Byrja

Old Norse Dictionary - byrja

Meaning of Old Norse word "byrja" in English.

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

byrja Old Norse word can mean:

byrja: að, [Swed. börja; lost in Dan., which has replaced it by begynde; Germ. beginnen; and probably also extinct in the mod. Norse dialects, vide Ivar Aasen, who seems not to have heard the word; it is in full use in Icel. and is a purely Scandin. word; the root is the part. pass. of bera A. II]:—to begin.

byrja: I. in the phrase, b. mál e-s, to plead one’s cause, O. H. l. 5; ek skal byrja (support) þitt mál, sem ek kann, Fs. 10, Fms. ii. 65; hann byrjaði hennar mál við Ólaf konung, x. 310; með einum hundraðs-höfðingja þeim er byrjaði mál hans, Post. 645. 96; hefir þú fram byrjat þitt erindi, 655 xxx. 13, Al. 159: this sense, however, is rare and obsolete.

byrja: II. to begin; b. ferð, to begin one’s journey, to start, Edda 1, Fms. iv. 232, Eg. 106, Ld. 162; b. ræðu, to begin a speech, Sks. 238; b. e-t upp, to begin, Bs. i. 825: reflex., Rb. 210: the word is not very freq. in old writers, who prefer the word hefja, incipere, hence upphaf, beginning; in mod. writers hefja is rather archaïc, but byrja in full use, and is used both as act., impers., and reflex.; Icel. say, sagan byrjar, söguna byrjar, and sagan byrjast, all in the same sense.

byrja: III. [bera A. II], mostly in pass. to be begotten, Lat. suscipi; Elias af hjúskap byrjaðr, GrEg. 16; á þeim mánuðum er barn var byrjað, Grág. i. 340; á þeirri sömu nótt sem hann byrjaðisk, Stj. 176; sem þau hittusk á fjallinu Brynhildr ok Sigurðr ok hon (viz. the daughter Áslaug) var byrjuð, Fas. i. 257; heldr ertu bráðr að byrja þann er bein hefir engin, 250 (in a verse).

byrja: IV. impers. with dat.:

byrja: 1. [bera C. III], to behove, beseem, be due; sem konungs-syni byrjar, Fms. i. 81; hann gefr sálu várri slíkan mátt sem henni byrjar, Hom. 157; svá byrjaði (behoved) Christo að líða, Luke xxiv. 46; þat byrjar mér meir at hlýða Guði en mönnum, 623. 11; sem aðiljanum byrjaði, Grág. i. 394; sem þeim byrjaði at manntali, i. e. in due proportion to their number, ii. 381; sem byrjar (as it behoves) hlýðnum syni ok eptirlátum, Sks. 12; er helzt byrjar kaupmönnum at hafa, 52.

byrja: 2. [byrr], the phrase, e-m byrjar vel, illa, one gets a fair, foul, wind; þeim byrjaði vel, Eg. 69; honum byrjaði vel, 78, Eb. 8; byrjaði þeim vel um haustið, Fms. iv. 293; þeim byrjaði illa, Eg. 158.

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

Similar entries:

Byrja (I)

Abbreviations used:

begin.: beginning.

Dan.: Danish.

Germ.: German.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

mod.: modern.

n.: neuter.

part.: participle.

pass.: passive.

Scandin.: Scandinavia, Scandinavian.

Swed.: Swedish.

L.: Linnæus.

act.: active.

freq.: frequent, frequently.

impers.: impersonal.

pers.: person.

reflex.: retlexive.

v.: vide.

Lat.: Latin.

viz.: namely.

dat.: dative.

i. e.: id est.

Works & Authors cited:

Ivar Aasen: Ivar Aasen’s Dictionary, 1850.

Al.: Alexanders Saga. (G. I.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Fs.: Forn-sögur. (D. II.)

O. H. L.: Ólafs Saga Helga Legendaria. (E. I.)

Post.: Postula Sögur. (F. III.)

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)

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

Ld.: Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)

Rb.: Rímbegla. (H. III.)

Sks.: Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)

Fas.: Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Greg.: Gregory. (F. II.)

Stj.: Stjórn. (F. I.)

Hom.: Homiliu-bók. (F. II.)

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

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary