the eye

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(gen. pl. augna), n.

1) eye;

lúka (bregða) upp augum, bregða augum í sundr, to open (lift up) the eyes;

lúka aptr augum, to shift the eyes;

renna (bregða, leiða) augum til e-s, to turn the eyes to;

leiða e-n augum, to measure one with the eyes;

berja augum í e-t, to take into consideration;

koma augum á e-t, to set eyes on, become aware of;

hafa auga á e-u, t have, keep, an eye upon;

segja e-t í augu upp, to one’s face, right in the face;

unna e-m sem augum í höfði sér, as one’s own eye-balls;

e-m vex e-t í augu, one has scruples about;

náit er nef augum, the nose is neighbor to the eyes;

gløggt er gests augat, a guest’s eye is sharp;

mörg eru dags augu, the day has many eyes;

eigi leyna augu, ef ann kona manni, the eyes cannot hide it if a woman loves a man;

2) hole, aperture in a needle (nálarauga), in a millstone (kvarnarauga) or an axe-head;

3) pit full of water.

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n., gen. pl. augna, [Lat. oculus, a dimin. of an obsolete ocus; Gr. οφθαλμός (Boeot. οκταλμός); Sanskr. aksha: the word is common to Sanskrit with the Slavonic, Greek, Roman, and Teutonic idioms: Goth. augo; Germ, auge; A. S. eâge; Engl. eye; Scot. ee; Swed. öga; Dan. öje, etc. Grimm s. v. suggests a relationship to Lat. acies, acutus, etc. The letter n appears in the plur. of the mod. northern languages; the Swedes say ‘ögon,’ oculi, the Danes ‘öjne;’ with the article ‘ögonen’ and ‘öjnene;’ Old Engl. ‘eyne;’ Scot. ‘een’]

I. an eye. It is used in Icel. in a great many proverbs, e. g. betr sjá augu en auga, ‘two eyes see better than one,’ i. e. it is good to yield to advice: referring to love, unir auga meðan á sér, the eye is pleased whilst it can behold (viz. the object of its affection), Fas. i. 125, cp. Völs. rím. 4. 189; eigi leyna augu, ef ann kona manni, the eyes cannot bide it, if a woman love a man, i. e. they tell their own tale, Ísl. ii. 251. This pretty proverb is an απ. λεγ. l. c. and is now out of use; it is no doubt taken from a poem in a dróttkvætt metre, (old proverbs have alliteration, but neither rhymes nor assonance, rhyming proverbs are of a comparatively late date): medic., eigi er sá heill er í augun verkir, Fbr. 75; sá drepr opt fæti ( slips) er augnanna missir, Bs. i. 742; hætt er einu auganu nema vel fari, he who has only one eye to lose will take care of it (comm.); húsbóndans auga sér bezt, the master’s eye sees best; glögt er gests augat, a guest’s eye is sharp; mörg eru dags augu, the day has many eyes, i. e. what is to be hidden must not be done in broad daylight, Hm. 81; náið er nef augum, the nose is near akin to the eyes (tua res agitur paries quum proximus ardet), Nj. 21; opt verðr slíkt á sæ, kvað selr, var skotinn í auga, this often happens at sea, quoth the seal, when he was shot in the eye, of one who is in a scrape, Fms. viii. 402. In many phrases, at unna ( to love) e-m sem augum í höfði sér, as one’s own eye-balls, Nj. 217; þótti mér slökt it sætasta ljós augna minna, by his death the sweetest light of my eyes was quenched, 187: hvert grætr þú nú Skarphéðinn? eigi er þat segir Skarphéðinn, en hitt er satt at súrnar í augum, the eyes smart from smoke, 200: renna, líta augum, to seek with the eyes, to look upon: it is used in various connections, renna, líta ástaraugum, vánaraugum, vinaraugum, trúaraugum, öfundaraugum, girndarauga, with eyes of love, hope, friendship, faith, envy, desire: mæna a. denotes an upward or praying look; stara, fixed; horfa, attentive; lygna, blundskaka, stupid or slow; blína, glápa, góna, vacant or silly; skima, wandering; hvessa augu, a threatening look; leiða e-n a., to measure one with the eyes; gjóta, or skjóta hornauga, or skjóta a. í skjálg, to throw a side glance of dislike or ill-will; gjóta augum is always in a bad sense; renna, líta mostly in a good sense: gefa e-u auga, oculum adjicere alicui; hafa auga á e-u, to keep an eye on it; segja e-m e-t í augu upp, to one’s face, Orkn. 454; at augum, adverb. with open eyes, Hervar. S. (in a verse), etc. As regards various movements of the eyes; ljúka upp augum, to open the eyes; láta aptr augun, to shut the eyes; draga auga í pung, to draw the eye into a purse, i. e. shut one eye; depla augum, to blink; at drepa titlinga (Germ. äugeln, blinzen), to wink, to kill tits with the suppressed glances of the eye; glóðarauga, a suffusion on the eye, hyposphagma; kýrauga. proptosis; vagl á auga, a beam in the eye; skjálgr, Lat. limus; ský, albugo; tekinn til augnanna, with sunken eyes, etc., Fél. ix. 192; a. bresta, in death: hafa stýrur í augum, to have prickles in the eyes, when the eyes ache for want of sleep: vatna músum, ‘to water mice,’ used esp. of children weeping silently and trying to hide their tears. As to the look or expression of the eyes there are sundry metaph. phrases, e. g. hafa fékróka í augum, to have wrinkles at the corners of the eyes, of a shrewd money getting fellow, Fms. ii. 84, cp. Orkn. 330, 188, where krókauga is a cognom.; kvenna-króka, one insinuating with the fair sex; hafa ægishjalm í augum is a metaphor of one with a piercing, commanding eye, an old mythical term for the magical power of the eye, v. Grimm’s D. Mythol. under Ægishjalmr: vera mjótt á milli augnanna, the distance between the eyes being short, is a popular saying, denoting a close, stingy man, hence mjóeygr means close: e-m vex e-t í augu (now augum), to shrink back from, of a thing waxing and growing before one’s eyes so that one dares not face it. As to the shape, colour, etc. of the eye, vide the adj. ‘eygr’ or ‘eygðr’ in its many compds. Lastly we may mention the belief, that when the water in baptism touches the eyes, the child is thereby in future life prevented from seeing ghosts or goblins, vide the words úfreskr and skygn. No spell can touch the human eye; en er harm sá augu hans (that of Loki in the shape of a bird), þá grunaði hann (the giant) at maðr mundi vera, Edda 60; í bessum birni þykist hón kenna augu Bjarnar konungs sonar, Fas. i. 51, vide Ísl. Þjóðs.

II. meton. and metaph. auga is used in a great many connections:

α. astron.; þjaza augu, the eyes of the giant Thiazi, is a constellation, probably the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux; the story is told in the Edda 47, cp. Harbarðsljóð 19; (Snorri attributes it to Odin, the poem to Thor.)

β. botan., auga = Lat. gemma, Hjalt. 38; kattarauga, cat’s eye, is the flower forget-me-not.

γ. the spots that form the numbers on dice, Magn. 530.

δ. the hole in a millstone; kvarnarauga, Edda 79, 221, Hkr. i. 121: the opening into which an axe handle is fastened, Sturl. ii. 91: a pit full of water, Fs. 45: nálarauga, a needle’s eye: vindauga, wind’s eye or window (which orig. had no glass in it), A. S. eag-dura (eye-door); also gluggi, q. v.: gleraugu, spectacles.

ε. anatom., the pan of the hip joint, v. augnakarl, Fms. iii. 392: gagnaugu, temples.

ζ. hafsauga, the bottom of the ocean, in the popular phrase, fara út í hafsauga, descendere ad tartara.

η. poët. the sun is called heimsauga, dagsauga, Jónas 119.

