stíga (ofan) á e-ð

1. vkročit, vstoupit, udělat krok

2. stoupat, růst

[sd̥ɪ:qa]

stíg, steig (и sté), stigum, stigið [sd̥ɪijɪð̬]

1. vi

1) шагать, ступать ( при подъёме или спуске)

2) подниматься; повышаться

3) наступать, ступать

2. vt

1) вращать, приводить в движение ( нажимая ногой на педаль)

2)

3) отмеривать [измерять] шагами

stíga sig:

* * *

(stig; steig or sté, stigum; stiginn), v.

1) to step, tread (hón mátti ekki s. á fótinn); s. fótum á land, to set foot on land; s. fram, to step forward; to die, = fara fram; s. undan borði, to rise from table; s. á hest, s. á bak, to mount one’s horse, get on horseback; s. af hesti, af baki, to alight; s. á skip, to go on board; s. fyrir borð, to leap overboard; s. ofan, to step down; s. upp, to ascend; s. til ríkis, to ascend the throne; s. yfir e-t, to overcome; s. yfir höfuð e-m, to get the better of one;

2) to step on, set foot on, with acc.; hér sté hón land af legi, she landed here from the sea; O. steig í sundr orfit, O. trod asunder the scythe-handle.

* * *

pres. stíg; part. steig, steigt (Fms. vii. 160), steig, pl. stigu; also sté, Niðrst. 8; þú stétt, Blas. 50, Fms. vii. 160, v. l.; stéttú, Edda 54 (in a verse): subj. stigi; imperat. stíg, stígðú; part. stiginn: [Ulf. steigan = A. S. stîgan, Old Engl. to sty; Germ. steigen, etc.]:—to step, esp. to step upwards; hón mátti ekki stíga á fótinn, Bs. i. 343; stíga fótum á Noreg, á land, to set foot on, Fms. x. 259; svá nær landi, at maðr má stíga á hólmann, Sks. 93 B; stíga í skó, N. G. L. i. 31; hann sté í gólfit upp at ökla, Fms. iii. 188; þú steigt (v. l. stétt) upp ór ánni, vii. 160; annarr fótr sökk áðr öðrum væri upp stigit, ix. 511, v. l.; s. yfir borð, to step over the table, Sks. 259; s. fram, to step forward, Nj. 50, 52; s. undan borði, to rise from table, Ísl. ii. 352; þeir stigu á skíð, Eg 545; stiga á skip, to go on board, Nj. 19, Fms. viii. 228; s. í bát, ix. 374, Nj. 172; s. á hest, to mount one’s horse, Fms. xi. 332; s. á bak, to get on horseback, Nj. 58; s. af hesti, af baki, to alight, 53, 58, 104, Eg. 744: stíga stórum, to stride, take long steps; hann spurði hverr þar stigi stórum, Bs. i. 628 (stór-stígr, smá-stígr); s. fyrir borð, to leap overboard, Fms. ii. 117; s. ofan, to step down, x. 238; s. upp, to ascend; s. upp til himna, Rb. 56; s. niðr, to descend, 623. 8; cp. upp-stigning, ascent; niðr-stigning, descent: s. í fótspor e-m, Fs. 4, Sks. 13; s. til ríkis, to ascend the throne, Fms. x. 390, 410, 415; s. til föður-leifðar sinnar, xi. 331; konungr steig til vizku, x. 380:—s. yfir, to overcome, Blas. 50; stíg þú yfir íllt með góðu, Hom. 6; at stíga yfir höfuð þvílíkum höfðingjum, Fms. vii. 296; en nú er svá komit aldri mínum, at þat er á öngri stundu örvænt, nær elli stígr yfir höfuð mér, Eb. 332; ef talan stígr yfir (oversteps, exceeds) sjau, Rb. 128.

2. with acc., steig hann keflit af spjóts-oddinum, Fms. xi. 347; hann steig í sundr orbit, Fb. i. 522.

II. reflex., sú reiði stígsk yfir með þolinmæði, Hom. 26; hirð eigi þú yfir at stígask af íllu, 6. Róm. xii. 21.

2. part., yfir-stiginn, overcome, vanquished, 625. 40, Sks. 551.

* * *

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.

prep. with dat. and acc.

I. with dat.

1) with, along with, together with (Unnr dóttir hans fór með honum; hón hafði á skipi m. sér sex tigi karla);

2) denoting help, assistance; leggja til m. e-m, to help one by word or deed; to give one advice; fá menn m. sér, to get followers;

3) by means of, with (verja sik með sverðum, skjöldum);

4) by, through, with, using (með harðfengi ok kappi); m. hlaupi, by running; m. einum bug, with one mind; m. sama hætti, in the same way;

5) including, inclusive of (hundrað manna m. nábúum); ok þat m., at, and besides (therewith) that; þann dag ok nóttina m., and the night too;

6) among, between (var fact um m. þeim brœðrum); þreyta e-t m. sér, to fight it out among themselves; koma m. e-m, to come among (maðr, er m. mörgum kemr);

7) denoting inward quality, in (hann hafði alla þá hluti m. sér, er konung prýða);

8) along (landit er viðast bygt með sjónum); esp. of direction, with an adv. denoting the direction (upp með, ofan með, fram með, inn með, út með, etc.); m. stöfnum, from stem to stern, all along the ship; biðja matar með bœjum, from house to house;

9) adverbial usages; m. öllu, altogether, quite; m. öllu skjótt, all of a sudden; m. því at, in case that (m. því at ek falla); as, because (m. því at menn vóru hraustir, þá komast þeir yfir ána);

10) with verbs; ganga m. barni, to go with child, mæla m., to recommend;

II. with acc.

1) with, with the notion of bearing, bringing, carrying (hann fór til Íslands m. konu sína ok börn); fara m. vápn, to carry a weapon; fig., fara með sök, mál, to conduct, manage a case; m. engi lögskil, in no lawful manner;

2) with, among; úsnotr m., es m. aldir kemr, a fool when he comes among men;

3) with an ordinal number; m. tólfta mann, with twelve men, including himself; with eleven others.

