Herðar

Old Norse Dictionary - herðar

Meaning of Old Norse word "herðar" in English.

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

herðar Old Norse word can mean:

herðar
f. pl. the shoulders, the upper part of the back, distinguished from öxl = shoulder in a special sense, Nj. 185, Eg. 289, Fms. vii. 55, Sks. 166, Fb. i. 396, Þiðr. 9, passim, cp. Matth. xxiii. 4, Luke xv. 5: so in the phrase, hafa hofuð og herðar yfir e-n, to be higher than another from the shoulders and upwards, cp. 1 Sam. ix. 2, x. 23.
herðar
COMPDS: (old form herði-, mod. herða-): herða-drengr, m. a hump on the back, a pun, Fms. viii. 404. herða-kambr, m. the withers, of a horse. herða-kistill, m. a hump. herða-klettr, m., poët. the ‘shoulder-knoll,’ the head, Skm. herða-lítill, adj. narrow-shouldered, Grett. 165. herða-munr, m. the difference from the shoulders and upwards, metaph. of one who is no match for another, Fms. xi. 442. herða-sár, n. a shoulder sore or wound, Sturl. i. 85. herða-toppr, m. a shoulder tuft, the part of a horse’s mane next the saddle, Sturl. i. 152, Bær. 16. herðar-blað, n. the shoulder blade, Nj. 70, Sturl. i. 152. herði-breiðr, adj. broad-shouldered, Fms. x. 151, Finnb. 324, Sturl. iii. 122, Fbr. 80 new Ed. herði-lútr, adj. with stooping or round shoulders, Barl. 15, Bs. i. 312. herði-mikill, adj. broad-shouldered, Sturl. iii. 122, Eg. 305, Ísl. ii. 203. herði-þykkr, adj. thick-shouldered, Ld. 298, Fbr. 40 new Ed.

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

Abbreviations used:

cp.
compare.
f.
feminine.
l.
line.
m.
masculine.
pl.
plural.
v.
vide.
adj.
adjective.
metaph.
metaphorical, metaphorically.
mod.
modern.
n.
neuter.
poët.
poetically.

Works & Authors cited:

Eg.
Egils Saga. (D. II.)
Fb.
Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)
Fms.
Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Nj.
Njála. (D. II.)
Sks.
Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)
Þiðr.
Þiðreks Saga. (G. I.)
Barl.
Barlaams Saga. (F. III.)
Bs.
Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
Bær.
Bærings Saga. (G. II.)
Fbr.
Fóstbræðra Saga. (D. II.)
Finnb.
Finnboga Saga. (D. V.)
Grett.
Grettis Saga. (D. II.)
Ld.
Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)
Skm.
Skírnis-mál. (A. I.)
Sturl.
Sturlunga Saga. (D. 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.

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