, Ísl. ii. 181, Fms. i. 150; b. eptir e-m, to imitate, Symb. 15; b. til e-s, to attempt, Grág. ii. 94.

2. in mod. use chiefly in moral sense, to behave, conduct oneself; b. vel, illa, kristilega, cp. breytni, N. T., Vidal., Pass.

adj. common, general; a. maðr = menskr maðr, a common man, Fas. ii. 251; í alþýðligri ræðu, common parlance, Skálda 185; hitt væri alþýðlegra (more plain), at segja, 208; a. fyrir sakir siðferðis, of plain manners, Finnb. 298.

1) great-grandmother;

2) the name of the book Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson, c. 1220.

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u, f. a great-grandmother, Rm. 2. 4; móðir ( mother) heitir ok amma (grandmother), þriðja edda (the third is edda), Edda 108: this sense is obsolete.

II. metaph. the name of the book Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson, and containing old mythological lore and the old artificial rules for verse making. The ancients only applied this name to the work of Snorri; it is uncertain whether he himself called it so; it occurs for the first time in the inscription to one of the MSS. of Edda, viz. the Ub., written about fifty or sixty years after Snorri’s death: Bók þessi heitir Edda, hann hefir saman setta Snorri Sturlusonr eptir þeim hætti sem hér er skipat (viz. consisting of three parts, Gylfagynning, Skáldskaparmál, and Háttatal), Edda ii. 250 (Ed. Arna-Magn.); sva segir í bók þeirri er Edda heitir, at sá maðr sem Ægir hét spurði Braga …, 532 (MS. of the 14th century); hann (viz. Snorri) samansetti Eddu, he put together the Edda, Ann. 1241 (in a paper MS., but probably genuine). As the Skáldskaparmál ( Ars Poëtica) forms the chief part of the Edda, teaching the old artificial poetical circumlocutions (kenningar), poetical terms and diction, and the mythical tales on which they were founded, the Edda became a sort of handbook of poets, and therefore came gradually to mean the ancient artificial poetry as opposed to the modern plain poetry contained in hymns and sacred poems; it, however, never applies to alliteration or other principles of Icel. poetry: reglur Eddu, the rules of Edda, Gd. (by Arngrim) verse 2, Lil. 96, Nikulas d. 4; Eddu list, the art of Edda, Gd. (by Arni) 79;—all poems of the 14th century. The poets of the 15th century frequently mention the Edda in the introduction to their Rímur or Rhapsodies, a favourite kind of poetry of this and the following time, Reinalds R. I. 1, Áns R. 7. 2, Sturlaugs R., Sigurðar þögla R. 5. 4, Rimur af Ill Verra og Vest, 4, 3, Jarlmanns R. 7. 1, 5, II. 3, Dímis R. 2. 4, Konraðs R. 7. 5;—all these in vellum and the greater part of them belonging to the 15th century. Poets of the 16th century (before 1612), Rollants R. 9. 6, 12. 1, Pontus R. (by Magnus Gamli, died 1591), Valdimars R., Ester R. 2. 2, 6. 3, Sýraks R. 1. 2, 6. 2, Tobias R. I. 2; from the first half of the 17th century, Grett. R., Flores R. 6. 3, 9. 2, Króka Refs R. 1. 7, Lykla Pétrs R. 4. 2, 12. 1, Apollonius R. 1. 5, Flovents R. 6. 3, Sjö Meistara R. 1. 7, 2. 1, 3. 8;—all in MS. In these and many other references, the poets speak of the art, skill, rules, or, if they are in that mood, the obscure puerilities and empty phrases of the Edda, the artificial phraseology as taught and expounded by Snorri; and wherever the name occurs (previous to the year 1643) it only refers to Snorri’s book, and such is still the use of the word in Icel.; hence compd words such as Eddu-lauss, adj. void of Eddic art; Eddu-borinn, part. poetry full of Eddic phrases; Eddu-kenningar, f. pl. Eddic circumlocutions, Kötlu Draumr 85, e. g. when the head is called the ‘sword of Heimdal,’ the sword the ‘fire or torch of Odin,’ etc.; Eddu-kendr = Edduborinn; Eddu-bagr, adj. a bungler in the Eddic art, etc. The Icel. bishop Brynjolf Sveinsson in the year 1643 discovered the old mythological poems, and, led by a fanciful and erroneous suggestion, he gave to that book the name of Sæmundar Edda, the Edda of Sæmund; hence originate the modern terms the Old or Poetical and New or Prose Edda; in foreign writers Eddic has been ever since used in the sense of plain and artless poetry, such as is contained in these poems, opposed to the artificial, which they call Scaldic (Skald being Icel. for a poet); but this has no foundation in old writers or tradition. Further explanation of this subject may be seen in Ersch and Gruber’s Encyclopedia, s. v. Graagaas.

adj. ‘edge-plain,’ i. e. quite plain, of a meadow to be mown.

adj. ready, prompt; var söngrinn eigi g., the song did not go smoothly, Fms. vii. 152; greiðlig kaupstefna, Þorf. Karl. 402; ok er miklu greiðligra, at …, more to the purpose, that …, Nj. 92, v. 1.; görit greiðligt fyrir mér ( speak out plain to one) hvat yðr býr í skapi, Grett. 146; göra e-m greiðlig orð, to make plain words of it, Fb. i. 64.

(pl. -ir), f. green field, grassy plain (í grundinni hjá þverá).

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f. [prob. to be derived from gróa, qs. gróandi, and different in etymology from grunn and Engl. ground, etc.]:—a green field, grassy plain; á grundunni, Sd. 165; þar heitir Haugsnes er bardaginn var ofan frá á grundinni, Sturl. iii. 84, Clar. 134; nú setjask þeir niðr á grundina, Gísl. 107: poët. the earth, the green earth, grund gróin grænum lauki, Vsp. 4, Vþm. 16, Haustl. 15: the name of a farm, Grenfield, Sturl., Landn.

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(að), v.

1) to cut even, to trim (mörum sínum mön jafnaði);

2) to make equal;

3) to divide in equal shares (j. ríki með sér);

4) j. e-u til e-s, við e-t, to compare (liken) one thing with (to) another; j. e-u saman, to compare, set of one thing against another (var þá jafnat saman vígum);

5) refl., jafnast við e-n, jafnast e-m, to even oneself with, call oneself a match for, another; j. orðum við e-n, to bandy words with one.

f. level ground, plain (hann flýði af hálsinum ofan á jöfnu).

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u, f. [O. H. G. epani; Germ. ebene], level ground, a plain, Lat. planities; hann flýði af hálsinum ofan á jöfnu, Hkr. i. 151; er þar þriggja mílna för af jöfnu til þorpsins, Greg. 80; koma niðr á jöfnu, Stj. 380, Róm. 272.

1) light, bright; l. dagr, a bright day; verða ljóst, to grow light, dawn;

2) bright, shining (hann hafði exi ljósa um öxl);

3) light-coloured, fair; l. á hár, light-haired, = ljóshárr; ljós vara, ermine;

4) clear, evident, plain (hitt er ljóst, at þeir muni vilja vera úvinir mínir); vil ek ljósan gera mik, I will speak out plainly, make a clean breast.

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adj., compar. ljósari, superl. ljósastr; gen. fem. sing. ljóssar, Vkv. 5, mod. ljósrar; dat. fem. sing. ljóssi, Korm. (in a verse), mod. ljósri; gen. pl. ljóssa, mod. ljósra:—light, bright, shining; ljóss ok fagr, Edda 7; ljóss dagr, a bright day, Sól. 12; ganga ljósum logum (allit.), with ‘light lowes,’ bright lights; um morguninn eptir er ljóst var, Hkr. i. 61; gera ljóst, to dawn, Anal. 228; verða ljóst, to grow light, dawn, Fms. ix. 21, Eg. 219: of metals, ljósa exi, a bright shining axe, Ld. 276; ljósan lé, a bright scythe, Fsm.; ljósir aurar, the bright gold, Sól. 34: of a light-coloured horse, ljóss hestr and Lýsingr, but the ancients said hvítr hestr: of hue, ljóss í andliti, Fms. ix. 535; líki ens ljósa mans, Hm. 91; þat ljósa lík, Sól. 12; löttu ávalt ljósar, the ‘bright,’ fair ones, i. e. the ladies, Am. 29; sinnar ljóssar kvánar, Vkv. 5: ljós vara, light ‘ware,’ ermine, Eg. 69: also of food, milk, and the like, whence ljósa-verk, n. dairy work, Nj. 185; cp. hvítr matr.

