the waxing

n. the new or waxing moon (ný ok nið skópu nýt regin).

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n. [Dan. ny], the ‘new’ of the moon, whereby the ancients seem to have meant the waxing or even the full moon, for the new moon was called nið, q. v.; and ný and nið (q. v.) are used alliteratively as terms opp. to one another; in the Rb., however, the translator of the Latin originals seems in a few instances to have rendered the Latin novilunium by ný: allit., ný ok nið, Vþm. 25, Edda 7, 96; um ný hit næsta ok niðar, N. G. L. i. 29, see nýlýsi below; með nýi hverju, 732. 1; verða þá misgöng at nýi meiri en áðr, ok þá gengr ný sem hæst, Rb. 478.

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(acc. nýjan), a.

1) new (n. átrúnaðr); af nýju, anew, again; næst nýss, just recently (þat vann næst nýss niðr Ylvinga);

2) fresh (nýtt kjöt, nýir fiskar).

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adj., ný, nýtt; gen. nýs, nýrar, nýs; dat. nýjum, nýri, nýju; acc. nýjan, nýja, nýtt: pl. nýir, nýjar, ný; gen. nýra, mod. nýrra; dat. nýjum; acc. nýja, nýjar, ný, see Gramm. p. xix: compar. nýri, mod. nýrri; superl. nýstr, mod. nýjastr; [Ulf. niujis = καινός and νέος; A. S. niwe; Engl. new; O. H. G. niuwi; Germ. neu; Dan.-Swed. ny]:—new; vaðmál nýtt ok únotið, Grág. i. 500; skrúðklæði ný, 504; nýtt tungl, a new moon, but in old usage, as it seems, the waxing, or even the full moon; cp. however, þvíat nýtt var at ok niða-myrkr, Grett. 111 A, where Ed. 1853 has hríð var á.

2. fresh; nýtt kjöt, þat er siðr Færcyinga at hafa nýtt kjöt öllum missarum, Fær. 298; nýja fiska ok ostrur, N. G. L. ii. 263; í nýju nauta blóði, Hdl. 10.

II. temp, new, fresh, recent; ný tíðendi, fresh news, Fas. iii. 597; nýra spjalla, Hkv. Hjörv. 31; of ný samkvámu-mál, Grág. i. 458; inn nýi háttr, the new metre, Edda (Ht.); þetta görðu menn at nýjum tíðendum, Nj. 14; ný bóla, a new blotch, in the phrase, það er engin ný bóla, ‘tis no new thing, ‘tis an old sore.

III. as subst., hón sagði at þat væri nú nýjast, Fas. iii. 219; spyrja eptir hvat til nýs ( quid novi) hefir borit, Mar.

2. adverb, phrases; næst nýs, nearest new, just recently, Hkv. 2. 7; af nýju, anew, again, Hkr. ii. 38, Stj. 504; mod., að nýju, Bs. i. 768; at fornu ok nýju, of old and of late, passim; á nýja-leik, anew, again, Fms. ix. 274, see leikr.

IV. in local names, as, Nýja-land, Newland (in America), Ann. 1290.

COMPDS: nýjabrum, nýjaleik.