COMPDS either with sing. auga or pl. augna; in the latter case mod. usage sometimes drops the connecting vowel a, e. g. augn-dapr, augn-depra, augn-fagr, etc. auga-bragð (augna-), n. the twinkling of an eye, Hm. 77; á einu a., in the twinkling of an eye, Ver. 32, Edda (pref.) 146, Sks. 559, Rb. 568: a glance, look, snart a., Fms. ii. 174; mikit a., v. 335; úfagrligt a., Fs. 43; hafa a. af e-u, to cast a look at, Fbr. 49, Fms. xi. 424: in the phrase, at hafa e-n (or verða) at augabragði, metaph. to make sport of, to mock, deride, gaze at, Stj. 627, 567, Hm. 5, 29. auga-brun, f. the eye-brow. auga-staðr, m. an eye-mark; hafa a. á e-u, to mark with the eye. auga-steinn (augna-), m. the eye-ball, Hkr. iii. 365, Fms. v. 152. augna-bending, f. a warning glance, Pr. 452. augna-blik, n. mod. = augnabragð, s. augna-bólga, u, f. ophthalmia. augna-brá, f. the eye-lid, D. N. i. 216. augna-fagr and aug-fagr, adj. fair-eyed, Fas. ii. 365, Fms. v. 200. augna-fró, f. a plant, eye-bright, euphrasia, also augna-gras, Hjalt. 231. augna-fræ, n. lychnis alpina. augna-gaman, n. a sport, delight for the eyes to gaze at, Ld. 202, Bær. 17, Fsm. 5 (love, sweetheart). augna-gróm, n. (medic.) a spot in the eye; metaph., ekki a., no mere speck, of whatever can easily be seen. augna-hár, n. an eye-lash. augna-hvannr, m. the eye-lid. augna-hvita, u, f. albugo. augna-karl, n. the pan of the hip joint; slíta or slitna or augnaköllunum, Fas. iii. 392. augna-kast, n. a wild glance, Barl. 167. augna-kláði, a, m. psorophthalmi. augna-krókr, n. the corner of the eye. augna-lag, n. a look, Ld. 154. augna-lok, n. ‘eye-covers,’ eye-lids. augna-mein, n. a disease of the eye. augna-mjörkvi, a, m. dimness of the eye, Pr. 471. augna-ráð, n. expression of the eye. augna-skot, n. a look askance, Gþl. 286, Fs. 44 (of cats). augna-slím, n. glaucoma. augna-staðr, m. the socket of the eye, Magn. 532. augna-sveinn, m. a lad leading a blind man, Str. 46. augn-tepra, u, f. hippus. augna-topt, f. the socket of the eye. augna-verkr, m. pain in the eye, Hkr. ii. 257, Bs. i. 451, Pr. 471, Bjarn. 58. augna-vik, n. pl. = augnakrókr. augna-þungi, a, m. heaviness of the eye, Hkr. ii. 257.

(bregð; brá, brugðum; brugðinn), v. with dat.

1) to cause to move (quickly);

bregða sverði, knífi, to draw a sword, knife;

bregða fingri, hendi í e-t, to put (thrust) the finger, hand, into;

hón brá hárinu undir belti sér, she put (fastened) her hair under her belt;

bregða kaðli um e-t, to pass a rope round a thing;

bregða augum sundr, to open the eyes;

bregða e-m á eintal, to take one apart;

bregða sér sjúkum, to feign illness;

2) to deviate from, disregard (vér höfum brugðit af ráðum þínum);

3) to alter, change;

bregða lit, litum, to change colour, to turn pale;

bregða e-m í e-s líki, to turn one (by spell) into another shape (þú brátt þér í merar líki);

4) to break up, leave off, give up;

bregða tjöldum, to strike the tents;

bregða samvist, to leave off living together;

bregða ráðahag, to break off an engagement (wedding);

bregða boði, to countermand a feast;

bregða sýslu, to leave off working;

bregða svefni, blundi, to awake;

bregða tali, to break off talking;

bregða orrustu, kaupi, to break off a battle, bargain;

5) to break (bregða trúnaði, heiti, sáttmáli);

6) bregða e-m e-u, to upbraid, reproach one with a thing (Kálfr brá mér því í dag);

7) with prepp.,

bregða e-m á loft, to lift one aloft;

bregða e-u á, to give out, pretend (hann brá á því, at hann mundi ríða vestr til Miðfjarðar);

absol., bregða á e-t, to begin (suddenly) doing a thing;

bregða á leik, to begin playing or sporting;

Kimbi brá á gaman, took it playfully, laughed at it;

þeir brugðu á glímu ok á glens, they started wrestling and playing;

hestrinn brá á leik, broke into play, ran away;

hönd bregðr á venju, is ready for its old work;

þá brá Ingimundr til útanferðar, I. started to go abroad;

bregða e-u undan, to put it out of the way, to hide it;

bregða upp hendi, höndum, to hold up the hand;

bregða e-u við, to ward off with (bregða við skildi); fig. to put forth as an example, to praise, wonder at (þínum drengskap skal ek við bregða);

absol., bregða við, to start off, set about a thing without delay;

brá hann við skjótt ok fór, he started off at once and went;

8) refl., bregðast;

9) impers., e-u bregðr, it ceases, fails;

svá hart, at nyt bregði (to drive the ewes) so fast that they fail to give milk;

veðráttu brá eigi, there was no change in the weather;

of a sudden appearance, kláða brá á hvarmana, the eye-lids began to itch;

þá brá ljóma af Logafjöllum, then from L. there burst flashes of light;

ljósi bregðr fyrir, a light passes before the eye;

with preps., bregðr af vexti hans frá öðrum selum, his shape differs from that of other seals;

e-m bregðr í brún, one is amazed, startled (nú bregðr mönnum í brún mjök);

e-m bregðr til e-s, one person takes after, resembles another;

en því bregðr mér til foreldris míns, in that I am like my father;

þat er mælt, at fjórðungi bregði til fóstrs, the fostering makes the fourth part of a man;

e-m bregðr við e-t = e-m bregðr í brún;

brá þeim mjök við, er þeir sá hann inn ganga, it startled them much when they saw him come in;

en þó brá fóstru Melkorku mest við þessi tíðindi, this news most affected M.’s nurse.

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pret. sing. brá, 2nd pers. brátt, later brást; pl. brugðu, sup. brugðit; pres. bregð; pret. subj. brygði: reflex, (sk, z, st), pret. brásk, bráz, or brást, pl. brugðusk, etc.: poët. with the neg. suff. brá-at, brásk-at, Orkn. 78, Fms. vi. 51.

A. ACT. WITH DAT.

I. [A. S. bregdan, brædan; Old Engl. and Scot. to brade or braid; cp. bragð throughout]:—to move swiftly:

1. of a weapon, to draw, brandish; b. sverði, to draw the sword, Gísl. 55, Nj. 28, Ld. 222, Korm. 82 sqq., Fms. i. 44, ii. 306, vi. 313, Eg. 306, 505; sverð brugðit, a drawn sword, 746; cp. the alliterative phrase in Old Engl. Ballads, ‘the bright browne (= brugðinn) sword:’ absol., bregð (imperat.), Korm. l. c.: b. knífi, to slash with a knife, Am. 59; b. flötu sverði, to turn it round in the band, Fms. vii. 157; saxi, Bs. i. 629: even of a thrust, b. spjóti, Glúm. 344.

2. of the limbs or parts of the body, to move quickly; b. hendi, fingri, K. Þ. K. 10, Fms. vi. 122; b. augum sundr, to open the eyes, iii. 57, cp. ‘he bradde open his eyen two,’ Engl. Ballads; b. fótum, Nj. 253; b. fæti, in wrestling; b. grönum, to draw up the lips, 199, Fms. v. 220.

