Bróðir

Old Norse Dictionary - bróðir

Meaning of Old Norse word "bróðir" in English.

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

bróðir Old Norse word can mean:

bróðir: gen. dat. acc. bróður; pl. nom. acc. bræðr, gen. bræðra, dat. bræðrum: in mod. common usage irregular forms occur, as gen. sing. bróðurs; nom. sing., and gen. dat. acc. are also sometimes confounded, esp. in keeping the nom. form bróðir through all cases, or even the reverse (but rarely) in taking bróður as a nom.; another irregularity is acc. pl. with the article, bræður-nar instead of bræður-na, which latter form only survives in writing, the former in speaking. There is besides an obsolete poetical monosyllabic form brœðr, in nom. dat. acc. sing. and nom. acc. pl.; gen. sing. bræðrs; cp. such rhymes as brœðr—œðri, in a verse of Einar Skúlason (died about 1170); bræðr (dat.) Sinfjötla, Hkv. 2. 8, as nom. sing., Fagrsk. 54, v. l. (in a verse), etc., cp. Lex. Poët. This form is very rare in prose, vide however D. I..)">Nj., Lat. VerS. Johnsonius, 204, 333, v. 1., and a few times in Stj., e. g. síns bræðr, sinn bræðr, 160; it seems to be a Norse form, but occurs now and then in Icel. poetry even of the 15th century, e. g. bræðr nom. sing. rhymes with ræðr, Skáld H. 3. 11, G. H. m. ii. 482, but is quite strange to the spoken language: [Gr. φράτηρ; Lat. frāter; Goth. brôþar; A. S. brôðar; Engl. brother; Germ. bruder; Swed.-Dan. broder, pl. brödre]:—a brother: proverbs referring to this word—saman er bræðra eign bezt at sjá, Gísl. 17; einginn or annars bróðir í leik; móður-bræðrum verða menn líkastir, BS. i. 134: a distinction is made between b. samfeðri or sammæðri, a brother having the same father or mother, Grág. i. 170 sqq.: in mod. usage more usual al-bróðir, brother on both sides; hálf-bróðir, a half-brother; b. skilgetinn, frater germanus móður-bróðir, a mother’s brother; föður-bróðir, a father’s brother, uncle; afa-bróðir, a grand-uncle on the father’s side; ömmu bróðir, a grand-uncle on the mother’s side; tengda-bróðir, a brother-in-law: in familiar talk an uncle is called ‘brother,’ and an aunt ‘sister.’ The ties of brotherhood were most sacred with the old Scandinavians; a brotherless man was a sort of orphan, cp. the proverb, berr er hverr á baki nema sér bróður eigi; to revenge a brother’s slaughter was a sacred duty; nú tóku þeir þetta fastmælum, at hvárr þeirra skal hefna annars eðr eptir mæla, svá sem þeir sé sambornir bræðr, Bjarn. 58: the word bróðurbani signifies a deadly foe, with whom there can be no truce, Hm. 88, Sdm. 35, Skm. 16, Hdl. 28; instances from the Sagas, Dropl. S. (in fine), Heiðarv. S. ch. 22 sqq., D. I..)">Grett. S. ch. 50. 92 sqq., E ch. 23, D. I..)">Ld. ch. 53 sqq., etc. The same feeling extended to foster-brotherhood, after the rite of blending blood has been performed; see the graphical descriptions in D. I..)">Fbr. S. (the latter part of the Saga), Gísl. ch. 14 sqq., etc. The universal peace of Fróði in the mythical age is thus described, that ‘no one will draw the sword even if he finds his brother’s slayer bound,’ GS. verse 6; of the slaughter preceding and foreboding the Ragnarök (the end of the world) it is said, that brothers will fight and put one another to death, Vsp. 46.

bróðir: II. metaph.:

bróðir: 1. in a heathen sense; fóst-bróðir, foster-brother, q. v.; eið-bróðir, svara-bróðir, ‘oath-brother;’ leik-bróðir, play-brother, play-fellow: concerning foster-brothership, v. esp. Gísl. ii, D. I..)">Fbr., FaS. iii. 375 sqq., Hervar. S., D. I..)">Nj. 39, LS. 9, the phrase, blanda blóði saman.

bróðir: 2. in a Christian sense, brother, brethren, n. T., H. E., BS.

bróðir: β. a brother, friar; Svörtu-bræðr, Blackfriars; Berfættu-bræðr, q. v.; Kórs-bræðr, Fratres Canonici, BS., etc.