B. ný-, denoting newly, recently, may be prefixed to almost every part. pass. as also to adjectives with a part. pass. sense; thus, ný-alinn, ný-fæddr, ný-borinn, new-born, Rb. 346, Fms. iii. 111; ný-gotinn, newly dropped; ný-gipt, ný-kvángaðr, newly married. Sks. 47, Fms. xi. 88; ný-skírðr, newly christened, ii. 42; ný-grafinn, -jarðaðr, newly buried; ný-vígðr, newly ordained or consecrated, Bs. i. 131, Ld. 230, Fms. ix. 413; ný-andaðr, ný-dáinn, ný-látinn, ný-dauðr, -fallinn, -drepinn, newly dead, Fms. xi. 308, Fas. i. 57, Glúm. 392, Fbr. 115, Mar.; ný-kominn, just come, Orkn. 450, Fms. i. 27, x. 118, Eg. 14; ný-farinn, ný-genginn, ný-sigldr, ný-riðinn, ný-hlaupinn, having newly gone, parted, sailed, ridden away, Landn. 84, Fms. ii. 278, viii. 350; ný-háttaðr, ný-sofnaðr, ný vaknaðr, newly gone to bed, to sleep, just awake, v. 105, Orkn. 212 Fas. ii. 411; ný-staðinn upp, having just risen; ný-seztr, having just sat down; ný-klæddr, just dressed, Hkr. iii. 128; ný-görr, newly made, Sturl. i. 121, Bárð. 168; ný-fenginn just recovered, Fms. x. 387; ný-brotinn, fresh broken, 623. 20; ný-gefinn, newly given, Eg. 174; ný-fundinn, just found, discovered, Stj. 650; ný-tekið, just received, Eg. 478, Fms. vii. 60; ný-misst, ný-tapaðr, newly lost; ný-liðinn, just past, Greg. 82; ný-byrjaðr, just begun; ný-lokinn, ný-endaðr, just finished, just done, Rb. 56; ný-lagðr, new-laid, Bs. i. 346; ný-búinn, just done; ný-mæltr, newly spoken, Fas. iii. 75; ný-tekinn, fresh taken, Eg. 478, Fms. vii. 60; ný-dubbaðr, new-dubbed, Al. 7; ný-nefndr, newly named, Bs. i. 699; ný-spurt, newly heard, Fms. i. 213; ný-orðinn (ný-skeð), having just happened, Bs. i. 469, Fms. viii. 5; ný-ortr, ný-ritaðr, ný-skrifaðr, newly composed, written, Glúm. 384; ný-sagðr, ný-talaðr, newly said, reported, Bs. i. 768; ný-greindr, id., 700; ný-vaxinn, Landn. 190; ný-runninn, ný-sprottinn, newly grown, Str. 49, Stj. 290; ný-bræddr, fresh tarred, Fms. viii. 383, xi. 437; ný-birktr, new-barked, of trees; ný-blæddr, new-bled, Orkn. 460, Symb. 29; ný-klipptr, new-shorn, Mart. 123; ný-markaðr, of sheep, Lv. 48; ný-saumaðr, fresh sewn, Orkn. 182; ný-sopit, having just sipped, Fbr. 214; ný-kefldr, newly gagged, of lambs, Eb. 244; ný-skorinn, new-cut, Eg. 516, Fms. iii. 114; ný-sleginn, new-mown, Str. 45; ný-soðinn, fresh cooked, Fas. ii. 232; ný-bakaðr, new-baked, Stj. 121; ný-þveginn, newly washed; ný-litaðr, fresh dyed, Blas. 45, Bs. i. 446; ný-þaktr, new-thatched, Fms. v. 331; ný-hvattr, new-whetted, Bjarn. 65; ný-karinn, new-polished, Fas. iii. 635; ný-bygðr, new-built; ný-þelaðr, refill nýþelaðr, a carpet with the nap on, i. e. not worn, not threadbare, Dipl. v. 18; ný-leitað, Grett. 111 A; ný-legit, Bs. i. 189; ný-rekit, Hrafn. 8; ný-skilizt, hafði hann nýskilizk við Túnsbergs menn, he had newly parted with them, Fms. viii. 408, v. l.

n. light of the waxing moon (sigla um nóttina við nýlýsi).

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(vex; óx or vóx, óxum or uxum; vaxinn), v.

1) to wax, grow (hann heyrir þat er gras vex á jörðu); v. upp, to grow up (þá er hann óx upp); honum vóx eigi skegg, no beard grew on his chin;

2) v. e-u, to be overgrown with (hrísi vex ok hávu grasi vegr, er vætki treðr);

3) to wax, increase (veðr, vindr vex); þá er honum óx aldr, when he grew older; e-m vex e-t í augu, a thing grows big in one’s eyes;

4) to grow greater in fame (Sigurðr konungr þótti v. mikit af þessi veiziu).