* * *

prep., also meðr, a form common in Stj. and in legendary writers, but not in the classical writers or in mod. speech or writing; [Ulf. meþ = σύν and μετά; A. S. and Chaucer, mid; it remains in Engl. only in ‘mid-wife,’ qs. ‘with-wife,’ cp. Icel. náveru-kona, nær-kona, yfirsetu-kona; Germ. mit; Dan. med; Gr. μετά]:—with, along with, a prep. with dat. and acc.; with dat. it has the notion of coming or going in company, with acc. of bringing or fetching; thus, hann kom með honum, he came along with, in company with him; but hann kom með hann, he brought him wilh him.

WITH DAT.

With, along with, together with; Þórólfr var með konungi, Eg. 29; hann var þar með Otkatli, Nj. 73; hann kvaddi hann til ferðar með sér, id.; hann stóð upp ok Kolskeggr með honum, 58; með honum var sá maðr Íslenzkr er …, 157; hann fór útan með honum, Eg. 196: Unnr dóttir hans fór með honum, Ld. 4; fara á fjall með húskörlum, Korm. 10; vera með goða, i. e. to be in his jurisdiction, Grág. i. 108; hón hafði á skipi með sér sextigi karla, i. e. with her, under her command, Landn. 109; brott með sér, Nj. 114, and in endless instances.

II. denoting assistance, help, with; til umráða með sér, Grág. i. 5; leggja til með e-m, to help one by word or deed, Nj. 7: to give one advice, Fms. xi. 81; sjá á með e-m, to look after, help, Nj. 113; vita e-t með e-m, to be privy to, an accomplice in a thing, 136; bætti hann þat með mér, he mended it for me, Fms. vii. 158; fá menn með sér, i. e. to get followers, opp. to mót, Nj. 180.

III. denoting instrumentality, by, with; með öxi, Fms. vi. 6; verja sik með sverðum, með skjöldum, Nj. 272; með atgeirinum, 120; skip skarat með skjöldum, Ld. 78; falda sér með motri, 202, and passim; or ellipt., the prep. being understood, an instrumental dative, höggva sverði, leggja spjóti, taka höndum, stíga fótum, and in endless similar instances.

IV. by, through, partly denoting means, partly accompaniment, by, through, with, using; með harðfengi ok kappi, Nj. 98; með mikilli snild, með fögrum orðum, Ld. 84; með hans ráði, 58; með ráði konungs, Eg. 35; með lögum, með úlögum, Nj. 106, 234; með ráni, by violence, 5; með vegsemd, blíðu, Fms. x. 235; með íllyrðum, Nj. 128; með vitsmunum mínum, 262; með hlaupi, by running, Eg. 12; með ( through) atgöngu Gunnlaugs, Ísl. ii. 210; með váttum, Nj. 101; með einum hug, with one mind, Edda 37; með gráti, Fms. x. 261; með gleði, 220; með reiði. Nj. 108: með hættu, Ld. 46; með sannyndum. forsooth, truly, Ó. H. 175; með sönnu, forsooth, Fms. vii. 158, Ld. 76; með sama hætti, in the same way, Nj. 272; með þessum hætti, Fms. x. 220; með nokkuru móti, Ld. 164: also freq. ellipt., mæla fögrum orðum, þegja þunnu hljóði, Hm., passim.

V. including, inclusively; hundrað manna með nábúum Njáls, Nj. 208; ok eru þá tólf menn, ór fjórðungi hverjum með þeim, including themselves, Grág. i. 72: sjau vetr ok tuttugu með þeim enum fyrsta, including the first, Fms. x. 410; fimmtán menn með þeim fimm, er …, Nj. 266; þar var vinátta mikil með frændsemi, friendship as well as kin, Ísl. ii. 209; nótt með degi, both night and day, N. G. L. i, passim:—ok þat með ( therewith), at …, Nj. 5; þá, veit ek mesta orrostu-menn, ok þat með, at þeir hafa vápn svá góð, at …, 44; þann dag, ok nóttina með, and the night too, Barl. 207; sagði hann þetta meðr, he said this too, added this, Stj. 130.