II. metaph. clear, evident, plain; ljóst er boðorð Drottins, Hom. 96; en hitt er ljóst, at …, Eg. 64; Egill segir í fám orðum it ljósasta um ferð sína, 409; hann kvaðsk hafa spurt af et ljósasta um hans erendi, Ld. 176; mæli ek því þetta svá ljóst, at ek veit …, Nj. 102; kallaði hann þá ljóst um málefni, Fms. vii. 141:—ljóss em ek í því, ek vil at …, I am clear in that matter …, Ísl. ii. 406; því vil ek ljósan gera mik, make a clean breast, Bs. i. 720: clear, easy to see, understand, and the like. Ljósa-vatn, n. Light-water, Bright-water, a local name, whence Ljós-vetningar, m. pl. the men from L., Nj., Landn.

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(-tta, -tt), v.

1) to slap; hann sletti flötu sverðinu um herðar honum, he slapped him with the flat of the sword;

2) to dash, splash (A. þreif upp skyrkyllinn ok sletti framan í fang Grettis).

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t, [Engl. slight; Germ. schlichten], to make plain, level; lítill blær sléttir ok hylr þá vegu, Stj. 16; slétta tún, to level, smooth a field: metaph., slétta yfir e-t, to smooth over a thing; hafit ér vel yfir slétt vanhyggju mína, Ísl. ii. 201, Fms. i. 74; s. um e-t, Clar.

u, f. a plain, level field. Eg. 230, 528, Barl. 209.

a. plain, flat, even, smooth; s. völlr, level field; s. sjór, smooth sea; segja sínar farar eigi sléttar, to tell of one’s journey not having been smooth, to report a failure; neut. slétt, as adv. straight, quite (gengu þeir slétt út af borðunum); smoothly, well (tala slétt); eigi mundi ferðin takast slétt, the journey would not go smoothly.

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adj. [Ulf. slaihts = λειος, Luke iii. 5; a word common to all Teut. languages, but in the Scandin. the h is lost, as Dan. slet; but in Germ. schlicht and schlecht, in Engl. slight, etc.]:—plain, flat, even, smooth, level; sléttr steinn, Eg. 141; á sléttum velli, Fms. i. 137, ii. 319, Edda 31; slett land, Fb. i. 431; vellir sléttir, Ó. H. 134; sléttr sjór, a smooth sea; þar sem slétr er, Fms. vii. 297; ú-sléttr, uneven, rough: metaph., segja sínar (farar) eigi sléttar, to tell of one’s journey not having been smooth, i. e. that it had all gone wrong, Orkn. 68, Eg. 75, Nj. 254, Ld. 64, Fms. i. 75: gengu þeir slétt ( straight) út af borðunum, Fms. ii. 319.

2. neut. slétt, just, precisely; þat nægðisk öllum slétt, Stj. 293: smonthly, well, eigi mundi ferðin takask slétt, the journey would not go smoothly, Fms. ii. 127; tala slétt, to talk smoothly, Hkr. i. 10; mæla slétt, Hom. 151; hyggja því flárra sem hann talar sléttara, Bjarn. 21.

II. [Germ. schlecht; Dan. slet], slight, trivial, common; tvenn bakstr-járn ok in þriðju slétt, Vm. 58; Maríu-líkneski tvau ok þriðja slétt, Pm. 1, (but rare.)

