Haf

Old Norse Dictionary - haf

Meaning of Old Norse word "haf" in English.

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

haf Old Norse word can mean:

haf: n. [Swed. haf; Dan. hav; formed from hefja, to lift; a Scandin. word, which seems not to occur in Saxon or Germ.]:—the sea, Hdl. 38; esp. the high sea, the ocean; sigla í (á) haf, láta í haf, to put to sea, Eg. 69, Nj. 4; fimm (sex) dægra haf, five (six) days’ sail, Landn. 26; koma af hafi, to come off the sea, i. e. to land, Eg. 392; en haf svá mikit millum landanna, at eigi er fært langskipum, Hkr. i. 229; harm sigldi norðr í haf um haustið, ok fengu ofviðri mikit í hafi, Ó. H. 26; sigldi Þórarinn þá á haf út, 125; sigldu síðan á haf út þegar byr gaf, Eg. 125; en byrr bar þá í haf út, id.; en er sóttisk hafit, 126; liggja til hafs, to lie to and wait for a wind, Bs. i. 16; hann dó í hafi, he died at sea, Landn. 264; þeir vissusk jafnan til í hafinu, 56; veita e-m far um hafit, Eb. 196; tyrir austan mitt haf, beyond the sea (i. e. between Iceland and Scandinavia); en er inn sækir í fjörðinn þá er þar svá vítt sem mikit haf, Fms. vi. 296 (for the explanation of this passage see Aarböger for Nord. Oldk. 1868); útí fjarðar-kjapta þar til er haf tekr við, Bs. i. 482: in plur., ganga höf stór ór útsjánum inn í jörðina, Hkr. (begin.); út-haf, regin-haf, the ocean; Íslands-haf, the sea between Iceland and Norway, Fms. vi. 107, Band. 9; Grænlands-haf, the sea between Greenland and America, Fms. iv. 177; Englands-haf, the English Sea, i. e. the North Sea, between England and Norway, 329, x. 272, 398, xi. 201, Fær. 88; Írlands-haf, the Irish Sea, i. e. the Atlantic, Þorf. Karl. 390; Álanz-haf, the gulf of Bothnia, Orkn. (begin.); Sólundar-haf, the sea of the Sulin Island (Norway), Fms. x. 34, 122; Grikklands-haf, the Grecian Archipelago, vi. 134, 161, vii. 85, passim; Svarta-haf, the Black Sea, Hkr. i. 5, Fms. vi. 169; Jótlands-haf, the Cattegat, 264; Jórsala-haf, the sea of Jerusalem, i. e. the Mediterranean, x. 85, Fb. iii; Rauða-haf or Hafið Rauða, the ‘Red Sea,’ i. e. the Ocean (mythol.), nú heldr jörð griðum upp, en himininn varðar fyrir ofan, en Hafit Rauða fyrir utan, er liggr um lönd öll þau er vér höfum tíðendi af, Grág. i. 166; in mod. usage the Red Sea = Sinus Arabicus; Dumbs-haf, the Polar Sea, Landn.; Miðjarðar-haf, the Mediterranean; Atlants-haf, the Atlantic; Kyrra-haf, the Pacific (these three in mod. writers only).

haf: COMPDS: hafsafl, hafsauga, hafsbotn, hafsbrún, hafsflóð, hafsgeil, hafsgeimr, hafsmegin, hafalda, hafatt, hafbára, hafbylgja, haffugl, haffærr, hafför, hafgall, hafgerðingar, Hafgerðingadrápa, hafgjálfr, hafgola, hafgúfa, hafhallt, hafhrútr, hafíss, hafkaldr, hafkóngr, haflauðr, hafleið, hafleiði, hafleiðis, Hafliði, hafligr, hafnest, hafnýra, hafreið, hafrek, hafreka, hafrekinn, hafrekinn, hafrekstr, hafræðr, hafrœna, hafrœnn, hafsigling, hafsiglingarmaðr, hafskip, hafskíð, hafskrimsl, hafsleipnir, hafstormr, hafstrambr, hafstraumr, hafsúla, haftyrðill, hafvelktr, hafviðri, hafvillr, hafvillur, hafþrunginn.

haf: B. Lifting; hann hnykkir upp steininum, sýndisk flestum mönnum úlíkligr til hafs fyrir vaxtar sakir, Finnb. 324; cp. Grettis-haf, the lift of Grettir, of a heavy stone.

haf: II. beginning; upp-haf, principium.

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

Abbreviations used:

begin.: beginning.

Dan.: Danish.

esp.: especially.

f.: feminine.

Germ.: German.

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

i. e.: id est.

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

mod.: modern.

mythol.: mythology, mythologically.

n.: neuter.

plur.: plural.

Scandin.: Scandinavia, Scandinavian.

Swed.: Swedish.

v.: vide.

cp.: compare.

Works & Authors cited:

Band.: Banda-manna Saga. (D. II.)

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

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

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

Fb.: Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Fær.: Færeyinga Saga. (E. II.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Hdl.: Hyndlu-ljóð. (A. II.)

Hkr.: Heimskringla. (E. I.)

Karl.: Karla-magnús Saga. (G. I.)

Landn.: Landnáma. (D. I.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

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

Ó. H.: Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)

Þorf. Karl.: Þorfinns Saga Karlsefnis. (D. II.)

Finnb.: Finnboga Saga. (D. V.)

➞ 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.