Aptan

Old Norse Dictionary - aptan

Meaning of Old Norse word "aptan" in English.

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

aptan
and aftan, s, m., dat. aptni, pl. aptnar, sometimes spelt apni and apnar, [Hel. aband; Germ. abend; Engl. even, evening; in Ulf. we only find andanahti = Gr. οψέ, οψία; Swed. afton, Dan. aften,—as it is often spelt], evening; not very freq. in prose, where kveld is the common word. It prop. meant the time from 3 till 9 o’clock, like the Old English ‘even;’ miðraptan (middle-eve) is 6 o’clock; at 9 o’clock the night sets in, v. náttmál: a distinction is made between aptan and kveld, einn aptan at kveldi, an afternoon when the kveld (twilight) sets in, Edda 35: but gener. = kveld, um aptaninn síð er myrkt var orðit, Fms. iv. 308, viii. 228, xi. 113; at aptni, 623. 55, Fms. viii. 201, Grág. i. 146; of aptna (apna), Grág. ii. 224; á öptnum, Bjarn. 23; miðraptan, Hrafn. 9, Nj. 153; aptans bíðr óframs sök, a laggard’s suit bides till even (a proverb).

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

Similar entries:

Abbreviations used:

Dan.
Danish.
dat.
dative.
Engl.
English.
f.
feminine.
freq.
frequent, frequently.
gener.
generally.
Germ.
German.
gl.
glossary.
Gr.
Greek.
Hel.
Heliand.
l.
line.
m.
masculine.
n.
neuter.
pl.
plural.
prop.
proper, properly.
Swed.
Swedish.
Ulf.
Ulfilas.
v.
vide.

Works & Authors cited:

Bjarn.
Bjarnar Saga. (D. II.)
Edda
Edda. (C. I.)
Fms.
Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Grág.
Grágás. (B. I.)
Hrafn.
Hrafnkels Saga. (D. II.)
Nj.
Njála. (D. II.)
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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