COMPDS: sléttfjallaðr, sléttlendi, sléttlendr, sléttmáll, sléttmæli, sléttorðr, sléttsmíðaðr, sléttsmíði, sléttyrði.

n. (sounded vammal, N. G. L. i. 362), no doubt qs. váðmál, measured stuff, standard cloth, from váð, stuff, and mál, a measure; in the old Scandinavian communities the vaðmál was the standard of all value and payment before coined gold or silver came into use, see the remarks s. v. alin; [Scot. wadmaal; Orkney and Dan. vadmel]:—a plain woollen stuff, woven in hand-looms; in mod. Icel. the home-spun vaðmál is distinguished from the foreign stuffs, called klæði (vaðmáls-treyja, klæðis-treyja); sæmri muu ei sínum ver, silki-klæddr sprakki, en meyja hrein og hýrlynd er, hulin vaðmáls stakki, Eggert; góð vaðmáls klæði, Fms. vi. 208; skera til klæða vaðmál, id.; stíka vaðmál í sundr, Ölk. 36; lét Þyri tjalda höllina grám vaðmálum, Fms. i. 118; tjalda með gráu vaðmáli, Grett. 132 new Ed.: Færeyskt vaðmál, D. N. ii. 559; rekkju-vaðmál, wadmal for bedclothes, Dropl. 20; vaðmál til seglbóta, Sks. 30; varning Íslenzkan í vaðmálum ok í ullu. Fms. x. 294; þat fé skal vera í vaðmálum eða í vararfeldum …, Grág.; sex alnir vaðmáls gilds, Kb. ii. 192; hafnar-vaðmál, plain common wadmal; hafnar vaðmál ný ok ónotin, Grág. i. 504; Rútr gaf henni hundrað álna hafnar vaðmála, Nj. 7; pakka vaðmál, H. E. i. 574, cp. Bs. i. 842 (spýtingana ok ‘pakkana’): as a standard, alin vaðmáls, mörk vaðmáls, Fb. iii. 343; vaðmála skuld, a debt paid in wadmal, Dipl. iii. 13: vaðmáls-klæði, -möttull, -sloppr, Fms. vi. 208, Þorf. Karl. 384, Bs. i. 674.

or -AT or -T, a negative suffix to verbs, peculiar to Iceland and a part, at least, of Norway. Occurs frequently in old Icelandic poetry and laws, so as almost to form a complete negative voice. In the 1st pers. a personal pronoun k (g) = ek is inserted before the negative suffix, in the 2nd pers. a t or tt. As a rule the pron. as thus repeated; má-k-at-ek, non possum; sé-k-at-ek, non video; hef-k-at-ek, non habeo; skal-k-at-ek; vil-k-at-ek, nolo; mon-k-at-ek, non ero, etc.: 2nd pers. skal-t-at-tu; mon-t-at-tu; gaf-t-at-tu, non dabas: and after a long vowel a tt, mátt-at-tu, sátt-at-tu; so almost invariably in all monosyllabic verbal forms; but not so in bisyllabic ones, máttir-a-þú, non poteras: yet in some instances in the 1st pers. a pronominal g is inserted, e. g. bjargi-g-a-k, verbally servem ego non ego; höggvi-g-a-k, non cædam; stöðvi-g-a-k, quin sistam; vildi-g-a-k, nolui; hafði-g-a-k, non babui; mátti-g-a-k, non potui; görði-g-a-k, non feci: if the verb has gg as final radical consonants, they change into kk, e. g. þikk-at-ek = þigg-k-at-ek, nolo accipere. In the 3rd pers. a and at or t are used indifferently, t being particularly suffixed to bisyllabic verbal flexions ending in a vowel, in order to avoid an hiatus,—skal-at or skal-a, non erit; but skolo-t, non sunto: forms with an hiatus, however, occur,—bíti-a, non mordat; renni-a, ne currat; skríði-a, id.; leti-a, ne