3. of other objects; b. skipi, to turn the ship (rare), Fms. viii. 145, Eb. 324; b. e-m á eintal, einmæli, to take one apart, Fms. vi. 11, Ölk. 35; b. sér sjúkum, to feign sickness, Fagrsk. ch. 51; bregða sér in mod. usage means to make a short visit, go or come for a moment; eg brá mér snöggvast til …, etc.

4. adding prepp.; b. upp; b. upp hendi, höndum, to hold up the hand, Fms. i. 167; b. upp glófa, 206, Eb. 326: b. e-m á lopt, to lift aloft, Eg. 122, Nj. 108; b. e-u undan, to put a thing out of the way, to hide it, Fas. i. 6; undir, Sturl. ii. 221, Ld. 222, Eb. 230: b. e-u við (b. við skildi), to ward off with …, Vápn. 5; but chiefly metaph. to put forth as an example, to laud, wonder at, etc.; þínum drengskap skal ek við b., Nj. 18; þessum mun ek við b. Áslaugar órunum, Fas. i. 257; nú mun ek því við b. ( I will speak loud), at ek hefi eigi fyr náð við þik at tala, Lv. 53: b. e-u á, to give out, pretend; hann brá á því at hann mundi ríða vestr til Miðfjarðar, Sturl. iii. 197, Fms. viii. 59, x. 322. β. to deviate from, disregard; vér höfum brugðit af ráðum þínum, Fær. 50, Nj. 13, 109, Ísl. ii. 198, Grág. i. 359; b. af marki, to alter the mark, 397.

5. to turn, alter, change; b. lit, litum, to change colour, to turn pale, etc., Fms. ii. 7, Vígl. 24; b. sér við e-t, to alter one’s mien, shew signs of pain, emotion, or the like, Nj. 116; b. e-m í (or b. á sik) e-s líki, to turn one (by spell) into another shape, Bret. 13; at þú brátt þér í merar líki, Ölk. 37; hann brá á sik ýmissa dýra líki, Edda (pref.) 149.

II. to break up or off, leave off, give up; b. búi, to give up one’s household, Grág. i. 153, Eg. 116, 704; b. tjöldum, to break up, strike the tents, Fms. iv. 302; b. samvist, to part, leave off living together, ii. 295; b. ráðahag, to break off an engagement, esp. wedding, 11; b. boði, to countermand a feast, 194; b. kaupi, to break off a bargain, Nj. 51, Rd. 251; b. sýslu, to leave off working, Fms. vi. 349; b. svefni, blundi, to awake, Sdm. 2; smátt bregðr slíkt svefni mínum, Lv. 53; b. tali, to break off talking, Vápn. 22; b. orustu, to break off the battle, Bret.: esp. freq. in poetry, b. hungri, föstu, sulti, to break or quell the hunger (of the wolf); b. gleði; b. lífi, fjörvi, to put to death, etc., Lex. Poët.

2. to break faith, promise, or the like; b. máli, Grág. i. 148; trúnaði, Nj. 141; brugðið var öllu sáttmáli, Hkr. ii. 121; b. heiti, Alvm. 3: absol., ef bóandi bregðr við griðmann ( breaks a bargain), Grág. i. 153.

3. reflex., bregðask e-m (or absol.), to deceive, fail, in faith or friendship; Gunnarr kvaðsk aldri skyldu b. Njáli né sonum hans, Nj. 57; bregðsk þú oss nú eigi, do not deceive us, Fms. vi. 17; vant er þó at vita hverir mér eru trúir ef feðrnir b., ii. 11; en þeim brásk framhlaupit, i. e. they failed in the onslaught, vii. 298; þat mun eigi bregðask, that cannot fail, Fas. ii. 526, Rb. 50; fáir munu þeir, at einörð sinni haldi, er slíkir brugðusk við oss, Fms. v. 36, Grett. 26 new Ed.

III. [A. S. brædan, to braid, braider], to ‘braid,’ knot, bind, the band, string being in dat.; hann bregðr í fiskinn öðrum enda, he braided the one end in the fish, Finnb. 220; hón brá hárinu undir belli sér, she braided her hair under her belt; (hann) brá ( untied) brókabelti sínu, Fas. i. 47; er þeir höfðu brugðið kaðli um, wound a cable round it, Fms. x. 53; hefir strengrinn brugðizk líttat af fótum honum, the rope had loosened off his feet, xi. 152: but also simply and with acc., b. bragð, to braid a braid, knit a knot, Eg. (in a verse); b. ráð, to weave a plot, (cp. Gr. ράπτειν, Lat. suere), Edda (in a verse); in the proper sense flétta and ríða, q. v., are more usual.

2. in wrestling; b. e-m, the antagonist in dat., the trick in acc., b. e-m bragð (hæl-krók, sveiflu, etc.)

3. recipr., of mutual strife; bregðask brögðum, to play one another tricks; b. brigzlum, to scold one another, Grág. ii. 146; b. frumhlaupum, of mutual aggression, 13, 48; bregðask um e-t, to contest a thing, 66, cp. i. 34.

4. part., brugðinn við e-t, acquainted with a thing; munuð þit brátt brugðnir við meira, i. e. you will soon have greater matters to deal with, Fs. 84; hann er við hvárttveggja b., he is well versed in both, Gísl. 51.

IV. metaph. to upbraid, blame, with dat. of the person and thing; fár bregðr hinu betra, ef hann veit hit verra (a proverb), Nj. 227; Þórðr blígr brá honum því ( Thord threw it in his face), á Þórsnesþingi, at …, Landn. 101; Kálfr brá mér því í dag, Fms. vi. 105; b. e-m brizglum, Nj. 227.

B. NEUT. OR ABSOL. without a case, of swift, sudden motion.

I. b. á e-t, as, b. á leik, gaman, etc., to start or begin sporting, playing; Kimbi brá á gaman, K. took it playfully, i. e. laughed at it, Landn. 101; b. á gamanmál, Fms. xi. 151; þeir brugðu á glímu ok á glens, they started wrestling and playing, Ld. 220; bregðr hann (viz. the horse) á leik, the horse broke into play, ran away, Fms. xi. 280; Glúmr svaraði vel en brá þó á sitt ráð, Glum gave a gentle answer, but went on in his own way, Nj. 26, Fas. i. 250: the phrase, hönd bregðr á venju, the hand is ready for its old work, Edda (Ht.) verse 26, cp. Nj. ch. 78 (in a verse).

2. b. við, to start off, set about a thing without delay, at a moment’s notice, may in Engl. often be rendered by at once or the like; brá hann við skjótt ok fór, he started off at once and went, Fms. i. 158; þeir brugðu við skjótt, ok varð þeim mjök við felmt, i. e. they took to their heels in a great fright, Nj. 105; þeir brugðu við skjótt, ok fara þaðan, 107; bregðr hon við ok hleypr, Grett. 25 new Ed., Bjarn. 60; hrossit bregðr nú við hart, id.; en er Ólafr spurði, at Þorsteinn hafði skjótt við brugðit, ok hafði mikit fjölmenni, Ld. 228.

β. b. til e-s, þá brá Ingimundr til utanferðar, Ingimund started to go abroad, Sturl. i. 117; b. til Grænlands ferðar, Fb. i. 430.

II. reflex, to make a sudden motion with the body; Rútr brásk skjótt við undan högginu, Nj. 28, 129; b. við fast, to turn sharply, 58, 97; bregðsk (= bregðr) jarl nú við skjótt ok ferr, the earl started at once, Fms. xi. 11; hann brásk aldregi við ( he remained motionless) er þeir píndu hann, heldr en þeir lysti á stokk eðr stein, vii. 227.

2. metaph. and of a circumlocutory character; eigi þætti mér ráðið, hvárt ek munda svá skjótt á boð brugðisk hafa, ef …, I am not sure whether I should have been so hasty in bidding you, if …, Ísl. ii. 156; bregðask á beina við e-n, to shew hospitality towards, Fms. viii. 59, cp. bregða sér above.

