Einn

Old Norse Dictionary - einn

Meaning of Old Norse word "einn" in English.

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

einn Old Norse word can mean:

einn: adj., pl. einir, acc. sing. einn, but also einan, esp. in the sense al-einan etc.; [Gr. εἱς, εν; Lat. ūnus, and early Lat. oinos; Ulf. ains; A. S. ân; Engl. one, in E. Engl. proncd. like stone, bone; Scot. ane; Swed. en; Dan. een]:—one.

einn: A. Cardinal number, one; einn, tveir, þrír …, opp. to báðir, fleiri, etc.; einum eðr fleirum, Grág. i. 108; eina sök eðr fleiri, 78; unnu báðir eins verk, FaS. i. 515; einum ok einum, one by one, ii. 252; tveir menn veðmæltu um einn grip, Grág. i. 412.

einn: 2. in old poems it is used as an ordinal number; Urð hétu eina, aðra Verðandi, Vsp. 20; segðu þat it eina …, opp. to þat it annat, Vþm. 20; hjálp heitir eitt, help ranks first, Hm. 147, Vkv. 2; but this use is quite obsolete.

einn: 3. with the notion of sameness, one and the same (unus et idem;) í einu húsi, in the same house, Grág. ii. 42; ein ero lög um, hvárt sem ero naut eðr sauðir, i. 422; allt á eina leið, all one way, FmS. ii. 315; til einnar gistingar báðir, vii. 274; í einu brjósti, Alm. 36; allr einn, the very same, Nj. 213.

einn: II. indefinite, a, an, a certain one; einn vetr, a winter, FmS. i. 57; einn dag, x. 11, FaS. i. 514; eitt kveld, Ld. 38; einn hinn versti maðr, Fær. 91; Breiðlingr einn, a man from Broaddale, Sturl. ii. 249; einn vinr Þóris, a certain friend of Thorir, FmS. vi. 277: einn as the indefinite article is hardly found in old writers; and though it is freq. in the Bible, sermons, hymns, etc., since the Reformation, it was no doubt borrowed from the German, and has never been naturalised.

einn: β. about, before numbers; ein tvau hundruð vaðmála, about two hundred pieces, SkS. 30; einar fimm þúsudir, about three thousand, Al. 111,—obsolete, in mod. usage hérum-bil or the like.

einn: III. alone, Gr. μόνος, Lat. solus, used both in sing. and plur.; Guðrún skyldi ein ráða, Ld. 132; Hallr tók einn upp fang, 38; láta einan, to let alone; láttu mig Drottinn einan ekki, PasS. 34. 11; as a law term, to let one’s wife alone, þá lét hann eina Guðrúnu, FmS. x. 324 (cp. einlát); Gunnarr mundi vera einn heima, Nj. 113; sjá einn hlutr, that one thing only, 112; þau ein tíðendi (plur.), only such news, 242.

einn: β. if put after the noun, einn denotes, only, but, sheer, and is almost adverb.; segja þetta prett einn, a mere trick, Sturl. ii. 249; raufar einar, all in holes, Nj. 176; urðu borðin í blóði einu, the tables were bedabbled with blood all over, 270, Ó. H. 116; öll orðin at hvölum einum, all turned into whales, FaS. i. 372; gabb eitt ok háð, sheer mockery, SkS. 247; orð ein, mere words, Nj. 123; ígangs-klæði ein, Eg. 75; vin eitt, wine only, Gm. 19; heiptyrði ein, Fm. 9; hamingjur einar, Vþm. 49; ofsamenn einir, Ld. 158; þá nótt eina, for that one night, n. G. l. i. 240: also after an adj., lítið eina, only a little, Stj. 177; þat eina, er hann ætti sjálfr, Eg. 47, FmS. v. 303; nema góðs eina, naught but good, Eg. 63; fátt eitt, few only, but few; vilt eitt, but what is agreeable, Hm. 125; mikit eitt skala manni gefa, a proverb, ‘small gifts shew great love,’ 51; sá einn, er …, he only, who …, 17; satt eitt, sooth only, Fm. 9; the sense differs according as the adj. is placed before or after the noun, einn Guð, the one God; but, Guð einn, God only, none but God.

einn: IV. plur. in a distributive sense, single; ein gjöld, a single weregild, opp. to tvenn, þrenn, fern, double, triple, quadruple, Grág. ii. 232; thus Icel. say, einir sokkar, skór, vetlingar, a pair of socks, shoes, gloves; einar brækr, a pair of breeches; also with nouns which have only plur., e. g. ein, tvenn, þrenn Jól, one, two, three Christmasses (Yules); einar (tvennar) dyrr, a single … door; eina Páska, one Easter.

einn: V. gen. pl. einna is used in an intensive sense; einna manna bezt, best of all single men, FmS. ix. 258; í mesta lagi einna manna, foremost of all single men, Bjarn. 65; fátt er svá einna hluta, at örvænt sé at hitti annat slíkt, Ó. H. 75.