retardet; væri-a, ne esset; urðu-a, non erant; but bíti-t, renni-t, skríði-t, urðu-t are more current forms: v. Lex. Poët. The negative suffix is almost peculiar to indic., conj., and imperat. moods; the neg. infin. hardly occurs. Nothing analogous to this form is to be found in any South-Teutonic idiom; neither do there remain any traces of its having been used in Sweden or Denmark. A single exception is the Runic verse on a stone monument in Öland, an old Danish province, now Swedish, where however the inscriptions may proceed from a Norse or Icel. hand. The Runic inscriptions run thus, sa’r aigi flo, who did not fly, old Icel. ‘flo-at,’ Baut. 1169. Neither does it occur in any Norse prose monuments (laws): but its use may yet be inferred from its occurrence in Norse poets of the 10th century, e. g. the poets Eyvind and Thiodolf; some of which instances, however, may be due to their being transmitted through Icel. oral tradition. In Bragi Gamli (9th century) it occurs twice or thrice; in the Haustlöng four times, in Ynglingatal four times, in Hákonarmál once (all Norse poems of the 10th century). In Icel. the suffixed negation was in full force through the whole of the 10th century. A slight difference in idioms, however, may be observed: Völuspá, e. g., prefers the negation by né (using vas-at only once, verse 3). In the old Hávamal the suffix abounds (being used thirty-five times), see the verses 6, 10, 11, 18, 26, 29, 30, 34, 37–39, 49, 51, 52, 68, 74, 88, 113–115, 126–128, 130, 134, 136, 147, 149, 151, 153, 159. In Skírnismál, Harbarðsljóð, Lokasenna—all these poems probably composed by the same author, and not before the 10th century—about thirty times, viz. Hbl. 3, 4, 8, 14, 26, 35, 56; Skm. 5, 18, 22; Ls. 15, 16, 18, 25, 28, 30, 36, 42, 47, 49, 56, 60, 62. Egil (born circa 900, died circa 990) abounds in the use of the suffixed neg. (he most commonly avails himself of -at, -gi, or né): so, too, does Hallfred (born circa 968, died 1008), Einar Skálaglam in Vellekla (circa 940–995), and Thorarin in the Máhlíðingavísur (composed in the year 981); and in the few epigrams relating to the introduction of Christianity in Icel. (995–1000) there occur mon-k-að-ek, tek-k-at-ek, vil-k-at-ek, hlífði-t, mon-a, es-a; cp. the Kristni S. and Njala. From this time, however, its use becomes more rare. Sighvat (born circa 995, died 1040) still makes a frequent but not exclusive use of it. Subsequent poets use it now and then as an epic form, until it disappeared almost entirely in poetry at the middle or end of the 13th century. In the Sólarljóð there is not a single instance. The verses of some of our Sagas are probably later than the Sagas themselves; the greatest part of the Völsungakviður are scarcely older than the 11th century. In all these -at and conj. eigi are used indifferently. In prose the laws continued to employ the old forms long after they were abolished in common prose. The suffixed verbal negation was used,