β. b. yfir, to exceed; heyra þeir svá mikinn gný at yfir brásk, they heard an awful crash, Mag. 6; þá brásk þat þó yfir jafnan ( it surpassed) er konungr talaði, Fms. x. 322, yet these last two instances may be better read ‘barst,’ vide bera C. IV; bregðask úkunnr, reiðr … við e-t, to be startled at the novelty of a thing, v. 258; b. reiðr við, to get excited, angry at a thing, etc.

C. IMPERS.

I. the phrase, e-m bregðr við e-t, of strong emotions, fear, anger, or the like; brá þeim mjök við, er þau sá hann inn ganga, it startled them much, when they saw him come in, Nj. 68; Flosa brá svá við, at hann var í andliti stundum sem blóð, 177; en þó brá fóstru Melkorku mest við þessi tíðindi, i. e. this news most affected Melkorka’s nurse, Ld. 82; aldri hefi ek mannsblóð séð, ok veit ek eigi hve mér bregðr við, I wot not how it will touch me, Nj. 59; brá honum svá við, at hann gerði fölvan í andliti … ok þann veg brá honum opt síðan ( he was oft since then taken in such fits), þá er vígahugr var á honum, Glúm. 342; en við höggit brá Glæsi svá at …, Eb. 324; Þorkell spurði ef honum hefði brugðit nokkut við þessa sýslu.—Ekki sjám vér þér brugðit hafa við þetta, en þó sýndist mér þér áðr brugðit, Fms. xi. 148.

β. bregða í brún, to be amazed, shocked, Fms. i. 214; þá brá Guðrúnu mjök í brún um atburð þenna allan saman, Ld. 326, Nj. 14; þat hlægir mik at þeim mun í brún b., 239; nú bregðr mönnum í brún mjök ( people were very much startled), því at margir höfðu áðr enga frétt af haft, Band. 7.

II. with prepp. við, til, í, af; of appearances, kynligu, undarliga bregðr við, it has a weird look, looks uncanny, of visions, dreams, or the like; en þó bregðr nú kynligu við, undan þykir mér nú gaflaðit hvárt-tveggja undan húsinu, Ísl. ii. 352, Nj. 62, 197, Gísl. 83; nú bregðr undrum við, id., Fms. i. 292.

III. e-m bregðr til e-s, one person turns out like another, cp. the Danish ‘at slægte en paa;’ þat er mælt at fjórðungi bregði til fóstrs, the fostering makes the fourth part of the man, Nj. 64; en því bregðr mér til foreldris míns, in that I am like my father, Hkr. iii. 223; er þat líkast, at þér bregði meir í þræla ættina en Þveræinga, it is too likely, that thou wilt show thyself rather to be kith and kin to the thrall’s house than to that of Thweræingar, Fb. i. 434; b. til bernsku, to be childish, Al. 3.

β. bregðr af vexti hans frá öðrum selum, his shape differs from that of any other seals, Sks. 41 new Ed. (afbrigði).

IV. to cease; e-u bregðr, it ceases; svá hart … at nyt (dat.) bregði, ( to drive the ewes) so fast that they fail ( to give milk), Grág. ii. 231; þessu tali bregðr aldri (= þetta tal bregzk aldri), this calculation can never fail, Rb. 536; veðráttu (dat.) brá eigi, there was no change in the weather, Grett. 91; skini sólar brá, the sun grew dim, Geisü 19; fjörvi feigra brá, the life of the ‘feys’ came to an end (poët.), Fms. vi. 316 (in a verse); brá föstu, hungri, úlfs, ara, the hunger of wolf and eagle was abated, is a freq. phrase with the poets.

V. of a sudden appearance; kláða (dat.) brá á hvarmana, the eye-lids itched, Fms. v. 96: of light passing swiftly by, þá brá ljóma af Logafjöllum, Hkv. 1. 15; ljósi bregðr fyrir, a light passes before the eye; mey brá mér fyrir hvarma steina, a maid passed before my eyes, Snót 117; þar við ugg (dat.) at þrjótum brá, i. e. the rogues were taken by fear, 170.

(pl. brýnn), f.

1) brow, the projecting edge of a cliff or hill (cf. fjalls, heiðar, isbrún);

2) eyebrow; láta síga brýnn á nef fyrir brár, ofan fyrir augum, setja síða brún hleypa brúnum, to kni tthe brows lypta brúnum, hefja upp brún, to lift the eyebrows, become cheerful, brighten up; also impers., hefr em upp brún, one brightens up; lypti þá mjök brúnum manna, therfaces brightened up; em bregðr í brún, one is amazed.

(pl. brúnir), f. a kind of stuff.

* * *

f., old pl. brýnn, mod. brýr; the old form remains in the phrase, bera e-m e-t á brýn (qs. Brýnn):— eye-brow (brá = eye-lid), Fms. xi. 274; kom ( the blow) á brúnina, ok hljóp hón ofan fyrir augat…. bindr upp brúnina, Þorst. St. 49; ór brúnunum ofan nefið, Ísl. ii. 368; skegg ok brýnn, Stj. 318; brá eðr brúna. Edda 109.

β. in reference to frames of mind; to lift the eye-brows denoting a pleasurable state; to drop them, a moody frame; in phrases, bregða í brún ; (brýnn?), to be amazed, v. bregða; lypta brúnum, to lift the eye-brows, to be glad, cheerful, Fs. 18: hóf þá upp brún (impers.), their faces cleared, Bs. i. 637, Eg. 55; síga lætr þú brýnn fyrir brár, cp. the Engl. to knit the brows, Hkv. Hjörv. 19; er hann sá at Þórr lét siga brýnnar ofan fyrir augun, Edda 28; hleypa brúnum. id., Eg. 305, hence létt-brýnn. glad; þung-brynn, moody; brún-ölvi, id.; hafa brögð undir brúnum, to look uncanny, Band.; vera (so and so) undir brún at líta, to look so and so, esp. in an uncanny sense, Nj. 55, Orkn. 284; bera e-m e-t á brýnn (vide bera B. 1. β), Greg. 51, Rd. 241.

II. metaph. the brow of a fell, moor, etc. (fjalls-brún, heiðar-brún, veggjar-brún); is-brún, the edge of ice; á framanverðri brúninni, efstu brúninni, on the mountain edge, Sturl. i. 84: the first beam of day in the sky (dags-brún), litil brún af degi; lands-brún, the ‘lands-brow,’ i. e. the first sight of a mountain above the water.

COMPDS: brúnabein, brúnamikill, brúnasíðr, brúnaskurðr.

f. a kind of stuff or tapestry (for. word), Vm. 24, 31, 146, 177, Pm. 25, Bs. i. 762.

(-ta, -t), v.

1) to make one run or go; to move or impel in some way;

h. njósnarmönnum á land upp, to send spies ashore;

hleypti hann annarri brúninni ofan á kinnina, he let one eye-brow sink upon the cheek;

h. hurð í lás, to shut a door;

h. ánni í veg sinn, to lead the river into its channel;

h. e-u á e-n, to cause to fall upon one (hleypti Gróa skriðu á þá);

hann hleypir út vatni miklu ór sullinum, he presses much water out of the sore;

h. ór e-m auganu, to poke the eye out;

2) to throw off (h. heimdraganum);

h. akkerum, to cast anchors;

3) h. berki af trjám, to cut the bark off the trees;

h. upp dóminum, to break up the court (by violence);

4) to gallop, ride swiftly = h. hesti (Hrungnir varð reiðr ok hleypti eptir honum).

