Húnn

Old Norse Dictionary - húnn

Meaning of Old Norse word "húnn" in English.

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

húnn Old Norse word can mean:

húnn
1. m. [Gr. κωνος], a knob: naut. the knob at the top of the mast-head; draga segl við hún, or í hún upp, or vinda upp segl við húna, to hoist a sail to the top, Ó. H. 17, Tríst. 8, FaS. iii. 410.
húnn
COMPDS: húnbora, húndreginn, húnkastali, húnspænir.
húnn
2. the knob at a staff’s end; stafs-húnn, the knob on a door handle etc.: a slice, skera svá breiðan hún til beins er bast er langt, of a whale’s blubber, n. G. L. i. 59.
húnn
3. a piece in a game, prob. from its cone-like shape: from the phrase, verpa húnum, to cast (throw) the piece ‘hún,’ it seems to follow that this game was either similar to the Gr. δίσκος or rather to the mod. nine pins; þeirs í Haralds túni húnum verpa, Hornklofi, Fagrsk. 5 (in a verse); in Rm. 32 the ‘hundum verpa’ is no doubt a false reading for ‘húnum verpa;’ the riddle in Hervar. S., (where the answer is, þat er húninn í hnettafli,) is obscure and corrupt in the text, for the hnettafl or hneftafl (q. v.) was quite a different game.
húnn
2. m. a young bear, Kormak, FaS. i. 367, Fb. i. 253, Nj. 35, Landn. 176, FS. 26, Stj. 530, passim; bjarnar-húnn, a bear’s young: in local names, Húna-flói, Húna-vatn, Húnavatns-þing, -sýsla, Landn.; Húnavatns-leið, FmS. iii. 21.
húnn
II. metaph. an urchin, boy, Vkv. 22, 30, 32, Gh. 12.

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

Abbreviations used:

Gr.
Greek.
m.
masculine.
naut.
nautical.
etc.
et cetera.
L.
Linnæus.
mod.
modern.
prob.
probably.
q. v.
quod vide.
S.
Saga.
v.
vide.
n.
neuter.
metaph.
metaphorical, metaphorically.

Works & Authors cited:

Fas.
Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)
Ó. H.
Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)
N. G. L.
Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)
Fagrsk.
Fagrskinna. (K. I.)
Hervar. S.
Hervarar Saga. (C. II.)
Rm.
Rígsmál. (A. II.)
Fb.
Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)
Fms.
Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Fs.
Forn-sögur. (D. II.)
Landn.
Landnáma. (D. I.)
Nj.
Njála. (D. II.)
Stj.
Stjórn. (F. I.)
Gh.
Guðrúnar-hefna. (A. II.)
Vkv.
Völundar-kviða. (A. II.)
➞ 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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