Höggva

Old Norse Dictionary - höggva

Meaning of Old Norse word "höggva" (or hǫggva) in English.

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

höggva Old Norse word can mean:

höggva (hǫggva)
also spelt heyggva, Sæm. (Kb.); pres. höggr, mod. also heggr; pl. höggum, mod. höggvum; pret. hjó, hjótt, hjó, mod. hjó, hjóst, hjó; pl. hjoggum and hjuggum, mod. only the latter form; a Norse pret. hjoggi = hjó, D. n. ii. 331; pret. subj. hjöggi and heyggi, mod. hjyggi; part. högginn, mod. but less correct, höggvinn, which also is freq. in the Editions; but in the MSS. usually abbreviated, högḡ, höggͭ, = högginn, höggit: [not recorded in Ulf.; A. S. heawan; Engl. hew, hack; Hel. hauwan; O. H. G. houwan; Germ. hauen; Dan. hugge; Swed. hugga]:—höggva denotes to strike with an edged tool, slá and drepa with a blunt one:
höggva (hǫggva)
1. to strike, smite with a sharp weapon; höggr sá er hlífa skyldi, he strikes who ought to shield, a saying: to deal blows with a weapon, hann görði ymist hjó eða lagði, Nj. 8; hann hjó títt ok hart, passim; höggva báðum höndum, 29; h. sverði, öxi, strike with, i. e. to brandish, a sword, axe, FmS. v. 168, GS. 6; h. til e-s, to deal a blow to one, smite, Grág. ii. 7, Al. 78; h. e-n bana-högg, to smite with a deathblow, Eg. 220: to cut down, destroy, þeir hjuggu drekann mjök, FmS. vii. 249: to maim, ef maðr höggr hund eða björn til háðungar manni, Grág. ii. 121; h. rauf á hjálmi, Al. 78: the phrases, h. sik í lends manns rétt, FmS. ix. 399: spec. phrases, höggðú allra manna armastr, nú hjóttu Noreg ór hendi mér! Ek þóttumk nú Noreg í hönd þér höggva, Ó. H. 184.
höggva (hǫggva)
2. to put to death, behead, FmS. vii. 250, 251, xi. 148–152: to kill, högg þú hestinn, Nj. 92: to kill cattle, slaughter, h. bú, búfé, kýr, geitr, naut, Landn. 293, Eg. 532, FmS. vi. 95, xi. 123, Fb. i. 186: höggva strandhögg, Eg. 81.
höggva (hǫggva)
3. to fell trees; höggva skög, Grág. ii. 294; h. keyrivönd, id.: absol., hann hefir höggit í skógi mínum, Nj. 98, passim: to cut grass (rarely), ef maðr höggr hey á hlut annars manns, n. G. l. ii. 112; upp höggvit gras, cut grass, Dipl. iv. 9, Jm. 7, (else always slá of mowing.)
höggva (hǫggva)
4. to bite, of snakes (högg-ormr); Miðgarðsormr hjó hann til bana, Edda 155; naðran hjó fyrir flagbrjóskat, 76: of a wound from a boar’s tusk, ef svín höggr mann, Gþl. 190: the phrase, h. hest sporum, to prick a horse with the spur, Mag. 9.
höggva (hǫggva)
II. with prepp.; höggva af, to hew or cut off; h. af kampa ok skegg, to cut off the beard, K. Þ. K.; h. af lim, SkS. 555; to kill, slaughter, h. af fé, Ld. 64; höggva af sér, to parry off, FmS. v. 13:—h. niðr, to cut down, i. 38; to kill, butcher, vii. 261, Orkn. 120; hjuggu þeir niðr mungát sitt (by cutting casks to pieces), FmS. vii. 249:—h. upp, to cut down a tree, GrEg. 48, Matth. iii. 10; h. upp skip, to break a ship up, FmS. iii. 228, ix. 381; h. upp hús, to break a house up, viii. 166:—h. ór, to cut out, metaph. to make even; vóru margar greinir þær er ór þurfti at h. milli biskups ok leikmanna, BS. i. 751; láta konung ok erkibiskup ór h. (smooth) sagðar greinir, 773.
höggva (hǫggva)
III. reflex. to be cut, hacked; hjósk skjöldr Helga, Dropl. 24.
höggva (hǫggva)
2. recipr. to exchange blows, fight; þeir hjuggusk nokkura stund, Háv. 56; þeir h. til í ákafa, Bret. 74.
höggva (hǫggva)
3. metaph., höggvask í mitt mál, to begin abruptly, in the middle of a sentence; taka heldr at upphafi til, en höggvask í mitt mál, Landn. 275, v. l.; ef enn höggsk nokkurr í ok mælir svá, cuts in, objects, Skálda 168: þótti honum nú taka mjök um at höggvask, things looked hard, Grett. 142; þótti honum hart um höggvask, BS. i. 423.

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

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

Abbreviations used:

A. S.
Anglo-Saxon.
Dan.
Danish.
Engl.
English.
f.
feminine.
freq.
frequent, frequently.
Germ.
German.
gl.
glossary.
Hel.
Heliand.
l.
line.
m.
masculine.
mod.
modern.
n.
neuter.
O. H. G.
Old High German.
part.
participle.
pl.
plural.
pres.
present.
pret.
preterite.
S.
Saga.
subj.
subjunctive.
Swed.
Swedish.
Ulf.
Ulfilas.
i. e.
id est.
spec.
specially.
s. v.
sub voce.
v.
vide.
absol.
absolute, absolutely.
id.
idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation
L.
Linnæus.
metaph.
metaphorical, metaphorically.
reflex.
retlexive.
pr.
proper, properly.
recipr.
reciprocally.
v. l.
varia lectio.

Works & Authors cited:

D. N.
Diplomatarium Norvagicum. (J. II.)
Kb.
Konungs-bók. (B. I, C. I, etc.)
Sæm.
Sæmundar Edda. (A, C. I.)
Al.
Alexanders Saga. (G. I.)
Eg.
Egils Saga. (D. II.)
Fms.
Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Grág.
Grágás. (B. I.)
Gs.
Grótta-söngr. (A. II.)
Nj.
Njála. (D. II.)
Ó. H.
Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)
Fb.
Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)
Landn.
Landnáma. (D. I.)
Dipl.
Diplomatarium. (J. I.)
Jm.
Jóns-máldagi. (J. I.)
N. G. L.
Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)
Edda
Edda. (C. I.)
Gþl.
Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)
Mag.
Magus Saga. (G. II.)
Bs.
Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
Greg.
Gregory. (F. II.)
K. Þ. K.
Kristinn-réttr Þorláks ok Ketils = Kristinna-laga-þáttr. (B. I.)
Ld.
Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)
Orkn.
Orkneyinga Saga. (E. II.)
Sks.
Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)
Dropl.
Droplaugar-sona Saga. (D. II.)
Bret.
Breta Sögur. (G. I.)
Háv.
Hávarðar Saga. (D. II.)
Grett.
Grettis Saga. (D. II.)
Skálda
Skálda. (H. 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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