einn: β. ellipt., manna, hluta, or the like being omitted, einna becomes almost an adverbial phrase, by far, exceedingly; at engi viti einna miklogi görr (= einna manna), that no one (no single man) shall know it much better, Grág. i. 2; einna verst, by far the worst, Orkn. 162, Nj. 38; einna sizt, by far the least, least of all, FmS. i. 37; einna mest verðr, Ld. 8; er einna var ríkastr, who was the mightiest of all, FmS. i. 297; engan rétt einna meir kunnan at göra (= einna rétta meir), SkS. 22; engi er einna hvatastr (= e. manna), there is none so mighty but be may find his match, Hm. 63: in mod. usage einna, joined with a superlative, is used adverbially, e. beztr, e. fljótastr, the best, the fleetest, but in a somewhat depreciatory sense.

einn: VI. used adverb.:

einn: 1. gen. sing. eins,

einn: α. eins ok, as, as if; eins ok væri hann með öllu óttalauss, Hkr. iii. 275; allt eins ok (just as) rakkar metja með tungu, Stj. 392.

einn: β. likewise, in the same way; mikill þorri var þat er þær sögðu eins báðar, Landn. (Hb.) 320; this use of eins is very rare in old writers, but freq. in mod. use; in the spoken language at least ‘eins’ (= as) has almost replaced the old ‘sem.’

einn: γ. only; er ek hefi áðr spurn til eins, FmS. iv. 139 (rare).

einn: δ. at eins, only, but, Grág. i. 235; vel at eins, ironically, well enough, Ld. 248; eigi at eins, not only, FmS. i. 266; með sínum at eins kostnaði, vii. 184; því at eins, only in that case, Nj. 228; þar at eins, Ísl. ii. 400; allt eins, not the less for that, 216: in mod. use, just as (vide allr A. v. 5).

einn: 2. dat. at einu = at eins; údauðr at einu, Ld. 242; því at einu = því at eins, FmS. iv. 195; því at einu er rétt …, Grág. i. 164; svá at einu, id., Nj. 103; sá evkr syndir sínar at einu, he but adds to his sins, Hom. 157; allt at einu, all the same, Ísl. ii. 216, v. l.: af því einu, only because, Mork. 140.

einn: B. Joined to another pronominal adj. or adv.:

einn: I. einn hverr, adj. pron., in old writers usually in two words and with a double declension (see below), but now and then (and in mod. usage always) in a single word, einn being indecl.; einhverja (acc. f.), Hbl. 30; einhverjum (dat. sing.), Hm. 122, FmS. x. 71; einhverjo héraði, Al. 98, Nj. 2; einhverra (gen.), FmS. iv. 75; einhverir (nom. pl.), viii. 202; einhver, einhverir, etc.: the form eins-hverr is peculiar, keeping the gen. indecl. through all the cases, nom. einshverr, n. G. l. i. 6; acc. einshverja, Stj. 156, 655 xxxii. 18, Gþl. 135; dat. einshverjum, Stj. 22, 442, 448; this form seems to be chiefly Norse, is very rare in old writers, and now quite obsolete; neut. sing. eitthvert, Vm. 73, or eitthvat, Stj. 442, the mod. usage makes a distinction, and uses eitthvert only as adj., eitthvað as subst.:

einn: 1. each one, each single one; maðr er einn hverr, Edda 108; þær eru svá margar, at ein hver má vel endask, Eg. 414; ór þeirra fjórðungi sem ór einum hverjum öðrum, Íb. ch. 5; skal einn hverr (each) þeirra nefna sér vátta, Grág. i. 74; jafnmikinn arf sem einn hverr (each) sona hans, Sturl. ii. 77; fátt er svá herra einhverra hluta, of any single thing, FmS. iv. 175.

einn: β. joined to a superl. it strengthens the sense; ágætastr maðr einn hverr, one of the very first men, Nj. 282; vinsælastr höfðingi einhverr, highly popular, FmS. vii. 4; einhver drengilegust vörn, ix. 515.

einn: 2. in an indefinite sense, some, somebody, a certain one; eitthvert ríki, SkS. 350; eina hverja nótt, some night, 686 B. 4; eitthvert sinn, once, sometime, Sturl. i. 77, Nj. 79; einhverju sinni, id., 2; einhvern dag, some day, FmS. v. 177, Ísl. ii. 212; eina hverja þessa tíð, about this time, n. G. l. i. 355; til einnar hverrar stefnu, to some meeting, Fb. i. 354; eins-hverja hluti, Stj. 156; með eins-hverjum sveini, 442; at ekki sé minna vert, at hlýða prests-messu nývígðs hinni fyrstu, heldr en biskups-messu einhverri, BS. i. 131.

einn: β. used as subst.; einn hverr várr búandanna, FmS. i. 34; einn hvern manna hans, Eg. 258; einhverr í hverjum dal, Ld. 258, Nj. 192.

