Maðr

Old Norse Dictionary - maðr

Meaning of Old Norse word "maðr" in English.

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

maðr Old Norse word can mean:

maðr: m., qs. mann-r, which form also occurs in old poets, engi mannr und ranni, Vellekla, (for the change of nn before r into ð see the introduction to letter N); gen. manns, dat. manni, acc. mann, plur. menn, qs. menn-r; with the article, menninir, so always in old writers, but in mod. mennirnir erroneously, as if from mennir: the plur. meðr, answering to the sing. maðr, occurs in old poets—meðr vituð öðling æðra, FmS. vii. 87 (in a verse); Norð-meðr róa naðri, vi. 309 (in a verse); meðr fengu mikit veðr, Edda 102; hirð-meðr, veðja, Rekst., all verses of the 11th and 12th centuries; er meðr Myrkvið kalla, Akv. 5: meðr hlutu sár, FbR. 75 new Ed. (in a verse): gen. pl. manna, dat. mönnum, acc. menn. In Ballads and Rímur after the 15th century, and hence in eccl. writers of later times, a nom. mann is now and then used, esp. in compds influenced by Germ. and Engl., e. g. hreysti-mann, Skíða R. 58; or for the sake of rhyme, ætla þú ekki, aumr mann | af komast muni strafflaust hann, PasS. 14. 17: [Ulf. manna = ἄνθρωπος; in other Teut. languages spelt man, or better mann.]

maðr: B. A man = Lat. homo, GR. ἄνθρωπος, also people; eigi vil ek segja frá manninum þvíat mér er maðrinn skyldr, þat er frá manni at segja, at maðr er vel auðigr at fé, Nj. 51; mennskr maðr, a manlike man, a human being, opp. to giants or beings of superhuman strength, Gm. 31; menn eru hér komnir ef menn skal kalla, en líkari eru þeir þursum at vexti ok sýn en mennskum mönnum, Eg. 110; flýjum nú! ekki er við menn um at eiga, Nj. 97; þat hafa gamlir menn mælt, at þess manns mundi hefnt verða ef hann félli á grúfu, Eg. 107; þeir ungu menn (the young people) elskask sín í millum, MaR.; þótt nökkut væri þústr á með enum yngrum mönnum, Ld. 200; fjöldi manns, múgr manns, FmS. ii. 45, 234, xi. 245; þykkir mönnum nökkur várkunn til þess, 192; var þat margra manna mál, at …, Eg. 537, FmS. i. 45; er þat íllt manni? Eg. 604; sá maðr, that person, K. Þ. K. 4; manna beztr, fríðastr …, the best, fairest … of men, passim; allra manna bezt, beyond all men, best of all men, BS. i. 67; kona var enn þriði maðr, HkR. iii. 184; hvárr þeirra manna, each of the wedded fair, Grág. i. 476; góðir menn, good men! in addressing, passim: allit., Guði ok góðum mönnum, to God and all good men, BS. i. 68: sayings, maðr skal eptir mann lifa, man shall live after man (as a consolation), Eg. 322: maðr er manns gaman, man is man’s comfort, Hm. 46; whence huggun er manni mönnum at, PasS. 2. 10: maðr eptir mann, man after man, in succession; or, maðr af manni, man after man, in turn: sýndi maðr manni, man shewed it to man, it went round from hand to hand, FmS. vi. 216; nú segir maðr manni þessi fagnaðar-tíðendi, BS. i. 181, ÞiðR. 142; kunni þat maðr manni at segja at Bróðir felldi Brján, Nj. 275.

maðr: 2. phrases, þat veit menn (the verb in sing., the noun in plur.), every one knows that! to be sure! Art. 31, 62, Karl. 48; meðr of veit, Sighvat: mod. viti menn! with a notion of irony; thus also menn segja, men say, (in old poët. usage elliptically, kveða = Lat. dicunt, Vþm. 24, 26, 28, 30, Gm. 13, Hdl. 42, Hm. 11; kváðu, people said, Vm. 33): the sing. maðr = FR. on, mod. Dan. man (in Dan. man siger), is not vernaculaR.

maðr: 3. in compds. kvenn-maðr, a woman; karl-maðr, a man: of families, Mýra-menn, Síðu-menn, Landn.: inhabitants, people, Norð-menn, Norsemen; Noregs-menn, the men of Norway; Athenu-menn, Athenians; Korintu-menn, Corinthians; of condition of life, leik-menn, laymen; kenni-menn, clergymen; búand-menn, peasants; valds-menn, rulers; kaup-menn, merchants; sjó-menn, seamen; vinnu-menn, labourers.

maðr: 4. degree in a lineage: at þriðja, fjórða, fimta … manni, in the third, fourth, fifth … degree, Grág. i. 321; manni firnari en systrungr …, one degree remoter than …, used of odd degrees (e. g. four on one side and three on the other), ii. 172; hann var manni firr en systrungr Bárðar, he was an odd second cousin of B., Bárð. 165; hence tví-menningar, þrí-menningar, fjór-menningar …, a second, third, fourth … cousin, passim.

