Hand-björg

Old Norse Dictionary - hand-björg

Meaning of Old Norse word "hand-björg" (or hand-bjǫrg) in English.

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

hand-björg (hand-bjǫrg): f. ‘hand-supply;’ esp. in phrases, lifa við h. sína, to live from hand to mouth, Fas. iii. 538; eiga allt undir h. sinni, id., Róm. 290; færa e-n fram með h. sinni, to support a person by one’s labour, Jb. 267; whence handbjargar-úmagi, a, m. (-maðr, m.), a person supported by another’s labour, id.

Orthography: The Cleasby & Vigfusson book used letter ö to represent the original Old Norse vowel ǫ. Therefore, hand-björg may be more accurately written as hand-bjǫrg.

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

Abbreviations used:

esp.: especially.

f.: feminine.

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

m.: masculine.

Works & Authors cited:

Fas.: Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)

Jb.: Jóns-bók. (B. III.)

Róm.: Rómverja Saga. (E. II.)

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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This headword also appears in dictionaries of other languages descending from Old Norse.