Gi

Old Norse Dictionary - gi

Meaning of Old Norse word "gi" in English.

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

gi Old Norse word can mean:

gi
(or -ki after t or s), a particle suffixed to nouns and adverbS.
gi
A. In a positive sense [Lat. -que], ever, Lat. -que, -cunque:
gi
1. with the pronoun hverr (quis) through all cases, answering to the Lat. quis-que: out of the Laws we can nearly make a full paradigm:—nom. hverr-gi or hver-gi, Lat. quis-que, qui-cunque, Grág. Kb. i. 14, 31, 45, 85, 171 (twice), 183, 195, 221, ii. 7, 23, 82, 101: nom. and acc. neut. hvat-ki (quod-que). i. 34, 155, 162, 183, 244, ii. 77, 140, 154, Jómsv. 15, Íb. 3; also hvárt-ki, id., Grág. Kb. i. 61 (twice): gen. hvers-kis (cujus-que), 238: dat. hverjun-gi (cui-que), 31, 156: acc. masc. hvern-gi (quem-que), 147, 155, 221, 225, 245, ii. 47, 66: abl. hve-gi or hví-gi, however, i. 147, 195, ii. 64, 101, 128, 151, Jómsv. 14:—plur. acc. neut. hver-gi (quae-que): dual dat. sing. hvárun-gi megin, on both sides (of a river), Grág. Kb. ii. 93:—even in historical prose, því at hit næsta sumar gat hvergi ber á Íslandi, the following summer every man gathered berries in Iceland (to make some kind of wine), BS. i. 135, (or are we to read hvar-gi, everywhere?).
gi
2. with adverbs; hvert-ki (quocun-que modo), Grág. ii. 50; nær-gi, whenever (ubi-cunque), i. 191; hvar-gi, wherever, 25, 166, 240, ii. 128, 212.
gi
B. In a negative sense, with a few pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and rarely in old poems with substantives:
gi
1. with nouns, in the pr. name Lopt-ki, an απ. λεγ., LS. 19: with appellatives, þörf-gi, no need, an απ. λεγ., Hkv. Hjörv. 39; freq. in mann-gi, no man, cp. Lat. nēmo, Íb., which is even used in mod. writers and poets; væt-ki, naught; vettu-gi (dat.) and vetter-gis (gen.), Vsp.: with adjectives, ein-gi (q. v.), none, a common word; otherwise rare, sjálf-gi, ‘self-not,’ i. e. not oneself, LS. 29, an απ. λεγ.: with a dat. case of langr, þá löngu-gi, then not for a long time, Konr. (MS.): with pronouns, in the dual, hvárr-gi, neither, Lat. neuter, Grág. Kb. i. 46, ii. 93, 151; gen. hvárs-kis (neutrius), freq.; dat. hvárun-gi (neutri), i. 215; hvárum-gi, ii. 63: neut. hváru-gi, 216; hitt-ki, ne illud quidem, Hm. 21, 23; þat-ki, Hbl. 6; þat-ki at ek fá (not even that I get) mála minn falslausan, Mork. 83.
gi
2. with adverbs, only in poetry or laws or very old prose; svá-gi, not so, Grág. Kb. ii. 99, Mork. 83; þá-gi, then not; þey-gi, though not, qS. þó-gi; æva-gi, never: again, hver-gi (q. v.), nowhere; ei-gi (q. v.), not; aldri-gi (q. v.), never; hvár-ki (q. v.), neither, are common words in prose and in speech. The negative -gi can never be suffixed to verbs (vide ‘-at,’ p. 2); therefore býð-gi, non jubeo (in Íslands-vaka 61, a poem of the last century, Fél. i. 236), is a spurious imitation of the old idiom; neither can -at be put to nouns; ráð-at hann kunni, Jónas 105, ought therefore to be ráð hann kunni-t, issue be knew not.
gi
C. In an indefinite sense; in a few instances -gi seems to be used almost like Latin quidem with a preceding negative: eigi miklo-gi minna, ne multo quidem minus, Heiðar. S., Ísl. ii. 360; eigi stóru-gi meiri, ne multo quidem majora, 386; engi miklo-gi görr …, nemo multo quidem plus …, Grág. i. 209; cp. also the adverbs öllun-gis or öldun-gis, quite, altogether (allr, -gi); einun-gis, only, solely (einn, -gi). both formed from dat. sing.: the obsolete vil-gi (qS. vel-gi) is ambiguous, being used both in a neg. sense = not well, and posit. = well, bene quidem, cp. BS. i. 393, note; Hm. 66, málun-gi, is doubtful;—prob. þyrftig-at málun-gi mat should be read, -at being taken not as a prep. but as a negative verbal suffix, and -gi as a positive suffix; Icel. now say, hann á ekki málungi matar, he does not know where to look for his next meal.
gi
☞ The negative -gi is peculiar to Scandin., and no traces of it are found in any Saxon nor German idioms; whereas, as a positive suffix, it is common to all Teutonic tongues, and remains in the Engl. many and any; ‘many’ being qS. man-y = man-ever, ‘homo-cunque,’ Goth. manags, and ‘any’ qS. ane-y = every-one; so also is the g in Icel. margr and hvárigr, which are remnants—the former of the positive, the latter of the negative -gi.

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

Abbreviations used:

Lat.
Latin.
acc.
accusative.
dat.
dative.
gen.
genitive.
id.
idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation
l.
line.
m.
masculine.
masc.
masculine.
n.
neuter.
neut.
neuter.
nom.
nominative.
plur.
plural.
sing.
singular.
v.
vide.
απ. λεγ.
απαξ. λεγόμενον.
cp.
compare.
freq.
frequent, frequently.
i. e.
id est.
mod.
modern.
pr.
proper, properly.
q. v.
quod vide.
S.
Saga.
ch.
chapter.
qs.
quasi.
Icel.
Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
neg.
negative.
posit.
positive.
prob.
probably.
Engl.
English.
gl.
glossary.
Goth.
Gothic.
Scandin.
Scandinavia, Scandinavian.

Works & Authors cited:

Bs.
Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
Grág.
Grágás. (B. I.)
Íb.
Íslendinga-bók. (D. I.)
Kb.
Konungs-bók. (B. I, C. I, etc.)
Hbl.
Harbarðs-ljóð. (A. I.)
Hkv.
Helga-kviða Hundingsbana. (A. II.)
Hkv. Hjörv.
Helga-kviða Hjörvarðssonar. (A. II.)
Hm.
Hává-mál. (A. I.)
Konr.
Konráðs Saga. (G. III.)
Ls.
Loka-senna. (A. I.)
Mork.
Morkinskinna. (E. I.)
Vsp.
Völuspá. (A. I.)
Fél.
Félags-rit.
Jónas
Jónas Hallgrímsson.
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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