Fors

Old Norse Dictionary - fors

Meaning of Old Norse word "fors" in English.

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

fors Old Norse word can mean:

fors: 1. n. wrath, rage, ire; snúa fors í frið, grimd í grið, 655 xxxii. 24, Bs. ii. 97; með forsi, haughtily, Sturl. iii. 144, Pass. 13. 2; ferr erkibiskup í fors mikit, he fell into great wrath, Fms. xi. 441; fors ok atköst, Fas. iii. 91; fors ok ílska, Stat. 398.

fors: COMPDS: forsfullr, forsligr, forsmaðr.

fors: 2. mod. foss, m., prob. akin to the preceding word and forr, [Swed.-Dan. foss, North. E. force; a test word of Scandin. language and origin; cp. the curious passage in Constant. Porph. De Admin. Imperii, ch. 9, where the Byzantine author gives some names of waterfalls in Russia in two languages, ρωσιστί and σκλαβινιστί (Russian and Slavonic), with a Greek translation; ρωσιστί, a waterfall, being called βορσί or φόρος (e. g. οὐλ-βορσί = Icel. Hólm-fors, βαρου-φόρος = Icel. Báru-fors), whereas σκλαβινιστί it is called πραχ, i. e. porog or prag: Constantine in another passage states that the Russians were Teutonic or ‘Franks:’ the Garðar (Russia Minor) of that time was in fact a Scandin. country; even the name Russia is by some (P. A. Munch) explained as Scandin., afterwards adopted for the whole empire; it was still regarded so by the Byzantine authors of the 10th century, as opposed to Slavonic]:—a ‘force,’ waterfall, Landn. 291, 292; fors mikill er Sarpr heitir, Ó. H. 49, Landn. 277, v. l.: in many local names, Skóga-f. in southern Icel.; Gýgjar-f. in the north (Goða-f. is a corrupt form, cp. Þorláks-kver, p. 288, and Grett. ch. 68, 69, whence the name); Gull-f., Gold-force, a freq. name in western Icel.

fors: 2. a brook, stream; this sense is curious, and peculiar to the Stj. (by bishop Brand, a native of south-eastern Icel.); it is well suited to the district of Skaptafells-sýsla, where all brooks are torrents rushing from glaciers into the ocean; til forsins Bison, Stj. 387. Judges iv. 13; hann grípr einn stein upp ór forsinum, 227; Davíð tók fimm steina ór einum forsi, 464. 1 Sam. xvii. 40; við forsinn Besor, 490. 1 Sam. xxx. 9; yfir fors Cedron, 527. 2 Sam. xv. 23; af forsi drakk hann á götu, 656 C. 2: in the old poem Vsp. fors is evidently used in the same sense; á sér hón ansask aurgum forsi, 31; falla forsar, 58. This idiom perhaps gives a hint as to the native place of this poem; falla forsum, to fall in torrents, Fas. ii. (in a verse). fors-fall, n. a ‘forcefall,’ torrent, Stj. 32, Ó. H. 17, Fms. iv. 361.

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

Abbreviations used:

l.: line.

n.: neuter.

ch.: chapter.

cp.: compare.

Dan.: Danish.

e. g.: exempli gratia.

f.: feminine.

freq.: frequent, frequently.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

i. e.: id est.

m.: masculine.

mod.: modern.

North. E.: Northern English.

prob.: probably.

Scandin.: Scandinavia, Scandinavian.

Swed.: Swedish.

v.: vide.

v. l.: varia lectio.

Works & Authors cited:

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

Fas.: Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Pass.: Passiu-Sálmar.

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

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

Landn.: Landnáma. (D. I.)

Ó. H.: Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)

Stj.: Stjórn. (F. I.)

Vsp.: Völuspá. (A. 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.