VI. with, among, between, amidst; með þeim bræðrum, Fms. vii. 240; samðisk með þeim feðgum, Ísl. ii. 210; dró seint saman með þeim, Fb. ii. 259; þar varð íllla með þeim, Nj. 39; var fátt um með þeim bræðrum nokkura hríð, 2; þar skilr með þeim, there they parted, Grett. 75 new Ed.; þat var siðr með kaupmönnum, Eg. 265; með mönnum, among men, Ls. 46; eigi er þó kosta-munr með ykkr Njáli, Nj. 52; með þeim Ingjaldi, Ld. 44; skipta, deila með e-m, to share among, Eg. 311; deila víg með verum, Ls. 22, Hbl. 25; þeir skiptu ríki með sér, Fms. i. 108; þreyta e-t með sér, to fight it out among themselves, Nj. 31; ef engi væri túlkr með kaupmönnum, Ld. 76; var deila mikil með sonum hans, Eg. 367; var með þeim en kærsta vinátta, 2:—fara ( to travel) með úkunnum þjóðum, Edda 21; sízt ek með fólkum fór, Gm. 48; koma með e-m, to come among, Vþm. 30, 39; er með horskum kemr, Hm. 19, 63; maðr er með mörgum kemr, 62; er með snotrum sitr, 5, 23; þótt hann með grömum glami, 30.

VII. denoting inward quality, with, in; svá hefir hann nátturu mikla með sér, Nj. 44; öllum sem lifs-andi er meðr, Stj.; flesta hluti hefir hann þá með sér, er prýða máttu góðan höfðingja, Fms. x. 535; hann hafði alla þá, hluti með sér er konung prýðir, xi. 217; svá er mál með vexti, so shapen, Lv. 43; limaðr vel með höadum ok fótum, Ld. 20.

2. skip með gyltum höfðum, Fms. x. 2; dreginn á leo með gulli, Ld. 78; hross með söðlum, a horse with the saddle on, Nj. 253; skip með reiða, Eg. 35; klæði með mörgum litum, 517; með sínum lit hverr, Fas. i. 316; vera úti með sólsetrum, i. e. to be out (of a shepherd) with sunset, Lv. 43.

VIII. along, following, of direction, with an adverb, denoting the direction; upp með, ofan með, fram með, norðr með, út með, inn með; ofan með á, Lv. 43; upp með ánni, Nj. 253; upp með Rangá, 74; suðr með landi, Fms. i. 38, ii. 3: með endilöngu landi, ix. 33; hann gengr með reykinum, Nj. 58; með sjónum, Bs. ii. 5; með hafinu, along the sea, on the horizon, Fms. xi. 136; áin var leyst með löndum, Boll. 358; með eggju, Hkv. Hjörv. 9.

2. með stöfnum, from stem to stern, all along the ship, Bs. i. 16 (see kveyfa); var þá hroðit með stöfnum skipit, Grett. 81; með endum, from one end to another, Fagrsk. (in a verse): fara með húsum, to go from house to house, begging, Grág. i. 192; biðja matar með bæjum, Fas. ii. 271.

IX. adverbial usages; með öllu, altogether, quite, Ld. 4; með öllu skjótt, all of a sudden, Fms. x. 136; með því at, in case that, Ld. 44; með því at ek falla, in case I fall, Fms. vii. 274; en með því at yðr líki þetta, x. 261: as, because, in consequence of, en með því at menn vóru hraustir, þá komask þeir yfir ána, Ld. 46, passim: hér-með, herewith, farther; þar-með, therewith, id., Skíða R. 11.

X. with verbs; ganga með barni, to go with child; ganga með e-u, to confess; taka með, to accept; mæla með, to speak for, recommend; fara með, to treat, go with; gefa með, to give a fee of alimentation; leggjask með, to lie with; eiga barn með konu, to have a child in wedlock, and so on; see the verbs.

WITH ACC.

With, with the notion of bearing, bringing, carrying, treating, conducting; fara með vápn, to fare, go, carrying a weapon, Fms. vii. 240; hann fór suðr aptr með miklar vingjafir, id.; þeir fóru aptr með skip þat, er, Eg. 29; með lið sitt, 11; kom með horn fullt, 213; gékk at borðinu með handlaugar, Nj. 52; ganga út með dómendr sína, Grág. i. 37; fara brott með föt sín, 300; með þessa menn, Fas. i. 333; þeir hljópu á brott með konur þeirra, lausafé ok bátinn, Landn. 35; hann fór til Íslands með konu sína ok börn, 205; ef hann leitaði vestan um haf með her sinn, Fms. i. 26; fara með her á hendr e-m, 120; mjöðdrekku er hann fór með, Eg. 240; at þeir skyldu fara með sveit sína, 74; skip þat er hann fór með, id.; ef ek mætta með þik komask, Sturl. ii. 108; farina með erfðina, Nj. 7.

2. metaph., fara með sök, mál, etc., to conduct, manage a case, Nj. 86; fara af hljóði með þessa ráða-görð, 103; þeir fóru með þann hug, to carry that mind, intention, 99; með vátta, with witnesses; með eið, on oath, Grág. i. 20, 243 (but með váttum, Nj. 101): með hver skil, by what way of proceeding, id.: með engi lögskil, in no lawful manner, 296; þat varð með atburð, by accident, Fms. ii. 172: in regard to, ú-afskiptinn með mála-ferli, Lv. 73, (rare.)

II. with, among; kom með fróð regin, Vþm. 26; ú-snotr maðr er með aldir kömr, Hm. 21; sízt Hákon fór með heiðin goð, went among, took up his abode amongst the heathen gods, Hkm. 26.

III. with an ordinal number; með tólfta mann, with twelve men, including oneself, Eg. 180; með tíunda mann, Ld. 140; með fimmta mann, Ísl. ii. 266.

