Gamall

Old Norse Dictionary - gamall

Meaning of Old Norse word "gamall" in English.

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

gamall Old Norse word can mean:

gamall
contr. forms, gamlan, gamla, gamlir, gamlar, gömlum, etc., fem. sing. and neut. pl. gömul; neut. sing. gamalt; the compar. and superl. from a different root, viz. compar. ellri, superl. ellztr, mod. eldri eldstr or elztr: [not recorded in Ulf., who renders αρχαιος by alþeis; but in A. S. gamol and gomel occur, although rarely even in Beowulf; in mod. Engl. and Germ. it is lost, but is in full use in all Scandin. dialects; Swed. gammal; Dan. gammel; Norse gamal, fem. gomol, Ivar Aasen]:
gamall
I. old, Lat. senex; in the sayings, þeygi á saman gamalt og ungt, Úlf. 3. 44; opt er gott þat er gamlir kveða, Hm. 134, Fb. i. 212; íllt að kenna gömlum hundi að sitja; gamlir eru elztir, old are the eldest, i. e. the most cunning, clever; tvisvar verðr gamall maðr barn; engi verðr eldri en gamall; en þótt konungr þessi sé góðr maðr … þá mun hann þó eigi verða ellri en gamall, FmS. iv. 282; faðir minn var gamall, Nj. 31; g. spámaðr, an old spae-man, 656 B. 12; hence gamals-aldr, m. old age, Ld. 4, FmS. ii. 71: compds, af-garnall, fjör-g., eld-g., q. v.; cp. also ör-gemlir = Germ. uralt, a giant in Edda.
gamall
2. grown up, old, of animals; arðr-uxi gamall, Grág. i. 502; gamlir sauðir, old rams; gjalda grís fyrir gamalt svín, Ó. H. 86; fyrr á gömlum uxanum at bæsa en kálfinum, a pun, FmS. vi. 28.
gamall
3. old, of things, freq. in mod. usage, but the ancients use gamall of persons or living things, and distinguish between gamall and forn (q. v.); a man is ‘gamall,’ but he wears ‘forn’ klæði (old clothes), thus in the verse FmS. xi. 43 gamall prob. refers to Gorm and not to land; Merl. 1. 61 is corrupt; vide gjallr (below); gamall siðr, Anal. 187, does not appear in Fb. iii. 401 (the original of the mod. text in Anal.)
gamall
II. old, aged, of a certain age; nokkurra vetra gamall, some years old, FmS. xi. 78; fjögurra vetra gömul, Þiðr. 221; hve gamall maðr ertu, how old art thou? Ísl. ii. 220; tólf vetra gamall, 204; fimm, sex, vetra gamall, Grág. i. 502; vetr-gamall, a winter old; árs-gamall, a year old; misseris-gamall, half a year old; nætr-g., a night old, etc.
gamall
III. in pr. names, hinn Gamli is added as a soubriquet, like ‘major’ in Lat., to distinguish an older man from a younger man of the same name; hinn gamli and hinn ungi also often answer to the Engl. ‘father and son;’ thus, Hákon Gamli and Hákon Ungi, old and young H., FmS.; also, Jörundr Gamli, Ketilbjörn Gamli, Örlygr Gamli, Bragi Gamli, Ingimundr hinn Gamli, etc., vide Landn.; Ari hinn Gamli, BS. i. 26, to distinguish him from his grandson Ari Sterki; cp. the Lat. Cato Major: in some of the instances above it only means the old = Lat. priscus.
gamall
B. The compar. is ellri and superl. ellztr; eigi ellra en einnar nætr, 1812. 57; fjórtan vetra gamall eðr ellri, K. Á. 190; enir ellri synir Brjáns, Nj. 269; inn ellzti, 38; ellztr bræðranna, Grág. i. 307; hann var ellztr, Eg. 27, FmS. i. 20, passim.

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

Abbreviations used:

A. S.
Anglo-Saxon.
compar.
comparative.
contr.
contracted.
Dan.
Danish.
Engl.
English.
etc.
et cetera.
f.
feminine.
fem.
feminine.
Germ.
German.
gl.
glossary.
l.
line.
m.
masculine.
mod.
modern.
n.
neuter.
neut.
neuter.
pl.
plural.
S.
Saga.
Scandin.
Scandinavia, Scandinavian.
sing.
singular.
superl.
superlative.
Swed.
Swedish.
Ulf.
Ulfilas.
viz.
namely.
cp.
compare.
i. e.
id est.
Lat.
Latin.
q. v.
quod vide.
v.
vide.
freq.
frequent, frequently.
prob.
probably.
pr.
proper, properly.

Works & Authors cited:

Ivar Aasen
Ivar Aasen’s Dictionary, 1850.
Edda
Edda. (C. I.)
Fb.
Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)
Fms.
Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Hm.
Hává-mál. (A. I.)
Ld.
Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)
Nj.
Njála. (D. II.)
Úlf.
Úlfars-rímur.
Grág.
Grágás. (B. I.)
Ó. H.
Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)
Anal.
Analecta. (D. II.)
Merl.
Merlinus Spa. (A. III.)
Þiðr.
Þiðreks Saga. (G. I.)
Bs.
Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
Landn.
Landnáma. (D. I.)
Eg.
Egils Saga. (D. II.)
K. Á.
Kristinn-réttr Árna biskups. (B. III.)
➞ 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.

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