einn: γ. einhver-staðar (eins-hver-staðar, FmS. vii. 84), adv. somewhere, Grett. 130, FmS. iv. 57, Sd. 181.

einn: II. einn-saman, adj. ‘one together’ (vide einsamall), i. e. quite alone; maðrinn lifir ekki af einu-saman brauði, Matth. iv. 4; með einni-saman sinni sýn, með einni-saman sinni þefan, Stj. 93; ef útlegðir fara einar-saman, if it be solely a matter of outlay (fine), Grág. i. 103; ef þat færi eitt-saman, ii. 10: of a woman, vera eigi ein-saman, to be not alone, to be with a child, FmS. iii. 109.

einn: III. with other words; einir … ýmissir, ‘one and sundry;’ various, mixed, Stj. 88, 204; eina hluti ok ýmissa, Fb. i. 191.

einn: β. hverr ok einn, ‘each and one,’ every one, 677. 1, H. E. i. 393, Rb. 492; fyrir hvern mun ok einn, FaS. i. 396.

einn: γ. einn ok sér-hverr, one and all.

einn: δ. einn sér, apart, for oneself, alone; Múspells-synir hafa einir sér fylking, Edda 41; einn sér, sole, FmS. ii. 308; sér einir, Sturl. ii. 53: metaph. singular, peculiar, ein var hón sér í lýðsku, FS. 30.

einn: ε. sér-hverr, adj. every one, q. v.: eins-konar, adv. of one kind, Skálda 165; mod. indef. of a certain kind, a kind of: eins-kostar, adv. particularly, Ísl. ii. 322, Mork. 81.

einn: ζ. né einn, not one, none; in old writers usually so, but now and then contracted neinn (q. v.), and in mod. usage always so; né eina sekð, Grág. i. 136; né eitt úhreint, Stj. 409; né einu sinni, not once, FmS. xi. 13; né eins, not a single thing, 112; né eina herferð, vii. 28.

einn: η. fáir einir, only a few, in mod. usage in one word, nom. fáeinir, dat. fáeinum, gen. fáeinna: ein-stakr, single, q. v.: al-einn, alone, q. v.: ein-mana, q. v. (cp. Gr. μόνος): einum-megin, adv. on one side, Nj. 248 (vide vegr).

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

Abbreviations used:

acc.: accusative.

adj.: adjective.

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.

Dan.: Danish.

Engl.: English.

esp.: especially.

etc.: et cetera.

f.: feminine.

gl.: glossary.

Gr.: Greek.

l.: line.

Lat.: Latin.

n.: neuter.

pl.: plural.

proncd.: pronounced.

S.: Saga.

Scot.: Scottish.

sing.: singular.

Swed.: Swedish.

Ulf.: Ulfilas.

opp.: opposed.

m.: masculine.

v.: vide.

freq.: frequent, frequently.

mod.: modern.

cp.: compare.

plur.: plural.

adverb.: adverbially.

L.: Linnæus.

s. v.: sub voce.

e. g.: exempli gratia.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

gen.: genitive.

ellipt.: elliptical, elliptically.

dat.: dative.

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

v. l.: varia lectio.

adv.: adverb.

decl.: declined.

indecl.: indeclinable.

neut.: neuter.

nom.: nominative.

pron.: pronoun.

subst.: substantive.

ch.: chapter.

superl.: superlative.

i. e.: id est.

metaph.: metaphorical, metaphorically.

def.: definite.

indef.: indefinite.

q. v.: quod vide.

Works & Authors cited:

Fas.: Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Hm.: Hává-mál. (A. I.)

Vkv.: Völundar-kviða. (A. II.)

Vsp.: Völuspá. (A. I.)

Vþm.: Vafþrúðnis-mál. (A. I.)

Alm.: Alvís-mál. (A. I.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

Fær.: Færeyinga Saga. (E. II.)

Ld.: Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)

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

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

Sks.: Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)

Pass.: Passiu-Sálmar.

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

Fm.: Fafnis-mál. (A. II.)

Gm.: Grímnis-mál. (A. I.)

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

Ó. H.: Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)

Stj.: Stjórn. (F. I.)

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

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

Hkr.: Heimskringla. (E. I.)

Hb.: Hauks-bók. (H. IV.)

Landn.: Landnáma. (D. I.)

Hom.: Homiliu-bók. (F. II.)

Mork.: Morkinskinna. (E. I.)

Gþl.: Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)

Hbl.: Harbarðs-ljóð. (A. I.)

Vm.: Vilkins-máldagi. (J. I.)

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)

Íb.: Íslendinga-bók. (D. I.)

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

Fb.: Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)

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

Sd.: Svarfdæla Saga. (D. II.)

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

Rb.: Rímbegla. (H. III.)

Fs.: Forn-sögur. (D. II.)

Skálda: Skálda. (H. I.)

➞ 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.