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pres. vex, pl. vöxum; pret. óx, pl. óxu, mod. uxu; subj. eyxi or yxi, which is the mod. form; imperat. vax; part. vaxinn: with the v, vóx, vóxu, vyxi: with suff. neg. vax-at-tu, wax thou not, Edda (in a verse): [Ulf. wahsian, wobs, = αὐξάνειν; A. S. weaxan; Hel. and O. H. G. wahsan; Engl. wax; Germ. wachsen; Dutch wassen; Dan. voxe; Swed. wäxa; cp. Gr. αὐξάνειν; Lat. augere; and Icel. auka, q. v.]

B. To wax, grow, of grass, plants, trees, wool, as also of men, animals; munu ósánir akrar vaxa, Vsp. 61; vegr vex hrísi ok há grasi, Hm. 120, Gm. 17; stóð um vaxinn mistil-teinn, Vsp. 36; þar sem þessi tré uxu, Al. 173; hann heyrir þat er gras vex á jörðu eða ull á sauðum, Edda 17; þar eru eyru sæmst er óxu, see eyra; þá nam at vaxa álmr ítrborinn, Hkv. 1. 9; vex viðar-teinungr einn fyrir austan Valhöll, Edda 37; í syni mínum var-at ílls þegns efni vaxit, Stor. 11; hann nam at vaxa ok vel dafna, … upp óx þar jarl á fletjum, Rm. 8, 19, 32; lékum leik margan ok í lundi óxum, Am. 68; þá nam ek vaxa ok vel hafask, Hm. 142; þá er hann óx upp, Eg. 702; óx (vóx Ed.) Óláfr þar upp, Fms. i. 96; hann var þá vaxinn mjök, 466; syni fulltíða … dóttur ef hón er vaxin, Gþl. 432; enn vaxni maðr, Grág. (Kb.) ch. 91; hvernig óxu ættir saman þaðan, Edda 4.

II. to wax, increase; óx svá mjök ríki Sverris konungs, Fms. viii. 105; honum vóx alldr, iv. 32; hann óx dag frá degi í góðum verkum, 686 B. 4; vóx hann ok þróaðisk, Fms. x. 230; at Guðs réttr ætti jafnan at vaxa en hvergi þverra, 271; óxu auðæfi þín, Hom. 151; vex minni manns, Rb. 352; Eiríks úvinsæld vóx því meirr, Fms. i. 22; þá tók enn at vaxa kláðinn, ii. 188; veðrit óx svá at hríð mikla görði, Nj. 267; vindrinn tók at vaxa, Fms. x. 136; vaxattu nú Vimr, of the river, Edda (in a verse); sol vex, Sks. 57; á vaxanda vári, 12 new Ed.; dagar vóxu, Lil. 10; þá vox orð af orði, Fms. vii. 269; hvars hatr vex, Hm.; þeir sá at vit hans óx ok eljun, Fms. ix. 244, v. l.; vaxanda vági, a waxing wave, Hm.; vaxandi tungl, a waxing moon.

2. of fame, report; þótti Þórgeirr mjök hafa vaxit ok framit sik, Nj. 254; þykkjumk ek ekki af því vaxa þótt ek bíða heima þræla Haralds, Ld. 4; þótti hann mikit hafa vaxit af þessu verki, 150; Sigurðr konungr þótti vaxa mikit af þessi veizlu, Fms. iv. 83; lízt mér sem vant muni svá málinu at fylgja at öruggt sé at vit vaxim af, Glúm. 346; hvar viti ér þann konung er meirr hafi vaxit á einum morni, O. H. L.; mun þar vaxa sæmd þín við, Nj. 47; sem minnkaðisk vár sæmd heldr enn yxi, Fms. x. 7; vex hverr af gengi, a saying, Sighvat.

