Far

Old Norse Dictionary - far

Meaning of Old Norse word "far" in English.

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

far Old Norse word can mean:

far: n.

far: I. motion, travel; rare in this sense, as the fem. för and ferð, q. v., are used instead.

far: β. of the clouds, in the phrase, far á lopti, drift in the sky.

far: II. a means of passage, a ship; far er skip, Edda 110, Skálda 163: the allit. phrase, hvert fljótanda far, every floating vessel, Fms. xi. 125, Fær. 260; at bjarga fari á floti, Hm. 155.

far: 2. in compds, a trading vessel; Íslands-far, an Iceland-trader, Fms. v.. 370, vii. 32; Englands-far, an English-trader, ix. 41; Dýrlinnar-far, a Dublin ship, Eb. 254; fjögra-, tveggja-, sex-manna-far, a four-, two-, six-oared boat.

far: 3. passage, in the phrases, taka sér (e-m) fari, fá sér fari, ráða sér fari, usually so in dat., but in mod. usage acc. (taka, ráða sér far), to take a passage in a ship, Gþl. 516, Grág. ii. 400, 406 (acc.), Ld. 50, Landn. 307, Eg. 288, Nj. 111, 112, Ísl. ii. 199, Eb. 194; beiðask fars, id., Grág. i. 90, Fms. v.. 239; banna e-m far, to forbid one a passage, stop one (far-bann), Landn. 307; synja e-m fars, to deny one a passage (far-synjan), Hbl. 54; at þeir hafi allir far, Jb. 393.

far: III. a trace, track, print, Hom. 120; Sveinki rak lömb sín til fjöru í förin, at eigi mátti sjá tveggja manna för, Njarð. 376; nú villask hundarnir farsins, the hounds lost the track, Fms. v. 147, cp. O. H. l. 83: metaph., of et sama far, on the same subject, of a book, Íb. (pref.): in many compds, a print, mark of anv kind, fóta-för, footprints; skafla-för, the print of a sharp-shod horse; nálar-far, a stitch; fingra-för, a finger-print; tanna-för, a bite; nagla-för, the marks of nails, John xx. 25; knífs-far, a knife’s mark; eggjar-far, the mark of the edge, in a cut; járna-far, the print of the shackles; kjal-far, the keel’s track, wake of a ship; um-far, a turn, round; saum-far, a rim on a ship’s side.

far: IV. metaph. life, conduct, behaviour; hugar-far, geðs-far, lundar-far, disposition, character; ættar-far, a family mark, peculiarity; dag-far, daily life, conduct of life; í góðra manna fari ok vándra, 677. 3; hvat þess mundi vera í fari konungsins, in the king’s character, Fms. v. 327; ek vissa þá marga hluti í fari Knúts konungs, at hann mætti heilagr vera, xi. 287; nokkut af fyrnsku eptir í fari hans, iii. 131.

far: 2. estate, condition; ok gefa þeir eigi gaum um hennar far, n. G. l. i. 226; sem hann hafði skírt far sitt, made known his state, how he fared, 34; aldar-far, Lat. genius seculi; dægra-far, q. v.: sára-far, the state of the wounds; víga-far, q. v.; heilindis-far, health, Mar. 124; far veðranna, the course of the winds, Eb. 218; þá skrifaða ek þessa (bók) of et sama far, on the same subject, Íb. (pref.)

far: 3. the phrase, at forni fari, of yore, of old, Gþl. 85, 86, Eg. 711; at fornu fari ok nýju, of yore and of late, D. n.; at réttu fari, justly.

far: β. the phrase, göra sér far um e-t, to take pains about a thing.

far: B. = fár, q. v., bale, ill-fate (rare); far er reiði, far er skip, Edda 110; at hann mundi fara þat far sem hans formaðr, that he would fare as ill as his predecessor, Bs. i. 758: cp. the dubious phrase, muna yðvart far allt í sundi þótt ek hafa öndu látið, your ill-fate will not all be afloat, i. e. cleared off, though I am dead, Skv. 3. 51; vera í illu fari, to fare ill, be in a strait, Orkn. 480; ok vóru í illu fari hér um, Stj. 394. Judges viii. 1, ‘and they did chide with him sharply,’ A. v.; at hann skyldi í engu fari móti þeim vera, that he should not be plotting (brooding mischief) against them, Sturl. iii. 121 C.

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

Abbreviations used:

n.: neuter.

fem.: feminine.

m.: masculine.

q. v.: quod vide.

v.: vide.

allit.: alliteration, alliterative.

lit.: literally.

acc.: accusative.

dat.: dative.

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

l.: line.

mod.: modern.

cp.: compare.

f.: feminine.

L.: Linnæus.

metaph.: metaphorical, metaphorically.

pref.: preface.

s. v.: sub voce.

Lat.: Latin.

i. e.: id est.

Works & Authors cited:

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Fær.: Færeyinga Saga. (E. II.)

Hm.: Hává-mál. (A. I.)

Skálda: Skálda. (H. I.)

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

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

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Gþl.: Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)

Hbl.: Harbarðs-ljóð. (A. I.)

Jb.: Jóns-bók. (B. III.)

Landn.: Landnáma. (D. I.)

Ld.: Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

Hom.: Homiliu-bók. (F. II.)

Íb.: Íslendinga-bók. (D. I.)

Njarð.: Njarðvíkinga Saga. (D. II.)

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

Mar.: Maríu Saga. (F. III.)

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

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

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

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

Skv.: Sigurðar-kviða. (A. II.)

Stj.: Stjórn. (F. I.)

Sturl.: Sturlunga Saga. (D. 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.