IV. with verbs; tala með e-n, to speak with, Stj. 151, (Dan. tale med en); göra með e-n, to do, 143; lifa meðr brauð, to live on bread, 146; fæðask meðr mold, to live on earth, 37; eiga með e-t, to possess.

V. denoting materials, of; altaris-klæði með pell, Vm. 153; Máríu-skript með tönn, 22; kross með silfr, D. N.; kaðall görr með hár, kirkja með stein, of stone, id.; pílárr meðr kopar, Stj. 101.

2. til alls hagleiks með málm, Fms. xi. 427; hón samdi sik með örvar ok boga, Fas. i. 531; þeir grófu hana með fagran flúr, Skíða R. 200.

(dat. höfði, gen. pl. höfða), n.

1) head (höggva höfuð af e-m);

láta e-n höfði skemmra, to behead one;

strjúka aldrei um frjálst höfuð, to be never free, never at ease;

skera e-m höfuð, to make a wry face at one;

heita í höfuð e-m, to be called after a person;

hætta höfði, to risk one’s life;

leggja við höfuð sitt, to stake one’s head;

fœra e-m höfuð sitt, to surrender oneself to an enemy;

drepa niðr höfði, to droop the head;

þoku hóf af höfði, the fog lifted;

stíga yfir höfuð e-m, to overcome one;

hlaða helium að höfði e-m, to leave one dead on the spot;

ganga milli bols ok höfuðs e-s or á e-m, to hew of one’s head, to kill outright;

senda e-n til höfuðs e-m, to send one to take another’s head;

leggja fé til höfuðs e-m, to set a price on one’s head;

leggjast e-t undir höfuð, to put aside, neglect (Þ. lagðist eigi þessa ferð undir höfuð);

vera höfði hærri, to be taller by a head;

2) head, chief (höfuð lendra manna);

Þrándheimr hefir lengi verið kallaðr höfuð Noregs, the chief district of Norway;

3) ornamental prow of a ship (skip með gyltum höfðum);

ornamental head on a bridle (slitnaði sundr beizlit, ok týndist höfuð, er á var).

* * *

n., dat. höfði; gen. pl. höfða, dat. höfðum; in Norse MSS. often spelt hafuð, Anecd. 4 (without umlaut); the root-vowel seems in very early times (8th century) to have been a diphthong; thus Bragi uses the rhymes, laufi—haufði, and rauf—haufuð, Edda; the old ditty with a half rhyme, höfðu vér í haufði, Hkr. i. 104, wou’d be faulty unless we accept a diphthong in the latter word: in good old MSS. (e. g. Sæm. Cod. Reg.) the word is always spelt with ꜹ or au, never o, and probably never had a diphthongal sound; the Norse spelling havuð however points to a short vowel; and later Icel. MSS. spell o or , e. g. Hb. in Vsp. l. c. It is probable that the short vowel originated in the contracted form, as haufði sounds hard; [cp. Goth. haubiþ; A. S. heâfod; Engl. head; Hel. hôbid; O. H. G. houpit; mid. H. G. houbet; mod. G. haupt; Dan. hôved; Swed. hufvud; Ormul. hæfedd (the single f marks a preceding long vowel); thus all old Teut. languages except the Icel. agree in the length of the vowel, whereas Lat. căput, Gr. κεφαλή have a short root vowel.]

A. A head, Vsp. 38, Sdm. 14, Vþm. 19, Þkv. 16, 19, Skm. 23, Nj. 19, 275, Grág. ii. 11, Fms. x. 381, Eg. 181, Edda 59, passim; mátti svá at kveða, at náliga væri tvau höfuð á hverju kvikendi, Hrafn. 22 (of a great increase in stock); Grímr rakaði bratt fé saman, vóru tvau höfuð á hvívetna því er hann átti, Ísl. ii. 14.

II. phrases and sayings, láta höfði skemra, to make one a head shorter, behead, Hým. 15, Fm. 34; strjúka aldrei frjálst höfuð, to stroke never a free head, be never free, never at ease; (sagði) at þeir mundi aldrei um frjálst höfuð strjúka, er vinir hans væri, meðan Þórðr væri höfðingi í Ísafirði, Sturl. ii. 124; eg má aldrei um frjálst höfuð strjúka, I never have any time to spare; sitja aldrei á sárs höfði, to be always quarrelling; skera e-m höfuð, to make a wry face at one, Grett. 17; heita í höfuðit e-m, to be called after a person; hón jós sveininn vatni ok kvað hann skyldu heita í höfuð föður sínum, ok var hann kallaðr Gestr, Bárð. 24 new Ed.: the mod. usage distinguishes between heita í höfuð á e-m, when a person is alive when the child was born, and heita eptir e-m, when that person is dead; halda höfði, to hold one’s head up, Flóv. 43, Og.; bera hátt höfuð, to bear one’s head high, Sturl. iii. 147, Sighvat; hefja höfuðs, to lift one’s head, Thom. 535; drepa niðr höfði, to droop one’s head, Bs. i. 625; þoku hóf af höfði, the fog lifted, Ld. 74; búa hvárr í annars höfði, to be at loggerheads, Sks. 346; fara huldu höfði, to go with a hidden head, in disguise, to hide oneself, Fms. vi. 12; færa e-m höfuð sitt, to surrender oneself to an enemy, Eg. ch. 62, 63, Fms. x. 261; stíga yfir höfuð e-m, to pass over one’s head, overcome one, 304; er á engri stundu örvænt nær elli stígr yfir h. mér, Eb. 332; hlaða hellum at höfði e-m, to leave one dead on the spot, Dropl. 18; ganga milli bols ok höfuðs, ‘to gang between bole and head,’ i. e. to kill outright, Eb. 240; hætta höfði, to risk one’s head, Hm. 106; leggjask e-t undir höfuð, to lay under one’s pillow, to put aside; leggjask ferð undir höfuð, Fær. 132, Orkn. 46; þú munt verða fátt undir höfuð at leggjask ef ek skal við þér taka, Sturl. i. 27; vera höfði hærri, to be a head taller, Fms. x. 381; setja höfuð á höfuð ofan, to set head upon head, Bs. i. 73, (viz. to consecrate a second bishop to a see, which was against the eccl. law); cp. kjósa annan konung í höfuð Davíð, Sks. 801.