α. in the delivering of the oath in the Icel. Courts, esp. the Fifth Court, instituted about the year 1004; and it seems to have been used through the whole of the Icel. Commonwealth (till the year 1272). The oath of the Fifth (High) Court, as preserved in the Grágás, runs in the 1st pers., hefka ek fé borit í dóm þenna til liðs mér um sök þessa, ok ek monka bjóða, hefka ek fundit, ok monka ek finna, hvárki til laga né ólaga, p. 79; and again p. 81, only different as to ek hefka, ek monka (new Ed.): 3rd pers., hefirat hann fé; borit í dóm þenna ok monat hann bjóða, ok hefirat hann fundit, ok monat hann tinna, 80, 81; cp. also 82, and Nj. l. c. ch. 145, where it is interesting to observe that the author confounds the ist and 3rd persons, a sign of decay in grammatical form.

β. the Speaker (lögsögumaðr), in publicly reciting and explaining the law, and speaking in the name of the law, from the Hill of Laws (lögberg), frequently employed the old form, esp. in the legal words of command es and skal (yet seldom in plur.): erat in the dictatorial phrases, erat skyldr (skylt), non esto obligatus; erat landeigandi skyldr, Grág. (Kb.) i. 17; erat hinn skyldr, 21; yngri maðr era skyldr at fasta, 35; enda erat honum þá skylt at …, 48; erat þat sakar spell, 127; era hinn þá skyldr at lýsa, 154; erat hann framar skyldr sakráða, 216; ok erat hann skyldr at ábyrgjask þat fé, 238; ok erat hann skyldr, id.; ok erat sakar aðili ella skyldr, ii. 74; erat hinn skyldr við at taka, 142; erat manni skylt at taka búfé, 143; enda erat heimting til fjár þess, 169; era hann þá skyldr at taka við í öðru fé nema hann vili, 209; ok erat þeim skylt at tíunda fé sitt, 211; ok erat hann skyldr at gjalda tíund af því, 212; erat kirkjudrottinn þá skyldr, 228; ef hann erat landeigandi, i. 136. Skalat: skalat maðr eiga fó óborit, i. 23; skalat homum þat verða optar en um siun, 55; skalat maðr ryðja við sjálfan sik, 62; skalat hann þat svá dvelja, 68; skalat hann til véfangs ganga, 71; skalat aðilja í stefnuvætti hafa, 127; ok skala hann gjalda fyrir þat, 135; ok skalat hann með sök fara, 171; enda skalat hann fleirum baugum bœta, 199; skalat hann skilja félagit, 240; skalat hann meiri skuld eiga en, ii. 4; skalat þeim meðan á brott skipta, 5; skalat hann lögvillr verða, svá, 34; skalat hon at heldr varðveita þat fé, 59; í skalat enn sami maðr þar lengr vera, 71; ok skala honum bæta þat, 79; skalat fyl telja, 89; skalat hann banna fiskför, 123; skalat hann lóga fé því á engi veg, 158; skalat drepa þá menn, 167; skalat svá skipta manneldi, 173; skalat maðr reiðast við fjórðungi vísu, 183. Plur.: skolut menn andvitni bera ok hér á þingi, i. 68; skolut mál hans standast, 71; skolut þeir færi til vefangs ganga en, 75, etc. etc. Other instances are rare: tekrat þar fé er eigi er til (a proverb), i. 9; ok um telrat þat til sakbóta, ok of telrat þá til sakbóta ( it does not count), 178; ef hann villat ( will not) lýsa sár sitt, 51; ok ræðrat hann öðrum mönnum á hendr þann úmaga, 248; ræðrat sá sínum ómögum á hendr, ii. 18; verðrat honum at sakarspelli and verðrat honum þat at s., i. 63; verðrat honum þat at sakarvörn, 149; kömrat hann öðru við, ii. 141; þarfat hann bíða til þess, i. 70; ok skilrat hann frá aðra aura, ii. 141, i. 136. Reflexive form: kömskat hann til heimtingar um þat fé, he loses the claim to the money, ii. 180, etc. All these instances are taken from the Kb. (Ed. 1853). Remarkable is also the ambiguity in the oath of Glum (see Sir Edm. Head, Viga-Glum, pp. 102, 103, note, I. c.), who, instead of the plain common formal oath—vask-at-ek þar, vák-at-ek þar, rauðk-at-ek þar odd ok egg—said, vask at þar, vák at þar, rauðk at þar. He inverted the sense by dropping the intermediate pronominal ek between the verb and þar, and pronouncing ‒ ‒́ instead of ‒́ ⏑. It further occurs in some few proverbs: varat af vöru, sleikði um þvöru, Fs. 159; veldrat sá er varir, Nj. 61 (now commonly ekki veldr sá er v., so in Grett.); erat héra at borgnara þótt hœna beri skjöld, Fms. vii. 116; era hlums vant kvað refr, dró hörpu á ísi, 19: also in some phrases, referred to as verba ipsissima from the heathen age—erat vinum líft Ingimundar, Fs. 39; erat sjá draumr minni, Ld. 128. Thorodd employs it twice or thrice: því at ek sékk-a þess meiri þörf, because í do not see any more reason for this, Skálda 167; kannka ek til þess meiri ráð en lítil, I do not know, id.; mona ( will not) mín móna ( my mammy) við mik göra verst hjóna, 163. In sacred translations of the 12th century it occurs now and then. In the Homilies and Dialogues of Gregory the Great: monatþu í því flóði verða, thou shalt not; esa þat undarligt þótt, it is not to be wondered at; hann máttia sofna, he could not sleep; moncaþ ek banna, I shall not mind, Greg. 51, 53; vasal kall heyrt á strætum, was not, Post. 645. 84; nú mona fríðir menn hér koma, Niðrst. 623. 7. In later writers as an archaism; a few times in the Al. (MS. A. M. 519), 3, 5, 6, 44, 108; and about as many times in the MS. Eirspennill (A. M. 47, fol.) [Etymon uncertain; that at is the right form may be inferred from the assimilation in at-tu, and the anastrophe in t, though the reason for the frequent dropping of the t is still unexplained. The coincidence with the Scottish dinna, canna is quite accidental.]