maðr: II. a man. Lat. vir; vér höfum þrjú skip ok hundruð manna á hverju, FaS. ii. 521; síðan fór hann til manna sinna, FmS. v. 514; greiða eyri gulls hverjum manni, 178; hann fór með of manns yfir landit, iv. 146; and so in countless instances: Sigurðar-menn, the followers of S.; Tuma-menn, konungs-menn, Krist-menn, kross-menn, vii. 293, 299, Ó. H. 216.

maðr: 2. a husband; Guð er Kristinnar andar maðr er honum giptisk í trú, GrEg. 31: freq. in mod. usage, maðrinn minn, my husband! dóttur-maðr, a son-in-law.

maðr: 3. metaph., vera maðr fyrir e-u, to be man enough for it, able to do it; eg er ekki maðr fyrir því, maðr til þess, id.; hann sýndisk eigi maðr til at setjask í svá háleitt sæti, BS. i. 743; mikill, lítill, maðr fyrir sér, to be a great, strong, weak man, and the like.

maðr: III. the Rune m, see introduction.

maðr: C. COMPDS, manns- and manna-: manns-aldr, m. a man’s life, generation, 623. 10, FmS. viii. 240, FaS. i. 406. manns-bani, a, m. ‘man’s bane,’ a man-slayer, JS. 49, Ni. 119. manns-barn, n. a ‘man’s bairn;’ in the phrase, hvert m., every child of man, Sturl. i. 47. manna-bein, n. pl. human bones, FmS. i. 230. manns-blóð, n. human blood, Nj. 59, FmS. iii. 125. manna-búkar, m. pl. corpses of slain, FmS. iii. 7, xi. 355. manna-bygð, f. human abodes, opp. to the wilderness, FmS. i. 215. manna-bær, m. dwelling-houses, Ann. 1390. manns-bætr, f. pl. weregild, Eg. 259. manns-efni, n. a man to be; gott-m. (see efni), Eg. 368, FmS. i. 174, FæR. 231. manna-farvegr, m. a foot-path, Gþl. 539. manns-fingr, m. a human finger. manna-forráð, n. ‘man-sway,’ rule, dominion; the godord or priesthood is often in the Laws and Sagas so called, Hrafn. 21, Nj. 149, Grág., Ísl. ii. 402, FmS. x. 45. manna-forræði, n. = mannaforráð, Nj. 231, Ld. 310. manns-fótr, m. a human foot, HkR. ii. 114. manna-fundr, m. a meeting of men, Grág. i. 420. manns-fylgja, u, f., or manna-fylgjur, f. pl. fetches of men, Lv. 69, FS. 68; see fylgja. manna-för, n. pl. men’s footprints, Eg. 578. manna-grein, f. distinction of men, FmS. viii. 21. manns-hauss, m. a human skull, Þorf. Karl. 242. manns-hár, n. human hair, Edda 4, FaS. iii. 266. manns-hold, n. human flesh, FmS. xi. 235. manna-hugir, m. pl., see hugr III. 2, Háv. 55, Þórð. 17 new Ed. manna-hús, n. pl. men’s houses, FbR. 77: human abodes. manns-höfuð, manna-höfuð, m. (he human head, K. Á. 1, FmS. x. 280, Nj. 275. manns-hönd, f. a human hand, FaS. i. 66. manns-kona, u, f. a man’s wife, married woman, Grág. i. 335, 337, 341, 344, 380, BS. i. 777, SkS. 340. manna-lát, n. the loss of men, loss of life, death, Nj. 248, Eg. 585, Orkn. 296. manns-lát, n. a person’s death, decease; heyra mannslát, to hear of a person’s death. manns-líf, n. man’s life, Hom. 6. manns-líki, n. human shape, Edda 9. manna-lof, n. praise of men, Hom. 83. manna-mál, n. human voices, human speech, Nj. 154; or manns-mál, id., in the phrase, það heyrist ekki mannsmál, no man’s voice can be heard, of a great noise. manna-missir, m. the loss of men, Sturl. iii. 7, FaS. ii. 552. manns-morð, n. murder, n. G. l. i. 256. manna-mót, n. = mannfundr, Grág. i. 343. manns-mót, n. manly mien, ‘manfulness,’ FmS. i. 149, xi. 86; þat er mannsmót að honum, he looks like a true man. manna-munr, m. distinction, difference of men, BS. i. 855. manna-múgr, m. a crowd of people, FæR. 12. manns-mynd, f. the human shape, Stj. 147. manna-reið, f. (a body of) horsemen, Nj. 206. manna-samnaðr, m. = mannsafnaðr, Ísl. ii. 83. manna-seta, u, f. men staying in a place, Ld. 42. manna-skipan, f. the placing of people, as at a banquet, in battle, Korm. 62, Sturl. i. 20, ii. 237. manna-skipti, n. pl. exchange of men, Germ. auswechselung, HkR. i. 8. manna-slóð, f. ‘man’s sleuth,’ a track of men, Sturl. i. 83. manna-spor, n. pl. men’s footprints. Sturl. ii. 90, Eg. 578, Landn. 191. manna-styrkr, m. help, Þórð. 74. manna-sættir, m. a daysman, peacemaker, FmS. x. 51, Eb. manna-taka, u, f. a reception of men, strangers, Fb. ii. 194. manna-tal, n. = manntal, HkR. ii. 340. manns-váði, a, m. danger of life, FmS. viii. 224. manna-vegr, m. a road where men pass, opp. to a wilderness, Grett. 115 A, Ld. 328. manna-verk, n. pl. = mannvirki, man’s work, work by human hands, Fb. i. 541. manns-verk, n. work to be done by a person, n. G. l. i., 38, Gþl. 114. manna-vist, f. a human abode. FmS. i. 226, Jb. 9, Orkn. 434. manns-vit, n. ‘man’s wit,’ human understanding, reason, Nj. 106. manna-völd, n. pl.; in the phrase, e-t er af manna-völdum, it is due to human causes, not by natural causes, e. g. of a fire, the disappearance of a thing, or the like, Nj. 76, FmS. ii. 146, iii. 98. manns-vöxtr, m. a man’s stature, FaS. ii. 508, Hom. 112. manna-þengill, m. king of men, the name of Njörð, Gm. 16, Edda 104. manns-æði, n. human bearing, behaviour. manns-æfi, f. man’s lifetime; mart kann skipask á mannsæfinni, a saying, FmS. vii. 156; mart verðr á mannsætinni, útítt var þat þá er vér vórum ungir, FæR. 195.