III. in a personal sense, in poets, a person, = Lat. caput, Gr. κάρα, κεφαλή; fárgjarnt höfuð, thou fearful woman! Fas. ii. 556; hraustara höfuð, a bolder man, 315; berjask við eitt höfuð, 49; heiptrækt höfuð, Ýt. 25; andprútt höfuð, high-minded man! Sighvat; tírar h., glorious man; leyfðar h., id., Geisli 56; vina höfuð = cara capita, Bm. 2; frænda höfuð, kinsmen, Skáld H. 3. 40; hvarfúst h., thou fickle woman! Hel. 2.

2. a number, tale, head, of animals; fádygt höfuð, of a fox, Merl. 1. 39: head, of cattle, þeir eiga at gjalda þingfarar-kaup, er skulda-hjóna hvert hefir höfuð, kú skuldalausa eða kúgildi, Grág. (Kb.) i. 159, referring to the old way of taxation, which is still the law in Icel., that a freeholder has to pay tax (skattr) only if he has more head of cattle (kúgildi, q. v.), than persons to support.

IV. a head, chief; höfuð lendra manna, Fms. vii. 273; h. ok höfðingi, Stj. 457; Þrándheimr er h. Noregs, Fms. vi. 38; höfuð allra höfuð-tíða (gen.), Leiðarvís. 23.

V. of head-shaped things:

1. a beak, of a ship; með gylltum höfðum, Fms. viii. 385, x. 10, 417, passim; dreka-höfuð, q. v.: the beak was usually a dragon’s head, sometimes a bison’s, Ó. H.; a steer’s, Landn. 5. ch. 8; or it was the image of a god, e. g. of Thor, Fms. ii. 325, (Ó. T. ch. 253); or of a man, Karl-höfði, Ó. H., the ship of St. Olave; cp. the interesting passage, þat var upphaf enna heiðnu laga, at menn skyldu eigi hafa höfuðskip í hafi, en ef þeir hefði, þá skyldi þeir af taka höfuð áðr þeir kæmi í lands-sýn, ok sigla eigi at landi með gapandum höfðum eðr gínandi trjónum, svá at landvættir fældisk við, Landn. (Hb.) 258, Fms. vi. 180 (in a verse), vii. 51 (in a verse). 2. the capital of a pillar, Al. 116, Fb. i. 359 (of tent poles): of carved heads in a hall, sér þú augun útar hjá Hagbarðs-höfðinu? Korm. ch. 3: heads of idols carved on chairs, Fbr. ch. 38: carved heads on high-seats, Eb. ch. 4: that these figures sometimes represented fairies or goddesses is shewn by the word brúða (q. v.) and stólbrúða; heads of bedsteads seem to have been carved in a similar way; cp. also Korm. 86, see tjasna.

3. the head-piece of a bridle; týndi maðr höfði á beisli því er görsema-vel var gört, Bs. i. 314, v. l.; the head of a rake, hrífu-h., etc.

COMPDS: höfðabúza, höfðafjöl, höfðalag, höfðaskip, höfðatal, höfðatala, höfuðband, höfuðbani, höfuðbein, höfuðburðr, höfuðbúnaðr, Höfuðdagr, höfuðdúkr, höfuðfaldr, höfuðfatnaðr, höfuðfetlar, höfuðgerð, höfuðgjarnt, höfuðgull, höfuðhlutr, höfuðhögg, höfuðlausn, höfuðlauss, höfuðleðr, höfuðlín, höfuðmein, höfuðmikill, höfuðmundr, höfuðórar, höfuðrót, höfuðsár, höfuðskél, höfuðskip, höfuðskjálfti, höfuðsmátt, höfuðsnauðr, höfuðsótt, höfuðsteypa, höfuðsundl, höfuðsvími, höfuðsvörðr, höfuðtíund, höfuðverkr, höfuðvíti, höfuðvörðr, höfuðþváttr, höfuðþyngsl, höfuðærr, höfuðærsl.