* * *

t, [causal of hlaupa], to make one leap, make one rush or burst forth, to start or put into motion, Fms. vi. 145; þeir skáru böndin ok hleyptu á braut fólki því öllu, Ó. H. 168; Önundr hleypti njósnarmönnum á land upp, to put them ashore, Fb. ii. 280; hleypti (pulled, made sink) hann annarri brúninni ofan á kinnina, Eg. 305; h. brúnum, to knit the brows; h. hurð í lás, to shut a door, Fms. ix. 364; var hleypt fyrir hliðit stórum járnhurðum, i. 104.

2. to make to escape, emit, of anything confined or compressed, e. g. hleypa vindi ór belg, to force air out of a bellows; h. vindi ór segli, to shake the wind out of the sail; h. fé, sauðum, kúm ór kvíum, to turn out sheep, cows; h. til ánna, to put the rams to the ewes: medic., hleypa vatni, vág, blóði, to emit matter out of a sore, etc.; hann hleypir út vatni miklu ór sullinum, Vápn. 17; h. ór e-m auganu, to poke the eye out, Fs. 98: to lead a stream of water or the like, þeir hleyptu saman fleirum vötnum, Fms. iv. 359; h. ánni í farveg, Fb. ii. 280; landsfólkit var á fjöllum uppi ok hleypti ofan ( rolled) stóru grjóti, Al. 92; h. skriðu á e-n, an avalanche, Fs. 194.

3. special phrases; h. upp dómum, a law phrase, to break up a court by violence, Landn. 89, Hrafn. 18, Fb. 61, Eb. 48, 58, Lv. 31; h. berki af trjám, to cut the bark off the trees, Hkr. ii. 220; h. heimdraganum, to throw off sloth, take heart, Fms. vii. 121: naut. to run before a gale, þeir hleyptu upp á Mýrar, Barðaströnd; h. akkerum, to cast anchor, Fms. xi. 439; h. stjóra, id.: h. hesti, or absol., to gallop, ride swiftly; hesti hleypti ok hjörvi brá, Rm. 34; Hrungnir varð reiðr ok hleypir eptir honum, Óðinn hleypti svá mikit, at …, Edda 57, Nj. 59, 82, 107, Fms. ix. 364.

4. hleypa mjólk, to curdle milk; hann hleypti helming innar hvítu mjólkr, Od. ix. 246.

* * *

1) sight, eyesight (heyrn ok s.); s. er sögu ríkri, sight goes before hearsay; var þeim s. sögu ríkri um ferðir Knúts, they had ocular proof of; missa sjónar at auganu, to lose the sight of the eye;

2) look; sundr stökk súla fyrir s. jötuns, the pillar flew asunder at the look of the giant;

3) esp. in pl. the eyes (sá hón fránar sjónir fylkis liðnar); svart er mér fyrir sjónum, my eyes grow dim; leiða e-n sjónum, to fix one’s eyes upon a person (forn jötunn sjónum leiddi sinn andskota).

* * *

f., in sing. the old writers prefer sýn, q. v. [Dan. syn]:—sight, vision, the faculty of sight; mál heyrn ok sjón, Edda 6; missa sjónina, to lose the eye-sight; sjóu ok heyrn, Pass. 41. 10; gefa blindum sjón, 655 ix. C. 2; sjón er sögu ríkri, sight goes before hearsay, of an eye-witness, Ó. H. 180; sundr stökk súla fyrir sjón jötuns, Hym. 12.

II. plur. one’s looks; in such phrases as fríðr … sjónum, fair to see, fine-looking, Eg. 486, Hkr. iii. 171.

2. the eyes, esp. in plur.; augu heita sjón, Edda; engi hefir sá séð ógurligar sjónir, er eigi mátti þat sjá er Þórr hvessti augun, 37; hugðisk hann mundu falla fyrir sjóninni einni saman, 28; fjándinn blindar sjónir þeirra, Fms. x. 309; leiða e-n sjónum, to look on, behold, 13; ef ek hann sjónum of sék, Hm. 151; fránar sjónir, Gkv. i. 14; á sjónum skjálfandi, Sól. 43; ok mun hann ekki eigi stað við sjónum hans, Fms. iv. 242; verða e-m at sjónum, to be seen by one, Fas. ii. 315; lýkr hann upp birtandi sjónir, Sks. 43; þrjár hafa þeir sjónir saman ( three eyes), Gsp. (Fas. i. 486); hvassar ljóns sjónir, Sighvat; svart-brúnar sjónir, Eg. (in a verse); svart er mér fyrir sjónum, ‘tis dark before my eyes, Fas. i. 427 (in a verse): leiða e-m e-ð fyrir sjónir, to place before one’s eyes, expound, Líkn. 46, and in mod. usage; sé þá, minn Guð, fyrir sjónum þér, Sonar þíns pínan megna, Pass. 34. 11; of-sjónir, undr-sjónir, q. v.

COMPDS: sjónarberg, sjónarhváll, sjónarváttr, sjónarvitni, sjónarvætt, sjónarvörðr.

rs, m. [A. S. baldor, princeps, seems to be a different root from the Goth. balþs, A. S. bald, which answers to the Icel. ball- or bald- without r], prop. = Lat. princeps, the best, foremost; in compds as mann-baldr, her-baldr, fólk-baldr.

β. meton. the god Balder, because of his noble disposition, Edda. Baldrs-brá, f. Balder’s eye-brow, botan. cotida foetida, Ivar Aasen ballebraa and baldurbraa, pyrethrum inodorum, Edda 15; the B. is there called the fairest and whitest of all flowers (allra grasa hvítast). Perhaps the eye-bright or euphrasy,,—the Icel. Baldrs-brá, if we remember rightly, resembles the Engl. ‘ox-eye’ or ‘dog-daisy.’

* * *

(gen. pl. nefja), n.

1) the bone of the nose, nasal bone, opp. to ‘nasir’ (hann rak hnefana á nasir mér ok braut í mér nefit);

2) the nose (náit er nef augum);

3) beak, bill (of a bird);

4) head, person; um alla Sváþjóð guldu menn Óðni skatt, penning fyrir nef hvert, a penny per head.

* * *

n., gen. pl. nefja, dat. nefjum; [A. S. nebbe; Engl. neb]:—the nose, prop. the beak, bone of the nose, opp. to nasar (nös, q. v.), Grág. ii. 11; liðr á nefi, Ld. 272; þeir hafa hvárki nef né nasar, ‘neb nor nose,’ i. e. neither lower part nor cartilage, Stj. 79; hann rak hnefann á nasir mér ok braut í mér nefit, Fas. iii. 392; kom á nasir þeim ok brotnaði í honum nefit, Fms. iii. 186; gnúa nefit, Orkn. 394, passim: also in the phrases, stinga nefi í feld, to hide the nose (face) in one’s cloak, from dismay, Fms. x. 401; cp. stinga nösum í felda, Sighvat; stinga saman nefjum, to put noses together = lay heads together, i. e. discuss closely, ironic., Grett. (in a verse); kveða, tala í nef, to talk through the nose, Skálda 162; taka í nefið, to snuff up; sjúga upp í nefit, to suck up through the nose; of nær nefi kvað karl …, too near the nose, quoth the carle, when he was hit in the eye, Fms. vii. 288; náit er nef augum, the neb is near akin to the eye, Nj., cp. Fms. iii. 188; draga bust ór nefi einum, see burst.

2. as a law term in regard to tax, dues, poll (cp. the English phrase ‘to count noses’); um alla Svíþjóð guldu menn Óðni skatt, penning fyrir nef hvert, Yngl. S. ch. 8; hefir þú nú gört fyrir þitt nef þangat út, i. e. thou hast done thy share, Fbr. 33; gjalda eyri fyrir net hvert, to pay a ‘nose-tax’ of an ounce, poll-tax, Lv. 89; penning fyrir nef hvert, Hkr. ii. 231; skal göra mann út at sjaunda nefi, N. G. L. i. 97; ertug fyrir sex tigu nefja innan laga várra, 7; skutilsveinar til þriggja nefja ok hverr húskarl til tveggja nefja, H. E. i. 420; yrkja níðvísu fyrir nef hvert er á var landinu, Hkr. i. 227; skal búandi hverr augljós nef hafa af bryggju-sporði á skoru-kefli fyrir ármann, i. e. every franklin has to shew up the poll on a score-roll before the king’s officer, N. G. L. i. 200.