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

Abbreviations used:

acc.: accusative.

dat.: dative.

eccl.: ecclesiastical.

e. g.: exempli gratia.

Engl.: English.

esp.: especially.

f.: feminine.

gen.: genitive.

Germ.: German.

gl.: glossary.

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

mod.: modern.

n.: neuter.

nom.: nominative.

pl.: plural.

plur.: plural.

qs.: quasi.

R.: Rimur.

sing.: singular.

Teut.: Teutonic.

Ulf.: Ulfilas.

v.: vide.

allit.: alliteration, alliterative.

Gr.: Greek.

Lat.: Latin.

lit.: literally.

opp.: opposed.

Dan.: Danish.

Fr.: French in etymologies.

poët.: poetically.

compds.: compounds.

S.: Saga.

s. v.: sub voce.

freq.: frequent, frequently.

metaph.: metaphorical, metaphorically.

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

L.: Linnæus.

Works & Authors cited:

Akv.: Atla-kviða. (A. II.)

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)

Fbr.: Fóstbræðra Saga. (D. II.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Pass.: Passiu-Sálmar.

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

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

Gm.: Grímnis-mál. (A. I.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Hkr.: Heimskringla. (E. I.)

Hm.: Hává-mál. (A. I.)

K. Þ. K.: Kristinn-réttr Þorláks ok Ketils = Kristinna-laga-þáttr. (B. I.)

Ld.: Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)

Mar.: Maríu Saga. (F. III.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

Þiðr.: Þiðreks Saga. (G. I.)

Art.: Artus-kappa Sögur. (G. II.)

Fr.: Fritzner’s Dictionary, 1867.

Hdl.: Hyndlu-ljóð. (A. II.)

Karl.: Karla-magnús Saga. (G. I.)

Vm.: Vilkins-máldagi. (J. I.)

Vþm.: Vafþrúðnis-mál. (A. I.)

Landn.: Landnáma. (D. I.)

Bárð.: Bárðar Saga. (D. V.)

Fas.: Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)

Ó. H.: Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)

Greg.: Gregory. (F. II.)

Ann.: Íslenzkir Annálar. (D. IV.)

Eb.: Eyrbyggja Saga. (D. II.)

Fb.: Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)

Fs.: Forn-sögur. (D. II.)

Fær.: Færeyinga Saga. (E. II.)

Grett.: Grettis Saga. (D. II.)

Gþl.: Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)

Háv.: Hávarðar Saga. (D. II.)

Hom.: Homiliu-bók. (F. II.)

Hrafn.: Hrafnkels Saga. (D. II.)

Jb.: Jóns-bók. (B. III.)

Js.: Járnsíða. (B. III.)

K. Á.: Kristinn-réttr Árna biskups. (B. III.)

Korm.: Kormaks Saga. (D. II.)

Lv.: Ljósvetninga Saga. (D. II.)

N. G. L.: Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)

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

Sks.: Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)

Stj.: Stjórn. (F. I.)

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

Þorf. Karl.: Þorfinns Saga Karlsefnis. (D. II.)

Þórð.: Þórðar Saga hreðu. (D. V.)

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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