B. Chief, capital, found like the Gr. ἀρχι- in countless COMPDS: höfuðatriði, höfuðá, höfuðárr, höfuðátt, höfuðbarmr, höfuðbaðmr, höfuðbarmsmaðr, höfuðbaugr, höfuðbenda, höfuðbiti, höfuðbitarúm, höfuðblót, höfuðborg, höfuðból, höfuðbæli, höfuðbær, höfuðdrottning, höfuðefni, höfuðengill, höfuðfaðir, höfuðfirn, höfuðfól, höfuðgersemi, höfuðgjöf, höfuðglæpr, höfuðgoð, höfuðgrein, höfuðgæfa, höfuðhátíð, höfuðhetja, höfuðhof, höfuðinnihald, höfuðísar, höfuðíþrótt, höfuðkempa, höfuðkennimaðr, höfuðkirkja, höfuðklerkr, höfuðkonungr, höfuðkostr, höfuðkvöl, höfuðlist, höfuðlýti, höfuðlæknir, höfuðlærdómr, höfuðlöstr, höfuðsmaðr, höfuðmeistari, höfuðmerki, höfuðmusteri, höfuðnafn, höfuðnauðsyn, höfuðniðjar, höfuðprestr, höfuðráð, höfuðráðgjafi, höfuðskáld, höfuðskepna, höfuðskutilsvein, höfuðskömm, höfuðskörungr, höfuðsmiðr, höfuðspekingr, höfuðstaðr, höfuðstafn, höfuðstafr, höfuðstjarna, höfuðstóll, höfuðstólpi, höfuðstyrkr, höfuðsynd, höfuðsæti, höfuðtunga, höfuðvápn, höfuðveizla, höfuðvél, höfuðvindr, höfuðvinr, höfuðþing, höfuðætt.

(-s, -ar),

1) stock, trunk, block, log of wood (skutu þeir stokki í hryginn svá at í sundr tók); fœra fórnir stokkum eða steinum, to offer to stocks or stones;

2) the wall of a log-house; innan stokks, fyrir innan stokk, inside the house, in-doors (Hrútr fekk henni öll ráð í hendr fyrir innan stokk); útan stokks, fyrir útan stokk, outside the house, out-of-doors;

3) = setstokkr; drekka e-n af stokki, to drink one under the table; stíga á stokk ok strengja heit, to place one’s foot on the stock (setstokkr) and make avow;

4) board along the front of a bed (Egill gekk til rekkjunnar Armóðs ok hnykkti honum á stokk fram);

5) anchor-stock, = akkerisstokkr;

6) stock of an anvil (klauf Sigurðr steðja Regins ofan í stokkinn með sverðinu);

7) gunwale of a ship, = borðstokkr;

8) pl. stocks on which ships are built, = bakkastokkar; skipit hljóp af stokkunum fram á ána, the ship slid of the stocks into the river;

9) a pair of stocks for culprits; setja e-n í stokk, to set one in the stocks;

10) a piece of wood put on the horns of cattle (var stokkrinn af hornum graðungsins);

11) trunk, chest, case.

* * *

m. [A. S. stoc; Engl. and Germ. stock; Dan. stok, etc.]:—a stock, trunk, block, log of wood; þar höföu stokkar stórir verit fluttir heim, ok svá eldar görvir sem þar er siðvenja til, at eldinn skal leggja í stokks-endann, ok brennr svá stokkrinn, Egill greip upp stokkinn, Eg. 238; sá eldr sem lagðr er í eiki-stokkinn, Bs. i. 223; hann settisk á einn stokk er stóð fyrir honum, Finnb. 222; þeir görðu brúar stórar yfir díkit ok görðu stokka undir, Fms. xi. 34; skyrker stóð á stokkum í búrinu, Sturl. iii. 192; hann lét hola innan stokk einn, Mar.; skutu þeir stokki á hrygginn, Fms. vii. 227: allit., stokka eðr steina, stocks or stones, ii. 265, vii. 227, x. 274, Grág. ii. 132, 360 (of idols).

II. spec. usages, stocks on which ships are built (bakka-stokkar); skipit hljóp af stokkunum fram á ána, she slipped from off the stocks into the river, Fms. viii. 196:—the mast-step, tók tréit at falla fram eptir stokkinum, ix. 386:— the gunwale of a ship (borð-stokkr), Fas. ii. 38:— the plates or beams laid horizontally on a wall, hence the mod. Norse stokka-búr, Gísl. 88; hence the phrases, ‘innan stokks’ or ‘fyrir innan stokk,’ in-doors, opp. to ‘útan-stokks,’ ‘fyrir útan stokk,’ out-of-doors; according to an Icel. phrase, the wife rules ‘innan-stokks,’ the husband ‘útan-stokks,’ Nj. 11, Ísl. ii. 401, Grág. i. 333, Rd. 176; innan stokks eðr innan garðs, Gþl. 136: = gafl-stokkr, Eg. 91: = set-stokkr (q. v.), Nj. 202, Gísl. 72, Grág. ii. 119; hann gékk síðan inn í eldahús ok steig síðan á stokk upp ok skaut exinni upp á hurð-ása, 182; Hörðr stóð við stokk, ok gékk nú hit fyrsta sinni frá stokkinum ok til móður sinnar, Ísl. ii. 15, cp. Flóam. S. ch. 4 (the local name Stokks-eyrr): cp. also the phrase, strálaust er fyrir stokkum, no straw before the benches. Fas. ii. 38:— a bed-side (rúm-stokkr), hvíla við stokk eðr þili, Sturl. i. 207; á stokk fram, Ld. 214, Eg. 560; sitja fram á stokk, 396:—the stock of an anvil, Edda 74: the stock of an anchor, see stokklauss:— a pair of stocks for culprits, setja e-n í stokk, to set one in the stocks, Bs. i. 910; liggja í stokki við vatn ok brauð, Rétt. 6l; fella stokk á fætr e-m, … sitja í stokkinum, Fas. i. 125: also of a piece of wood put on the horns of cattle, Eb. 324: the single square pieces of a silver belt are called stokkr, whence stokka-belti = a belt composed of several pieces clasped together, as worn by ladies in Icel.

