Leita

Old Norse Dictionary - leita

Meaning of Old Norse word "leita" in English.

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

leita Old Norse word can mean:

leita: að, prop. a causal from líta, [Ulf. wlaiton = περιβλέπεσθαι; North. E. to lait; Dan. lede]:—to seek, search, with gen. leita e-s, or with prep. leita at e-u, or absol., héraðsmenn leituðu hennar ok fundu hana eigi, Nj. 14; leita lands, Fms. ii. 214; Hængr sigldi í haf ok leitaði Íslands, Eg. 99, Landn. 27, 32, Fms. i. 27, 71; leita e-m kvánfangs, Eg. 22, passim: metaph., ef yðar er ílla leitað, if you are challenged, rudely treated, Nj. 139; þótt hans væri eigi vel leitað, Fb. ii. 73:—hón leitaði í eina hirzlu, Fms. iv. 37; leituðu þeir um skóginn allan, i. 72; Njáll leitaði Höskuldi um manna-forráð, Nj. 149: leita at e-m, to seek for, Fms. ix. 218; ok leiti þér at honum Höskuldi, Nj. 171, passim in mod. usage: leita eptir e-m, id., Fms. i. 69: the phrase, leita sér staðar, to go on one’s business, cacare, Hm. 113, Fær. 197.

leita: II. metaph. to seek for help; vil ek at þú leitir aldri annarra en mín ef þú þarft nokkurs við, Nj. 74; leita sér heilla, Landn. 33; leita lækninga, to seek for healing, to call in a physician, Johan. 26; leita ráða, to seek for advice, Nj. 75.

leita: 2. to enquire, examine, Sks. 638, Hom. 65.

leita: 3. with prepp.; leita á e-n, to offend in word or deed, be aggressive, Nj. 16, Ó. H. 222, (á-leitinn); leita á við e-n, to contest, call in question, Grág. i. 36; leita á um e-t, to try, attempt; hvar skulu vér á leita? Nj. 3; en þat ræð ek, at þú leitir eigi optarr á hreysti mína, that thou dost not again question my valour, Orkn. 402: leita eptir e-u, to ‘lait after,’ seek for, passim; leita eptir máli, to follow a case, take it up, Nj. 75; leita eptir við e-n, to entreat a person, Fbr. 117; leita eptir um e-t, to enquire into, Eg. 536: leita upp, to seek out, Germ. anfsuchen, Fms. x. 71:—leita við, to try, endeavour, Nj. 21, Sturl. i. 17, Rb. 382, Eg. 606, Jb. 382; leita við för, to try to get away, Grág. i. 91: leita til e-s, to try for, Fb. ii. 309.

leita: III. in a local sense, to try to go, make ready to go, proceed on a journey; ef Eirekr konungr leitaði vestan um haf með her sinn, Fms. i. 26; hann kvaðsk aptr mundu leita til vina sinnu, ii. 214; ef hann leitaði aptr í land, v. 32; leita braut ór landi, to go abroad, Ó. H. 130; leita á fund e-s, to visit a person, Eg.; haltú vörð á, ef hann leitar (tries to escape) út um munninn, Fms. vi. 351: leita undan, to go back, fly, Stj. 479.

leita: IV. reflex. to seek; leitask um, to explore; þá leituðusk þeir um hvar líkast var út at komask, Eg. 233; leituðusk þeir þá um ok fundu hurð í gólfinu, 234, Stj. 479: leitask fyrir, id., H. E. i. 245, Sks. 706: leitast við, to attempt, mod. = leita við. The reflexive is more freq. in mod. than in old usage.

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

Abbreviations used:

absol.: absolute, absolutely.

Dan.: Danish.

f.: feminine.

gen.: genitive.

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

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

metaph.: metaphorical, metaphorically.

mod.: modern.

n.: neuter.

North. E.: Northern English.

prop.: proper, properly.

Ulf.: Ulfilas.

v.: vide.

Germ.: German.

freq.: frequent, frequently.

reflex.: retlexive.

Works & Authors cited:

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

Fb.: Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Fær.: Færeyinga Saga. (E. II.)

Hm.: Hává-mál. (A. I.)

Landn.: Landnáma. (D. I.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

Hom.: Homiliu-bók. (F. II.)

Sks.: Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)

Fbr.: Fóstbræðra Saga. (D. II.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Jb.: Jóns-bók. (B. III.)

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

Ó. H.: Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)

Rb.: Rímbegla. (H. III.)

Sturl.: Sturlunga Saga. (D. I.)

Stj.: Stjórn. (F. I.)

H. E.: Historia Ecclesiastica Islandiae. (J. 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.