Ala

As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:

ala Old Norse word can mean:

ala

ól, ólu, alið; pres. el, [Ulf. a single time uses the partic. alans = εντρεφόμενος, and twice a weak verb aliþs = σιτευτός, a fatling. The word seems alien to other Teut. idioms, but in Lat. we find alere; cp. the Shetland word alie, to nourish.] Gener. to give birth to, nourish, support, etc.

ala

I. to bear, esp. of the mother; but also of both parents; rarely of the father alone, to beget: börn ólu þau, they begat children, Rm. 12; þat barn er þau ala skal eigi arf taka, Grág. i. 178: of the father alone, enda eru börn þau eigi arfgeng, er hann elr við þeirri konu, which be begets by that woman, 181; but esp. of the mother, to bear, give birth to; jóð ól Amma, Rm. 7; þóra ól barn um sumarit, Eg. 166, Fms. iv. 32, i. 14; hon fær eigi alit barnit, Fas. i. 118.

ala

β. metaph. to produce, give rise to; en nú elr hverr þessara stafa níu annan staf undir sér, Skálda 162.

ala

2. pass. to be born, begotten; börn þau öll er alin eru fyrir jól, who are born, n. G. L. i.; 377; the phrase, alnir ok úbornir, born and unborn, present and future generations, has now become aldir ok óbornir; eigu þau börn er þar alask (who are born there) at taka arf út hingat, Grág. i. 181; barn hvert skal færa til kirkju sem alit er, every child that is born, K. Þ. K. 1; ef barn elsk svá naer páskum, is born, 16.

ala

β. of animals (rarely), justus heitir forað, þat elsk (is engendered) í kviði eins dýrs, 655 xxx. 4.

ala

II. to nourish, support, Lat. alere:

ala

1. esp. to bring up, of children; the Christian Jus EccL., in opposition to the heathen custom of exposing children, begins with the words, ala skal barn hvert er borit verðr, every child that is born shall be brought up, K. Á. ch. 1.

ala

β. adding the particle upp; skal eigi upp ala, heldr skal út bera barn þetta, this bairn shall not be brought up, but rather be borne out (i. e. exposed to perish), Finnb. 112.

ala

2. to feed, give food to, harbour, entertain; ala gest ok ganganda, guests; ala þurfamenn, the poor, D. in deeds of gift; en sá maðr er þar býr skal ala menn alla þá er hann hyggr til góðs at alnir sé, he shall harbour them, D. i. 169; ala hvern at ósekju er vilL. to harbour, 200; Guð elf gesti (a proverb), God pays for the guests, Bs. i. 247; sótt elr sjúkan, fever is the food of the sick; utanhrepps göngumenn skal enga ala, ok eigi gefa mat, hvárki meira né minna, gangrels of an outlying district shall none of them be harboured, nor have meat given them, neither more nor less, Grág. i. 293, 117.

ala

β. of animals, to nourish, breed; einn smásauð er hann ól heima í húsi sínu, one pet lamb which he had reared at home in his own house, Stj. 516; segir allæliligan, ok kvað verða mundu ágæta naut ef upp væri alinn, of a live calf, Eb. 318. 2. pass, to be brought tip, educated; ólusk (grew up) í ætt þar, æstir kappar (or were born), HdL. 18; alask upp, to be brought up; hence uppeldi, n.

ala

III. metaph. in such phrases as, ala aldr sinn, vitam degere, to pass one’s days, Bárð. 165: the phrase, ala e-t eptir e-m, to give one encouragement in a thing, bring one tip in, esp. in a bad sense; ól hann eptir engum manni ódáðir, Joh. 625. 93: ala á mál, to persist in, urge on a thing; karl elr á málið (begs hard) at Gunnar mundi til hans fara, Sd. 172, ÍsL. ii. 133, 163:—the present phrase is, að ala e-t við e-n, to bear a grudge against…; and in a negative sense, ala ekki, to let bygones be bygones: ala önn fyrir, to provide for: a. öfund, sorg, um e-t, to grudge, feel pang (poët.), etc.

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᛅᛚᛅ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements

Also available in related dictionaries:

This headword also appears in dictionaries of other languages descending from Old Norse.

• Old Icelandic - Geir Zoëga's Dictionary
• Old Norwegian - Johan Fritzner's Dictionary
• Old Swedish - K.F Söderwall's Dictionary