2. a trunk, chest, case, Pm. 103, Ld. 326, Sd. 191; sívalr stokkr af tágum ok sefi, Stj. 251: freq. in mod. usage of small cases in which women keep their things (often carved), þráðar-s., prjóna-stokkr.

3. the narrow bed of a river between two rocks is called stokkr, or áin rennr í stokk, Hbl. 56, freq. in mod. usage.

4. phrases, drekka e-n af stokki, to keep drinking with one till he drops, Ó. H. 71; sitja e-n af stokki, to sit one out, till he leaves; stinga af stokki við e-n (mod. stinga e-n af stokki), to prick one out of one’s seat, Nj. 166; stíga á stokk ok strengja heit, to place one’s foot on the stock (the set-stokkr) in making a vow, a heathen rite, Fas. ii. 293.

5. a pack of cards.

COMPDS: stokkabelti, stokkabúr, stokkaker.

* * *

(gen. himins, dat. himni; pl. himnar), m. heaven; undir berum himini, in the open air.

* * *

m. [the form hifinn occurs rarely, Fms. x. 10 (v. l.), Hb. (1866) thrice; the mod. form is himin, without the inflexive n; the root consonant varies between m and f (or v), the final between n and l, cp. Goth. himins, A. S. heofon, Engl. heaven, Hel. himil, O. H. G. himila, Germ. as also mod. Dan. and Swed. himmel; this interchange of f and m is analogous to ‘of’ and ‘um’ (umb), ‘sofa’ and ‘sömn’ (i. e. svefn), ‘kufl’ and ‘kumbl,’ Lat. sopio and somnus, etc. ☞ The mythol. Gimle (Vsp. 63) is probably dat. of an obsolete himil derived from the time when the initial h was still sounded gutturally]:—heaven; in the old heathen creed the heavenly vault was the skull of the giant Ymir, Gm. 40, Vþm. 21, Edda sub init.; and is called by the poets ‘the giant’s skull,’ ‘the burden of the dwarfs’ (vide dvergr), etc.; the heavens were nine, the names of which are recorded in Edda (Gl.):—Níu eru himnar á hæð talðir, cp. Alm. 12, 13; upp-h., the ether, Vsp. 3; nú heldr jörð griðum upp, en himinn varðar fyrir ofan en hafit Rauða fyrir útan er liggr um lönd öll, Grág. i. 166; jafnhárt upp sem himinn, Edda 60 (in a verse); leikr hár hiti við h., sjálfan, Vsp. 58; hinn slétti h., Vþm. 46: allit., heiðr himin, Hbl. 19, Eb. 48 new Ed., v. l.; haf og h., sea and heaven; himin ok jörð, heaven and earth, Nj. 194; áðr stjarna komi á himin, ere the stars came up in heaven, Grág. ii. 322.

β. phrases, undir berum himni, under the bare sky, freq.; hann ann mér eigi at hafa himininn jafnan yfir höfði sér sem hann hefir sjálfr, Vápn. 20; þykjask taka h. höndum, to think one grasps heaven with one’s hands, of high fantastic hopes; þat hugðum vér bændr … at vér hefðim þá höndum himin tekit, en nú …, Hkr. i. 141, Sighvat (Bersögl. vísur), Al. 118; himins-emdi, the end, border of heaven, Vþm. 37, Edda 12.

2. the heathen conception of a plurality of heavens caused the plural to be mostly used by Christian writers, esp. after the Reformation, also, Guð á himnum, God in the heavens; Faðir á himnum, Gr. ἐν τοις οὐρανοις, N. T., following the Gr. text; himnum að, towards the heavens, Pass. 34. 1; hér og á himnum bæði, 24. 7: himna-Guð, God in the heavens, Sól. 6, Stj.; stíga til himna, to ascend to the heavens, Gþl. 40; himna-fagnaðr, heavenly joy, Hom. 30; himna-brauð, bread from the heavens, manna, Post.; himna-fæðsla, id., Stj.; himna-för, ascension to the heavens; himna-ljós, the light of the heavens, Pass. 3. 3; hinma-hallir, the halls of the heavens, 25. 13; himna-konungr, the king of the heavens, Hom., Fms. i. 141; himna-mjöl, the flour of the heavens, manna, Stj., Al. 64; himna-sjón, heavenly sight, Greg. 35; himna-vist, an abode in the heavens, Hom.; himna-ríki, n. the kingdom of the heavens, N. T., in old writers himin-ríki.

II. metaph. (like Gr. οὐρανός), a canopy, covering, cp. Germ. trag-himmel; sængr-himinn, a bed canopy: poët., brúna-himinn, heaven of the brows, the forehead, Kormak; ál-himin, the heaven or covering of the deep, the ice, Eyvind.

(-s, -ar), m. hulk or hull of a ship (undir húfinn á skipi).