bróðir: COMPDS:

bróðir: I. sing., bróður-arfr, m. a brother’s inheritance, Orkn. 96, FmS. ix. 444. bróður-bani, a, m. a brother’s bane, fratricide, D. I..)">Ld. 236, FmS. iii. 21, vide above. bróðiir-baugr, m. weregild due to the brother, n. G. l. i. 74. bróður-blóð, n. a brother’s blood, Stj. 42. gen. iv. 10. bróður-bætr, f. pl. weregild for a brother, Lv. 89. bróður-dauði, a, m. a brother’s death, Gísl. 24. bróður-deild, f. = bróðurhluti, Fr. bróður-dóttir, f. a brother’s daughter, niece, Grág. i. 170, D. I..)">Nj. 177; bróðurdóttur son, a brother’s son, n. G. l. i. 76. bróður-dráp, n. the slaying of a brother, Stj. 43, FmS. v. 290. bróður-gildr, adj. equal in right (inheritance) to a brother, Fr. bróður-gjöld, n. pl. = bróður-bætr, D. I..)">Eg. 312. bróður-hefnd, f. revenge for the slaying of a brother, Sturl. ii. 68. bróður-hluti, a, m. the share (as to weregild or inheritance) of a brother, Grág. ii. 175. bróður-kona, u, f. a brother’s wife, K. Á. 142. bróöur-kván, f. id., n. G. l. i. 170. bróður-lóð, n. a brother’s share of inheritance. bróður-son, m. a brother’s son, nephew, D. I..)">Nj. 122, Grág. i. 171, Gþl. 239, 240; bróðursona-baugr, Grág. ii. 179.

bróðir: II. pl., bræðra-bani, v. bróðurbani, D. I..)">Fbr. 165. bræðra-búr, n. a friar’s bower in a monastery, Dipl. v. 18. bræðra-börn, n. pl. cousins (agnate), Gþl. 245. bræðra-dætr, f. pl. nieces(of brothers), Gþl. 246. bræðra-eign, f. property of brothers, Gísl. 17. bræðra-garðr, m. a ‘brothers-yard,’ monastery, D. n. bræðra-lag, n. fellowship of brethren, in heathen sense = fóstbræðralag, Hkr. iii. 300; of friars, H. E., D. I.; brotherhood, PasS. 9. 6. bræðra-mark, n. astron., the Gemini, Pr. 477. bræðra-skáli, a, m. an apartment for friars, Vm. 109. bræðra-skipti, n. division of inheritance among brothers, Hkr. iii. 52, FaS. i. 512. bræðra-synir, m. pl. cousins (of brothers), Gþl. 53.

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

Abbreviations used:

acc.: accusative.

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.

ch.: chapter.

cp.: compare.

Dan.: Danish.

dat.: dative.

e. g.: exempli gratia.

Engl.: English.

esp.: especially.

etc.: et cetera.

gen.: genitive.

Germ.: German.

gl.: glossary.

Goth.: Gothic.

Gr.: Greek.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

l.: line.

Lat.: Latin.

m.: masculine.

mod.: modern.

n.: neuter.

nom.: nominative.

pl.: plural.

S.: Saga.

sing.: singular.

Swed.: Swedish.

v.: vide.

v. l.: varia lectio.

metaph.: metaphorical, metaphorically.

q. v.: quod vide.

adj.: adjective.

f.: feminine.

Fr.: French in etymologies.

id.: idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation

L.: Linnæus.

s. v.: sub voce.

astron.: astronomy, astronomically.

Works & Authors cited:

Bjarn.: Bjarnar Saga. (D. II.)

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

Dropl.: Droplaugar-sona Saga. (D. II.)

Fagrsk.: Fagrskinna. (K. I.)

Fbr.: Fóstbræðra Saga. (D. II.)

Gísl.: Gísla Saga. (D. II.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Grett.: Grettis Saga. (D. II.)

Gs.: Grótta-söngr. (A. II.)

Hdl.: Hyndlu-ljóð. (A. II.)

Heiðarv. S.: Heiðarvíga Saga. (D. II.)

Hkv.: Helga-kviða Hundingsbana. (A. II.)

Hm.: Hává-mál. (A. I.)

Ld.: Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)

Lex. Poët.: Lexicon Poëticum by Sveinbjörn Egilsson, 1860.

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

Sdm.: Sigrdrífu-mál. (A. II.)

Skáld H.: Skáld Helga-rímur. (A. III.)

Skm.: Skírnis-mál. (A. I.)

Stj.: Stjórn. (F. I.)

Vsp.: Völuspá. (A. I.)

Fas.: Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)

Hervar. S.: Hervarar Saga. (C. II.)

Ls.: Loka-senna. (A. I.)

H. E.: Historia Ecclesiastica Islandiae. (J. I.)

N. T.: New Testament.

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

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Fr.: Fritzner’s Dictionary, 1867.

Gþl.: Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)

K. Á.: Kristinn-réttr Árna biskups. (B. III.)

Lv.: Ljósvetninga Saga. (D. II.)

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

Orkn.: Orkneyinga Saga. (E. II.)

Sturl.: Sturlunga Saga. (D. I.)

D. I.: Diplomatarium Islandicum. (J. I.)

Dipl.: Diplomatarium. (J. I.)

D. N.: Diplomatarium Norvagicum. (J. II.)

Hkr.: Heimskringla. (E. I.)

Pass.: Passiu-Sálmar.

Vm.: Vilkins-máldagi. (J. I.)

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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