3. in the phrase, e-m vex e-t í augu; … at minnr vaxi fyrir augum at ráða stórt, Fms. vi. 399; minnr myndi Þjóstólfi í augu vaxa, at drepa Atla, Nj. 58; at slíkir láti sér eigi allt í augu vaxa, Fms. xi. 96; lát þér þat ekki í augu vaxa, Nj. 13.

III. part. vaxinn, grown, of land; hólmi reyri vaxinn, Fms. i. 71; dalr viði vaxinn, viii. 110; land skógi vaxit, Fb. i. 431; í þann tíð vas Ísland viði vaxit miðli fjalls ok fjöru, Íb. 4; þar skal engi dómr vera er engi er vaxit, Grág. (Kb.) ii. 86.

2. grown, shapen; fígura vaxin sem spjót, Ann. 560; Noregr er vaxinn með þrem oddum, Fms. x. 272; hagl svá vaxit sem frauka rigndi, Al. 169; gull-ker vaxin á þá mynd sem, Stj. 437; svá vaxinn hringr sem, Mar.; at svá vöxnu máli, Fms. vii. 141, xi. 37 (mála-vöxtr), Anecd. 70; svá er við vaxit, matters stand so, Fms. vi. 234; nú veit ek ef svá væri útanlands við vaxit, at …, x. 244, Nj. 186; eigi er svá við vaxit, that is not the case, Fms. vi. 234, Nj. 180, v. l.; svá er til vaxit, id., Hom. (St.); maðr vel vaxinn, well-grown, handsome, Fms. vii. 102; harð-vaxinn, fagr-vaxinn, þykk-vaxinn, há-vaxinn, ítr-vaxinn.

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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.

n. pl. the waning moon; the time before new moon; Máni stýrir göngu tungls ok ræðr nýjum ok niðum, and rules its waxing and waning.

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n. [Ulf. neiþ = φθόνος; A. S. nîð; O. H. G. nid; Germ. neid; Dan.-Swed. nid]:—contumely, Vsp. 56; segja e-m níð, Akv. 35.

2. particularly as a law term, a libel, liable to outlawry:—of a libel in verse, yrkja, kveða níð um e-n, Nj. 70; ef maðr kveðr níð um mann at lögbergi ok varðar skóggang, Grág. (Kb.) ii. 184: the classical passages in the Sagas are Hkr. O. T. ch. 36, cp. Jómsv. S. ch. 13 (Fms. xi. 42, 43), Kristni S. ch. 4, Nj. ch. 45, Bjarn. 33 (the verse). Another and even graver kind of níð was the carving a person’s likeness (tré-níð) in an obscene position on an upraised post or pole (níð-stöng), for an instance of which see Bjarn. 33; ef maðr görir níð um annan ok varðar þat fjörbaugs-garð, en þat er níð ef maðr skerr tréníð manni eðr rístr eða reisir manni níðstöng, Grág. i. 147; when the post was set up, a horse’s head was also put up, and a man’s head was carved on the pole’s end, with dire Runes and imprecations; all this is described in a lively manner in Eg. ch. 60 and Vd. ch. 34, Landn. 4. ch. 4, Rd. ch. 25. The beina-kerlinga-vísur of mod. times are no doubt a remnant of the old níðstöng;—certain stone pyramids (varða) along mountain-roads are furnished with sheeps’ legs or horses’ heads, and are called beina-kerling ( bone carline); one of the most noted is on the Kaldadal, as one passes from the north to the south of Iceland, it is even marked in the map; a passing traveller alights and scratches a ditty called beina-kerlinga-vísa (often of a scurrilous or even loose kind) on one of the bones, addressing it to the person who may next pass by; for a specimen see Bjarni 193, as also in poems of Jón Þorláksson, for there hardly was a poet who did not indulge in these poetical licences. In popular legends the devil always scratches his writing on a blighted horse’s bone.

f, thus (not Nið) in Ann. Reg., a river in Norway, whence Níðar-óss, m. the famous old town in Drontheim in Norway.

n. pl. the waning moon; the time before new moon; Máni stýrir göngu tungls ok ræðr nýjum ok niðum, and rules its waxing and waning.