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m., an older form hófr, Fms. i. 176 (in a verse), as also in hófregin (q. v.), and in the phrase, eiga mikið í hófi (below):— the hulk or hull of a ship; hann þrífr upp fork ok rekr út í húfinn á skipi þeirra, hann færði forkinn í þann húf skipsins er seglit hafði ofan farit ok seglit hallaðisk áðr, Fær. 165; upp í naustið ok settu undir húfinn á skipi Orms, Ísl. ii. 81; kjöl eða stafna, húf eða hálsa, N. G. L. i. 100, freq. in Lex. Poët.; skeiðar-húfr, a ship’s hull, Arnór; stíga fyrir húf, to go overboard, Jd.; hafskips húfar, Fms. vi. (in a verse); héldir húfar, the frosted ships, Jd.; skörum hveldr húfr, Arnór; svelldr húfr; breið-húfaðr, broad-hulled.

COMPDS: húflangr, hófregin.

II. metaph. phrases, vera heill á hófi, to be ‘hale in hull,’ i. e. to be safe and sound; eiga mikit í hófi (húfi), to own much in a ship, to have much at stake, metaph. of a merchant.

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(pl. -ar), f.

1) score, notch, incision;

2) a rift in a rock or precipice (hleypr hann ofan fyrir skorina).

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m., gen. skós, dat. and acc. skó; older plur. skúar, gen. skúa, dat. skóm, acc. skúa; later plur. forms are, skór, skóa, skóm, skó, and so too in mod. usage: [Ulf. skohs = ὑπόδημα; A. S. sceô; Engl. shoe; O. H. G. scuob; Germ’ schuh; Dan.-Swed. sko]:—a shoe; skúa (skuo Ed.) á fótum, Gísl. 113; skúar (skuor), 115; loðnir kálfskinns skúar, Sturl. iii. 199; uppháfir skúar, Fms. vi. 440; uppháfir ok lágir skúar, Rétt. 112; nppháfa svarta skúa, Nj. 184; hann hafði uppháfa skó, bundna at legg, Fms. iv. 76; háfa skúa, Ó. H. 30, l. c.; hann lét skera húð til skóa (gen. pl.) föru-nautum Þorvalds, Bs. i. 669; skylda ek skreyta ok skúa binda hersis kván hverjan morgin, Gkv. 1. 9; hann kippti skóm á fætr sér, Nj. 28; hann hafði leyst af sér skúa sína … hann batt skó sinn, Eg. 719; skúar, Hom. 85 (twice); gera skó (acc. sing.), stíga í skó, N. G. L. i. 31: referring to the ceremony of adoption, see hemingr.

2. a horse-shoe; skórnir, skóna, aur-skór, Fb. i. 524; þótt skúarnir hryti undan hestum þeirra, Fms. vii. 95; hest-skór, a horse-shoe. ☞ The proper shoeing of horses was probably unknown to the ancients even of the Saga time; they used to cover the hoof with a kind of low shoe, whence the name; this may be seen from the description in Fms. v. 181, vii. l. c.; as also from words as hóf-gullinn, golden hoof.

3. the tip of a sheath, as in dögg-skór, q. v.

II. phrases, hafa slitið barns-skónum, to have worn out one’s bairn’s-shoes = to be past one’s youth; hann slítr ekki mörgum skónum, he will not wear out many shoes, of an old man on the verge of the grave, as in the story of the merman (marmennill, q. v.) and the ‘fey’ man with the bundle of shoes, Ísl. Þjóðs. i. 132, compared with the Engl. romance of Merlin, p. 434.

(-s, -ar),

1) stock, trunk, block, log of wood (skutu þeir stokki í hryginn svá at í sundr tók); fœra fórnir stokkum eða steinum, to offer to stocks or stones;

2) the wall of a log-house; innan stokks, fyrir innan stokk, inside the house, in-doors (Hrútr fekk henni öll ráð í hendr fyrir innan stokk); útan stokks, fyrir útan stokk, outside the house, out-of-doors;

3) = setstokkr; drekka e-n af stokki, to drink one under the table; stíga á stokk ok strengja heit, to place one’s foot on the stock (setstokkr) and make avow;

4) board along the front of a bed (Egill gekk til rekkjunnar Armóðs ok hnykkti honum á stokk fram);

5) anchor-stock, = akkerisstokkr;

6) stock of an anvil (klauf Sigurðr steðja Regins ofan í stokkinn með sverðinu);

7) gunwale of a ship, = borðstokkr;

8) pl. stocks on which ships are built, = bakkastokkar; skipit hljóp af stokkunum fram á ána, the ship slid of the stocks into the river;

9) a pair of stocks for culprits; setja e-n í stokk, to set one in the stocks;

10) a piece of wood put on the horns of cattle (var stokkrinn af hornum graðungsins);

11) trunk, chest, case.

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or stökr, m. [provinc. Norse staak = noise], a stir, disturbance; vær kómum stökk (dat.) í lið þeirra, we put them to flight, Stj. 515; ek mun vita ef ek koma nokkurum stökk í lið þeirra, Fms. viii. 49; áðr hann görði stökk í órum búðum, ere he brought discord into our dwelling, Bjarn. 28 (in a verse, if thus to be emended); stökkr óx, the swell (of the sea) waxed, Edda (Ht.)

adj. ‘springing,’ brittle, of steel or the like; koparr harðr ok stökkr, Fms. v. 344; stökkr stálbugr, Hallgr.

2. slippery; sólinn var stökkr … rasar Sturla, Bs. i. 527.