3. the neb, beak, bill, of birds, Fms. viii. 10; nefin ok klærnar, Nj. 272, Stj. 90; fugls-nef, uglu-nef, arnar-nef, hrafns-nef, Sdm. passim; also hrúts-nef, a ram’s nose, 1812. 66: the saying, lítið er nef várt en breiðar fjaðrir, Bs. i. 676, of high aspirations and weak efforts, see fjöðr: of things, klappar-nef, a jutting rock; skogar-nef, q. v.; steðja nef, the nose (small end) of a stithy; keips-nef, a thole, a rowlock pin: cp. the riddle or pun, liggr á grúfu og horfir upp nef—á ausu ! of the hook on a ladle’s handle.

II. as a nickname, Gísl.; = Nosey, cp. Lat. Naso.

COMPDS: nefbjörg, nefdreyri, neffölr, nefgildi, nefglita, neflangr, neflauss, neflítill, nefljótr, nefmikill, nefmæltr.

a. having eves of a certain kind; vel e., with fine eyes; mjök e., large-eyed.

* * *

later form eygðr, which, however, is freq. in MSS. of the 14th century, adj. [auga]:— having eyes of a certain kind; vel e., with fine eyes, Stj. 460. I Sam. xvi. 12, Nj. 39: e. manna bezt, Ísl. ii. 190, Fms. vi. 438, xi. 79; mjök eygðr, large-eyed, Þorf. Karl. 422; eigi vel eyg, not good looking, Fms, iii. 216; e. mjök ok vel, with large and fine eyes, Eb. 30, Fb. i.545; e. forkunnar vel, with eyes exceeding fine, Fms. iv. 38; esp. freq. in compds: in the Sagas a man is seldom described without marking the colour, shape, or expression ol his eyes, fagr-e., bjart-e., dökk-e., svart-e., blá-e., grá-e., mó-e.; the shape also, opin-e., út-e., inn-e., smá-e., stór-e., etc.; the lustre of the eye, snar-e., fast-e., hvass-e., frán-e., dapr-e., etc.; expressing disease, vát-e., rauð-e., ein-e.; expressing something wrong in the eye, hjá-e., til-e., rang-e., etc., Fél. ix.192.

(-s, -ar), m. hawk; fleygja hauki, to fly a hawk.

* * *

m. [A. S. heafoc; Engl. hawk; O. H. G. habuch; Germ. habicht; Dan. hög; Swed. hök]:—a hawk, Fms. i. 119, xi. 21, Jb. 542: metaph. a hero, vera haukar görvir, Fms. vi. (in a verse); eiga sér hauk í horni, to have a hawk in the corner, to have one to back one; or perhaps the phrase is, hrók í horni, a rook in the corner, borrowed from chess. Hawks were in olden times carried on the wrist, whence in poetry the hand is called the seat, cliff, land of the hawk, hauk-borð, -klif, -land, -mærr, -storð, -strönd, -völlr; the adjectives hauk-fránn (of the eye, flashing as a hawk’s eye), hauk-ligr, -lyndr, -snarr, -snjallr are all of them epithets of a bold man, Lex. Poët.: hauka-veiði, n. hawking, Gþl. 429: hauk-nefr, m. hawk-bill, a nickname, Landn.; sparr-h., a sparrow-hawk.

II. as a pr. name, Landn.; and in local names, Hauka-gil, Hauka-dalr, whence Haukdælir, m. pl. name of a family, Sturl.; Haukdæla-ætt, f. id.; Hauk-dælskr, adj. belonging to that family.

n. pupil of the eye (svá var sem ormr lægi um sjáldrit).

* * *

(mod. sjáaldr), n. the pupil of the eye, Sks. 43; svá var sem ormr lægi um sjáldrit, Fas. i. 346; sjáldr augna hans, Fms. x. 229; sjáldr var svá bjart í augum hans sem lifanda manns, Bs. i. 112; vildi hón leggja saman augun, svá vóru stirð sjáldrin, at hón gat augna-bránum hvergi vikit, 206; bæði hennar augu sukku með sprungnum sjáldrum, ii. 169; spratt út auga-steinninn annarr, svá at móðirin tók hann með öllu fráskildan sjáldrinu, 170; sakir þess slíms er á sjáldrin leggsk, N. G. L. iii. 282.

* * *

m. beam, esp. an upper cross-beam.

* * *

m. [Ivar Aasen vagl; Swed. vagel = a roost]:—a beam, esp. an upper cross-beam, roost; hann hljóp í þvertré á húsinu ok síðan á vaglinn ok af vaglinum ok út í glugginn, Fms. x. 290.

II. [cp. Engl. wall-eye], a beam in the eye (a disease); vagl á auga, Ísl. Þjóðs.; at þeim vaglinum sem er í þínu auga gætir þú ekki—þú hræsnari, drag fyrst út vaglinn úr þínu auga, Luke vi. in the edit, of 1540.

III. a local name, Vaglar, Lv.

1) look, glance of the eye;

2) measure by the eye (at augnaskoti).

* * *

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.

(gen. varrar, pl. varrar, varrir), f. lip;

vörr in efri, neðri, the upper, lower lip;

G. beit á vörrinni, G. bit his lip.

(gen. varrar, dat. verri; pl. verrir, acc. vörru), m. a pull of the oar (er þeir höfðu fá vörru róit frá landi);

þeysa vörru, to pull with might and main (ríkuliga hygg ek þá vörru þeysa).

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f., gen. varrar, pl. varrar, varrir; in rhymes rr, v örr er hvöss á h arra, Sturl. (in a verse); spr arri v arra, Hkr. i. (in a verse): the mod. form is vör, varar, dropping one r throughout: [Ulf. uses a diminutive, wairilo = χειλος; A. S. weleras = labia, a masc. formed by metathesis of r and l, qs. werelas; old Fris. were]:—the lip, Lat. labium; varrar jarls vóru ókyrrar, Fms. viii. 98; vörr in neðri, the lower lip, Dropl. 25; vörr in efri, the upper lip; bíta á vörrinni, Nj. 68; hann beit varrarnar, … rifja saman varrarnar, Edda 71; ef varrar eru eigi heilar, Skálda; skarð í vör (vörr), Sd. 175; hverjum vörrum skal ek hans blezaða fulltings biðja, Th. 6; varra-skrap, Sks. 438; varrar þínar, Stj. 644; báðar varrirnar, Bs. i. 360; varrarnar, Sks. 560.

B. [Ivar Aasen vor; A. S. wær; Engl. weir], a fenced-in landing-place; á steini þeim er næstr var vörum (vrom Cod.), Bs. i. 337; dró þat eptir skipinu í vörina, Fas. iii. 317; Vermundr kom nú til Grímseyjar, ok dró upp skip í varir Áskels, Rd. 250; varar fýsir skip, a saying, a ship longs for the vórr, Edda (Ht.); cp. njóti svá bauga, sem Bragi auga, vagna vara, may he enjoy wealth, as Bragi [ enjoys] the eye, or the ship the haven, Höfuðl. (fine); sigla or vörum, to leave the harbour, Bs. i. 460; ok er staddr í vörum um kveldit þá er Hallr kom at landi, Ld. 40: the word is freq. in mod. usage (at least in western Icel.), of a small inlet or creek where boats land, lenda í vörinni, fara ofan í vör, ýtta eg knör úr Arnar-vör hann Úlfar téði, Úlf. 6. 23: hence mod. vara-söngr = the prayer said by fishermen when launching, Bjorn. vara-seiði, n. small fry, small fish, from being caught in creeks near the shore.

m., gen. varrar, dat. verri, pl. verrir, acc. vörru; [different from the preceding word]:—a pull of the oar; er þeir höfðu fá vörru róit frá landi, Fms. viii. 217; í einum verri brýtr hann sundr báðar árarnar ok keipana, Þiðr. 313; slíta rœði ór verri, to pull the oar briskly, Fms. vi. (in a verse); halda sjau tigum ára til varra, to pull with seventy oars, Hkr. iii. 120 (in a verse); þeysa vörru (acc. pl.), to pull so as to splash, Hornklofi: in poetry a ship is called lung, málfeti varra, the steed pulled by oars, Lex. Poët.; varr-sími, the wake left by the oars; varr-nagli, q. v.; varrar eldr = gold; varrar skíð, poët. = the oar (the oar of Odin being the sword), Glúm, (in a verse).

m. brim, rim (of a vessel or a steel cap).

