Aptr

Old Norse Dictionary - aptr

Meaning of Old Norse word "aptr" in English.

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

aptr Old Norse word can mean:

aptr: and aftr (aptar, n. G. l. i. 347), adv., compar. aptar, superl. aptast, [Ulf. aftra = πάλιν], the spelling with p is borne out by the Gr. αψ.

aptr: I. loc. back, back again:

aptr: 1. WITH MOTION, connected with verbs denoting to go or move, such as fara, ganga, koma, leiða, senda, snúa, sækja, etc., where aptr almost answers to Lat. re-, remittere, reducere, reverti …; gefa a., reddere; bera a., refellere; kalla a., revocare; reka a., repellere: a. hverfr lygi þá er sönnu mætir (a proverb), a lie turns back when it meets truth, Bs. i. 639. ‘aptr’ implies a notion a loco or in locum, ‘eptir’ that of remaining in loco; thus skila a. means remittere; skilja eptir, relinquere; taka a., recipere, in a bad sense; taka eptir, animum attendere; fara a., redire; vera e., remanere, etc.; fara, snúa, koma, senda, sækja, hverfa a., Nj. 260, 281, Fms. x. 395, iv. 300, Edda 30, Eg. 271, Eb. 4, Fs. 6; færa a., to repay, n. G. l. i. 20; snúast a., Lækn. 472. Without actual motion,—as of sounds; þeir heyrðu a. í rjóðrit óp, they heard shouting behind them, Fms. iv. 300; nú skal eigi prestr ganga svá langt frá kirkju at hann heyri eigi klokkur hljóð aftar (= aftr), he shall not go out of the sound of the bells, n. G. l. i. 347.

aptr: β. backwards; fram ok a., to and fro (freq.); reið hann suðr aptr, rode back again, Nj. 29; aptr á bak, supine, bent or turned back, Eg. 380; þeir settu hnakka á bak sér a., bent their necks backwards in order to be able to see, Edda 30; skreiðast a. af hestinum, to slip down backwards from the croup of a horse, to dismount, Fs. 65.

aptr: γ. connected with many verbs such as, láta, lúka a., to close, shut, opp. to láta, lúka upp, Fær. 264, Eg. 7, Landn. 162; in a reverse sense to Lat. recludere, reserere, rescindere, resolvere.

aptr: 2. WITHOUT MOTION = aptan, the hind part, the back of anything; þat er maðr fram (superne), en dýr a., the fore part a man, the hind part a beast, 673. 2; síðan lagði hann at tennrnar a. við huppinn, he caught the hip with his teeth, Vígl. 21. The English aft when used of a ship; breði a. ok fram, stern and stem (of a ship), Fms. ix. 310; Sigurðr sat a. á kistunni, sate aft on the stern-chest, vii. 201; a. ok frammi, of the parts of the body (of a seal), Sks. 179. compar. aptarr, farther back, Fms. vi. 76.

aptr: II. temp. again, πάλιν, iterum: this use of the word, general as it is at present, hardly appears in old writers; they seem to have had no special expression for again, but instead of it said síðan, enn, or used a periphrase, á nýja leik, öðru sinni, annat sinn, or some other substitute. It is, however, very freq. in Goth. aftra = πάλιν, Swed. åter, Dan. atter; some passages in the Sagas come near to the mod. use, e. g. bæta a., restituere, to give back (but not temp.); segja friði a., to recal, n. G. l. i. 103; hann maelti at engi mundi þann fald a. falda, El. 20, uncertain whether loc. (backward) or iterum, most likely the former. It is now used in a great many compounds, answering to Lat. re-, cp. also endr.

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

Abbreviations used:

adv.: adverb.

compar.: comparative.

f.: feminine.

Gr.: Greek.

l.: line.

L.: Linnæus.

superl.: superlative.

Ulf.: Ulfilas.

v.: vide.

etc.: et cetera.

Lat.: Latin.

n.: neuter.

freq.: frequent, frequently.

opp.: opposed.

gl.: glossary.

cp.: compare.

Dan.: Danish.

e. g.: exempli gratia.

Goth.: Gothic.

loc.: local, locally.

mod.: modern.

Swed.: Swedish.

temp.: temporal.

Works & Authors cited:

N. G. L.: Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

Eb.: Eyrbyggja Saga. (D. II.)

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)

Eg.: Egils Saga. (D. II.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Fs.: Forn-sögur. (D. II.)

Lækn.: Lækninga-bók. (H. V.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

Fær.: Færeyinga Saga. (E. II.)

Landn.: Landnáma. (D. I.)

Sks.: Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)

Vígl.: Víglundar Saga. (D. V.)

El.: Elis Saga. (G. II.)

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

Also available in related dictionaries:

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