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f., pl. niðar, N. G. L. i. 29; dat. pl. niðjum, Vsp. 6 (later niðum); the gender is seen from the pl. niðar (l. c.) from the compd niðar- below, as also from the provinc. Norse and Swed. near; [Swed. nedar; Dan. næ; Ivar Aasen near]:— the wane of the moon, when there is ‘no moon;’ it is in use in Sweden and Denmark, but now obsolete in Iceland, except in the compd niða-myrkr, qs. niðar-myrkr; in old writers esp. in the allit. phrases, ný ok nið, full moon and no moon, Vþm. 25; Máni stýrir göngu tungls ok ræðr nýjum ok niðum, Edda 7; um ny hit næsta ok niðar (acc. pl.), N. G. L. i. 29; nótt með niðum, Vþm. 24; nótt ok niðjum (i. e. niðum) nöfn um gáfu, Vsp. 6; máni, ný, nið, Edda 76: poët., niða borg = the heaven, Skálda (in a verse).

COMPDS: Nlðafjöll, niðamyrkr.

(gen. vaxtar, dat. vexti; pl. vextir, acc. vöxtu), m.

1) growth, increase;

ganga (fara) í vöxt, to increase;

2) increase, interest;

taka fé til vaxta, to make it productive;

3) size, stature (mikill, lítill vexti);

haffœranda skip at vexti, a sea-going ship in size;

4) way of growth, shape (líkr e-m á vöxt ok viðbragð);

5) condition, state, the circumstance of a case (hann sagði honum alla vöxtu, sem á vóru um þeira eyrendi);

svá er mál með vexti, at, the case stands so that.

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m., gen. vaxtar, dat. vexti, pl. vextir, acc. vöxtu, mod. vexti; [Ulf. wahstus = αὔξησις, ἡλικία; Dan. væxt; from vaxa, q. v.]:—‘waxing,’ size, stature; mikil vexti, Bs. i. 646, Nj. 2; bergrísi at afli ok vexti, Eg. 22; menn litlir vexti, 25; vöxt ok afl, 29; göra klæði við vöxt e-s, 516: of size, öll skip sem vöxtr var at, Sturl. ii. 177; skip vel haffærandi at vexti, Fms. iv. 255; þat skip var gört eptir vexti Orms ins Skamma, vi. 308; þat vatn er vel mikit at vexti, Sks. 90; heimsins vöxt, 195; at mikilleik ok vexti, Ó. H. 235; lítils vaxtar, of small size, Mar.

2. growth, increase; or tungl hefir þrjár nætr vaxtar síns, Rb. 452; vera með vexti, to be increasing, Barl. 169; ganga í vöxt, to increase, Bs. i. 802; fara í vöxt, to increase, Fms. ix. 430; færa í vöxt, to exaggerate, vi. 14: increase, interest, heimta fulgurnar með vöxtum, Grág. i. 270; taka vöxtu á fé sínu, 180; taka fé til vaxta, 183; á-vöxtr, q. v.

3. way of growth, shape; ritinn með lykkju á’s en með öllum vexti és, Skúlda; líkr e-m á vöxt ok viðbragð, Fms. vi. 12.

4. growth, produce; skóg með tupt ok vexti, crop, Vm. 114; á-vöxtr, q. v.

II. metaph. standing, state, the circumstance of a case, esp. in plur.; eigi er svá við vöxt, it does not stand so, Fb. iii. 333; sjám hverir vextir á eru, ii. 313, v. 20; hann sagði honum alla vöxtu sem á vóru um þeirra eyrendi, Ld. 46, Karl. 391: the phrase, svá er mál með vexti, at …, the case stands so, that …, Lv. 43. vaxta-lauss, adj. without increate or interest, Grág. i. 251.