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m. [Gr. φορμός; cp. Ulf. barms = κόλπος and στηθος; O. H. G. param; Hel. barm; A. S. barm; all in the sense of gremium: this sense, however, is entirely unknown to old Icel. writers, who only apply the word in like sense as barð, namely, Engl. brim; Lat. ora]:—a brim:

α. the brim of a vessel (fötubarmr, pottbarmr, etc.), Bs. ii. 173; hence barma-fullr, adj. or fullr á barma, full to the brim; the rim of a bell, Pm. 106.

β. also the edge of a brook or well (lækjarbarmr, brunnbarmr): a chasm (gjárbarmr).

γ. the border of the shore; eybarmr, ora insulae, Hervar. S. (in a verse); víkrbarmr; also used in many local names of farms in Icel.

δ. the wing of anything; lyptingarbarmr, the gunwale of the stern; kastalabarmr ( wing of a castle), Orkn. (in a verse); barmr hvarma, the edge of the eye-lids, Lex. Poët.

ε. the flaps of a thing; reif hann allan í sundr ok kastaði börmunum á eldinn, Fms. iv. 339 (rare if not an απ. λεγ.)

ζ. the notion of gremium, bosom, only appears after the Reformation, and even then rare; cp. the bosom of a coat, e. g. geyma e-t á barmi sér; hægri, vinstri b., etc.; stinga hendinni í sinn eigin barm, Exod. iv. 6. barma, að, b. sér, to lament, is also a mod. word, Germ. barmen qs. bearmen; vide, however, baðmr.

m., poet. moon.

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a. m. [Ulf. mêna; A. S. môna; Engl. moon; O. H. G. mâno; Dan. maane; Swed. måne; in Germ. the primitive word has been replaced by the derivative ‘mond,’ which properly means a moon-period, month]:—the moon; the word, however, is scarcely used in prose, old or mod., but is poetical or can only be used in certain phrases, for tungl is the common word, Vsp. 5, Alm. 14, 15, Hm. 138, Vþm. 22, Anal. 177; skarðr máni, the crescent moon, Vkv. 6: mythol. the Moon (Máni) was brother to the Sun (Sól), and both were the children of the giant Mundilföri (a name evidently referring to the rotation of the heavens), Edda 7, Vþm. 23. For the legend of the two men in the moon with a bucket and pole on their shoulders see Edda 7, 220 (in a verse): urðar-múni, a weird moon, an apparition, Fb. 270: poët. phrases, mána rann, the moon’s dwelling = the sky, Skálda (in a verse); mána-vegr, the moon’s way = the sky, Haustl.; mána-fold, id.; mána-salr, Hkv. 1: brá-máni, enni-máni, the brow moon = the eye, Ad.: a nickname, as also a pr. name, Landn.

II. in local names, Mán-á, Mána-berg, Mána-fell, Mána-þúfa, Landn.

COMPDS: Mánadagr, Mánanótt, mánaskin.

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(rek; rak, rákum; rekinn), v.

1) to drive (r. hesta, fé, svín, naut); r. aptr, to drive back; r. aptr kaup sín, to recall, cry off from one’s bargains; r. af (ór) landi, to drive out of the land, drive into exile; r. af höndum, r. burt, to drive away; r. flótta, to pursue a flying host;

2) to compel (segir, hver nauðsyn hann rekr til); þér vegit víg þau, er yðr rekr lítit til, ye slay men for small cause;

3) to perform, do; r. hernað, to wage war; r. erendi, to do an errand;

4) to thrust, push violently (hann rak hann niðr mikit fall); r. aptr hurð, to fling the door to; r. hendr e-s á bak aptr, to tie one’s hands behind the back;

5) various phrases, r. augu skygnur á e-t, to cast one’s eyes upon, see by chance; svá langt, at hann mátti hvergi auga yfir r., so far that he could not reach it with his eyes; r. minni til e-s, to recollect; r. upp hljóð, to set up a cry, utter a scream;

6) r. nagla, hæl, to drive a nail, peg;

7) impers., to be drifted, tossed (skipit rak inn á sundit); e-n rekr undan, one escapes (bað þá eigi láta Gretti undan r.); of a tempest, þá rak á fyrir þeim hríð, a storm rose upon them;

8) with gen., to pursue, take vengeance for (ef þér rekit eigi þessa réttar, þá munu þér engra skamma r.);

9) refl., rekast, to be tossed, wander (ek hefi rekizt úti á skógum í allan vetr); r. landa á milli, to go from one country to another; r. á e-m, to intrude oneself upon; r. eptir e-m, to accommodate oneself to a person; r. undan, to escape (ef Kjartan skal nú undan r.); rekast (vrekast) at virði, to quarrel over a meal.

f. shovel, spade.

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pres. rek, rekr; pret. rak, rakt (mod. rakst), rak, plur. ráku; subj. ræki; imper. rek, rektú; part. rekinn; originally vreka; [Ulf. wrikan = διώκειν, ga-wrikan = ἐκδικειν; A. S. and Hel. wrecan; Engl. wreak; O. H. G. rechan; Germ. rächen; Dan. vrage; Swed. vräka; Lat. urgere]:—to drive; reka hross, fé, svín, naut, to drive horses, cattle, Eg. 593, Fbr. 30, Nj. 118, 119. 264, Grág. ii. 327, 332, Gísl. 20. Fms. x. 269, 421, Lv. 47, Glúm. 342; reka burt, to expel, drive away, Fms. i. 70, x. 264; reka ór (af) landi, to drive into exile, Nj. 5, Eg 417; reka af höndum, to drive off one’s hands, drive away. Fms. vii. 27; rekinn frá Guði, Grág. ii. 167; reka djöfla frá óðum mönnum, Mar.; reka flótta, to pursue a flying host, Eg. 299, Hkr. i. 238.

2. to compel; at því sem hlutr rak þá til, in turns, as the lot drove them to do, 625. 84; segir hver nauðsyn hann rekr til, Fms. x. 265; ér vegit víg þau er yðr rekr lítið til, Nj. 154.

3. with prepp.; reka aptr, to drive back, repel, Ld 112: reka aptr kaup sín, to recall, make void, Nj. 32: to refute, N. G. L. i. 240:—reka fyrir, to expel, cp. Germ. ver-treiben, hann görði frið fyrir norðan fjall, ok rak fyrir vikinga, Ver. 45; þá vóru villumenn fyrir reknir, 54; fyrir reka argan goðvarg, Bs. i. 13 (in a verse):—reka út, to expel.

II. to perform business or the like; reka hernað, to wage war. Fms. i. 105, xi. 91; reka eyrendi, Ld. 92; þat er lítið starf at reka þetta erendi. Eg. 408; reka sýslu, to transact business, Grág. ii. 332; reka hjúskap, to live in wedlock, H. E. i. 450.

