Bíta

Old Norse Dictionary - bíta

Meaning of Old Norse word "bíta" in English.

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

bíta Old Norse word can mean:

bíta
beit, bitu, bitið; pres. bít; imperat. bít, 2nd pers. bittú; poët. forms with the negative, beitat, Eg. (in a verse); subj. bítia, Hkv. 2. 31, [Ulf. beitan; Engl. bite; Germ. beizen]:—to bite, Lat. mordere:
bíta
I. properly,
bíta
1. with the teeth, Eg. 508, n. G. l. i. 351; b. menn (of a dog), Grág. ii. 119; b. skarð ór, Eg. 605: of a horse, n. G. l. i. 392: foxes killing sheep, BS. ii. 138, n. G. l. ii. 34 (wolf):—to sting, of wasps, gnats, Landn. 146.
bíta
2. of grazing animals; b. gras, lauf, skóg, Grág. ii. 229, (hence beit, pasture); hvar hestar þínir bitu gras, FS. 57: absol. to graze, Karl. 71.
bíta
3. of sharp instruments, weapons (vápnbitinn); engir vóru ósárir nema þeir er eigi bitu járn, except those whom iron could not bite, Eg. 33; sverðit beit ekki, did not cut, Nj. 45, Edda 7; ljárnir bíta, 48; fótrinn brotnaði en eigi beit, the sword did not cut but broke the leg, Bjarn. 66.
bíta
β. e-m bítr, one’s weapon (scythe) cuts well, bites; allt bitu honum annan veg vápnin, Eg. 93.
bíta
4. of a ship, to cruise; hér er skip … er vér köllum bíta (bite the wind) allra skipa bezt, the best sailer, FS. 27: impers., beit þeim eigi fyrir Reykjanes, they could not clear cape R., Landn. 30.
bíta
5. in fishing, to bite, take the bait; bítr vel á um daginn, the fishes did bite, Ld. 40; bíta mætti beitfiskr, q. v.
bíta
6. bíta á vörrinni, to bite the lip as a token of pain or emotion, Nj. 68; hann hafði bitið á kampinum, had bitten the beard, 209.
bíta
II. metaph.:
bíta
α. of frost, cold, sickness, and the like.
bíta
β. to bite, sting, hurt; hvat mun oss heldr b. orð hans, why should his speech sting us any more? Grett. 95 A; eigi veit ek prestr, nema orðin þín hafi bitið, thy words have bit, FmS. vii. 39.
bíta
γ. as a law term; sekt, sök bítr, the guilt strikes the convict, when brought home to him, hence sakbitinn, guilty; pá menn er hvártveggja hafa bitið, lög, réttindi ok svá dómar, convicted in the face of law and justice, SkS. 655 B; um þau mál sem sekt bítr, i. e. unlawful cases, liable to punishment, K. Á. 148; um þat er sekt bítr, Grett. 133 A (new Ed. 1853), SkS. 655.
bíta
δ. b. á e-n, to cut deep, affect, make an impression upon; the phrase, láta ekki á sig b., to stand proof against all; þetta lét Kjartan á sik b., K. felt pain from it, Ld. 204; láttu þetta ekki á þik b., do not mind it, id.; rennr þat öðrum opt mjök í brjóst, er á suma bítr ekki (of the conscience), 655 xi.
bíta
ε. e-t bítr fyrir, something ‘bites off,’ i. e. is decisive, makes a thing impossible or out of question; þat annat (the other reason) er þó bítr skjótara, which is still more decided against it, FmS. ii. 266; þeir kváðust þenna kost eigi vilja, ok kváðu þat tvennt til vera er fyrir beit, two decided obstacles, reasons against it, Sturl. iii. 47; þú ert miklu œri maðr at aldri, en svá at vér hafim her lögtekna í Jómsborg, ok bítr þat fyrir, that puts it out of question, makes it impossible, FmS. x. 93; Þorgilsi þykir nú þetta ráð mega fyrir bíta, Th. thought this would be quite sufficient,—fyrir hlíta would here be better,—Ld. 264; þeir höfðu jafnan minna hlut ór málum, þó þetta bití nú fyrir, they always got the worst of it, though this was a thorough beating, FaS. i. 144; (þat er) lögmanni ok lögréttumönnum þykir fyrir b., seems a decisive proof, cuts the case off at once, n. G. l. ii. 21; b. e-m at fullu, to prove fatal to, tell fully upon; hafa mik nú at fullu bitið hans ráð, FS. 8; Njáls bíta ráðin, a proverb quoted by Arngrim in Brevis Comment., written A. D. 1593, denoting the sagacity of Njal’s schemes; beit þetta ráð, it was effective, FS. 153; e-m bítr við at horfa, Band. 7 C, is no doubt a false reading, = býðr, which is the reading l. c. of the vellum MS. 2845, vide bjóða.
bíta
III. recipR. of horse fight, Rd. 298.

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

Abbreviations used:

Engl.
English.
f.
feminine.
Germ.
German.
gl.
glossary.
imperat.
imperative.
l.
line.
Lat.
Latin.
m.
masculine.
pers.
person.
poët.
poetically.
pres.
present.
subj.
subjunctive.
Ulf.
Ulfilas.
v.
vide.
L.
Linnæus.
n.
neuter.
absol.
absolute, absolutely.
impers.
impersonal.
R.
Rimur.
q. v.
quod vide.
metaph.
metaphorical, metaphorically.
i. e.
id est.
id.
idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation
A. D.
Anno Domini.
l. c.
loco citato.
S.
Saga.
pr.
proper, properly.
recipr.
reciprocally.

Works & Authors cited:

Eg.
Egils Saga. (D. II.)
Hkv.
Helga-kviða Hundingsbana. (A. II.)
Bs.
Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
Grág.
Grágás. (B. I.)
Landn.
Landnáma. (D. I.)
N. G. L.
Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)
Fs.
Forn-sögur. (D. II.)
Karl.
Karla-magnús Saga. (G. I.)
Bjarn.
Bjarnar Saga. (D. II.)
Edda
Edda. (C. I.)
Nj.
Njála. (D. II.)
Ld.
Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)
Fms.
Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Grett.
Grettis Saga. (D. II.)
K. Á.
Kristinn-réttr Árna biskups. (B. III.)
Sks.
Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)
Band.
Banda-manna Saga. (D. II.)
Fas.
Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)
Sturl.
Sturlunga Saga. (D. I.)
Th.
Theophilus. (F. III.)
Rd.
Reykdæla Saga. (D. II.)
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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