III. to thrust, throw, push violently; hann rak hann niðr mikit fall, Fms. i. 83; rak hann útbyrðis. Eg. 221; rak hann at höfði í soðketilinn, Nj. 248; Flosi kastaði af sér skikkluni ok rak í fang henni, 176: of a weapon, to run, hann rekr atgeirinn í gegnum hann, he ran it through his body, 115, 119, 264; hann rak á honum tálgu-kníf, stabbed him. Band. 14: reka fót undan e-m, to back the foot clean off, Sturl. iii. 6.

2. reka aptr hurð, dyrr, to bolt, bar, Eg. 749, Fms. ix. 518; þeir ráku þegar aptr stöpulinn, viii. 247; hón rak lás fyrir kistuna, Grett. 159; reka hendr e-s á bak aptr, to tie one’s hands to the back, pinion, Fms. xi. 146.

IV. various phrases; reka auga, skygnur á e-t, to cast one’s eyes upon, see by chance, hit with the eye, Ld. 154: svá langt at hann mátti hvergi auga yfir reka, so far that he could not reach it with his eyes, Fms. xi. 6; reka minni til, to remember, vi. 256, vii. 35 (of some never-to-be-forgotttn thing); reka fréttir um e-t, to enquire into, i. 73; reka sparmæli við e-n, Grett. 74; reka ættar-tölur (better rekja), Landn. 168, v. l.; reka upp hljóð, skræk, to lift up the voice, scream aloud; these phrases seem to belong to a different root, cp. the remarks s. v. rekja and réttr.

V. to beat iron, metal; reka járn, Grett. 129 A (= drepa járn); reka nagla, hæl, saum, to drive a nail, a peg (rek-saumr); selrinn gékk þá niðr við sem hann ræki hæl, Eb. 272.

VI. impers. to be drifted, tossed; skipit rak inn á sundit, Fms. x. 136; skipit rak í haf út, Sæm. 33; rak þangat skipit, Eg. 600; rekr hann (acc.) ofan á vaðit, Nj. 108:—to be drifted ashore, viðuna rak víða um Eyjar, hornstafina rak í þá ey er Stafey heitir síðan, Ld. 326; ef þar rekr fiska, fugla eðr sela, ef við rekr á fjöru … nú rekr hval, Grág. ii. 337; borð ný-rekit, Fs. 25; hann blótaði til þess at þar ræki tré sextugt, Gísl. 140; hafði rekit upp reyði mikla, Eb. 292; fundu þeir í vík einni hvar upp var rekin kista Kveldúlfs, Eg. 129:—e-n rekr undan, to escape, Nj. 155:—of a tempest, þá rak á fyrir þeim hrið (acc.), a tempest arose, Fs. 108; rekr á storma, myrkr, hafvillur, þoku, to be overtaken by a storm, … fog.

VII. reflex. to be tossed, wander; ek hefi rekisk úti á skógum í allan vetr, Fms. ii. 59; görask at kaupmanni ok rekask landa í milli, 79; lítið er mér um at rekask milli kaupstaða á haustdegi, Ld. 312; ok ef Kjartan skal nú undan rekask ( escape), 222; at hann rækisk eigi lengr af eignum sínum ok óðulum, Fms. ix. 443; hann bað yðr standa í mót ok rekask af höndum óaldar-flokka slíka, Ó. H. 213.

VIII. with gen. to wreak or take vengeance; þér hafit rekit margra manna sneypu ok svívirðinga, Fbr. 30; en áttu at reka harma sinna í Noregi, Fb. ii. 120: ok ef þér rekit eigi þessa réttar, þá munu þér engra skamma reka, Nj. 63; þér vilduð eigi eitt orð þola, er mæltt var við yðr, svá at þér rækit eigi, Hom. 32; frændr vára, þá er réttar vilja reka, Eg. 458; mjök lögðu menn til orðs, er hann rak eigi þessa réttar, Ld. 250; átru vér þá Guðs réttar at reka, Ó. H. 205.

IX. part., þykki mér ok rekin ván, at …, all hope past, that …, Ld. 216. 2. rekinn = inlaid, mounted; öxi rekna, Ld. 288; hand-öxi sína ina reknu, Lv. 30; öxi forna ok rekna, Sturl. ii. 220, Gullþ. 20.

3. a triple or complex circumlocution is called rekit; fyrst heita kenningar ( simple), annat tvíkennt ( double), þriðja rekit, þat er kenning at kalla ‘flein-brag’ orrostu, en þat er tvíkennt at kalla ‘fleinbraks-fur’ sverðit, en þá er rekit er lengra er, Edda 122; cp. rek-stefja.

* * *

(gen. pl. skýja), n. cloud; skýjum efri, above the clouds.

* * *

n., gen. pl. skýja, dat. skýjum; [Dan. Swed. sky; cp. Engl. sky, although different in sense]:—a cloud, Alm. 18, 19; ský dökkt ok dimmt, Fms. xi. 136; svart ský, þrumu-ský, a thunder-cloud; ok sýnir regnboga þinn í skýjum, Blas. 47; þóttusk menn sjá, at regn mundi í skýinu, Eb. 260; tungl veðr í skýjum, the moon wades in clouds; skýjum efri, above the clouds, Edda; skýja deild, Skálda 162; skýja-rof, a rift or break in the clouds. For the notion that the fleeting clouds were the scattered brains of the giant Ýmir, see Gm. 41.

2. a cloud on the eye (causing blindness), cataract; drepr honum aldregi ský í augu. Hom. 47; það er ský á auganu.

COMPDS: skýbólstr, skýdrúpnir, skýjafall, skýjaferð, skýfjall, skýflóki, skýjaglópr, skýlauss, skýpílarr, skýskafa, skýstólpi, skýsvipan, skýþakðr.

* * *

(blæs; blés, blésum; blásinn), v.

1) to blow, of the wind;

blásandi byrr, a spanking breeze;

2) to blow with the mouth (hann blés í kross yfir drykk sínum); to pant (hestrinn tók at frýsa ok blása);

blása við to draw a deep breath, to sigh (jarl blés þá við mœðiliga);

fig., blása móti e-m, to be unfavourably disposed towards one;

3) with dat., to set in motion by blowing or breathing;

blés mœðiliga öndinni, breathed hard;

blása e-m e-u í brjóst, to inspire, suggest a thing to one (guð blés henni því í brjóst);

blása eldi, eitri, of serpents;

4) to blow with a musical instrument;

blása lúðri, horni, to blow the trumpet, horn;

blása liði (troops) til landgöngu;

blása til stefnu, to a meeting;

blása herblástr, to sound an alarm;

5) to melt, cast (blása gullmálm, rauða);

yxn tveir ór eiri blásnir (cast);

6) to blow up, inflate (sem belgr blásinn);

7) impers., blés upp fótinn, kviðinn, the leg, belly, swelled up;

of land, to be laid bare, stripped of the turf (hafði blásit hauginn ok lá silfrit bert).

* * *

t; sup. blasað, [Engl. blaze], of places, in the phrase, b. við, to lie full and open before the eye (mod.)

(gen. leiptrar, pl. leiptrir), f. lightning flash.

* * *

f., pl. leiptrir, Hkv. 1. 15; gen. sing. leiptrar, 2. 29; but in mod. usage neut.:—lightning, Sks. 203, passim in mod. usage.

2. in poetry; hræ-l., ‘carrion-lightning’ = a sword; or víg-l., ‘war-lightning,’ id.; alnar-l., ‘arm-lightning’ = gold; enni-leiptr, the ‘brow-lightning’ = the eye, see Lex. Poët.; leiptra hrót, the ‘lightning-roof’ = the sky, Harms.: leiptr is the name of a sword, Edda (Gl.)

II. the name of a myth. river, cp. the Gr. Πυριφλεγέθων, Gm.: an oath sworn by this river, Hkv. 2. 29.