Mala

Old Norse Dictionary - mala

Meaning of Old Norse word "mala" in English.

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

mala Old Norse word can mean:

mala: pret. mól, mólu; subj. pret. mœli, Gs. 10; part. malinn; reflex. pret. mólsk, Edda 78; a defect. strong verb supplied by weak forms, thus the strong pres. indic. sing. mel scarcely occurs; in mod. usage it is weak throughout, mala, malaði, malat, although the strong pret. may still be used in writing: [Ulf. malan = ἀγήθειν, Luke xvii. 35, and so through other Teut. languages; cp. Lat. mola, molere; Gr. μύλη; derived are Icel. mylja and melja, q. v.]:—to grind; en sú náttúra fylgði kvernunum, at þat mólsk á kverninni er sá mælti fyrir er mól, … Fróði konungr bað þær mala gull ok frið ok sælu Fróða … þær mólu litla hríð áðr niðr sukku skipin, Edda 78, 79 (the tale of Fróði and the power-mill, cp. 221); auð mölum Fróða (dat.) mölum alsælan, Gs. 5; né mœli svá mær bergrisa … malit hefi ek fyrir mik …, mól míns föður mær rammliga, … mölum enn framar, … mólu meyjar megins kostuðu, … malit höfum, Fróði, sem munum heita, 10 sqq.; frá ek at Fróða meyjar fullgóliga mólu, Edda 81 (in a verse); hann tók klæði ambáttar ok gékk at mala, Sæm. 110; mala valbygg, Hkv. 2. 2; konungr heyrði í hús nokkut kveðandi svá fagra, at honum fannsk mikit um, hann reið til hússins ok sá inn at þar sat kona við kvern, ok kvað for- knnnar fagrt við er hón mól, Fms. vii. 233; á þeim kvörnum mólu tólf konur byggkorn ok hveiti-korn til mannfæðis, höfðu hinar konurnar þá malat sitt hveiti, Od. xx. 106; at mala þeim korn eðr baka þeim brauð, H. E. i. 503; þær er mólu ból Amlóða (q. v.), Edda 67 (in a verse): metaph., stýri mól, of a rudder in the sea, Rekst.

mala: II. metaph. to purr, of a cat, Germ. spinnen, freq. in mod. usage.

mala: III. part. malit gull (cp. malmr), ground gold, pure gold; roðinn gulli mölnu, Sighvat.

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

Abbreviations used:

cp.: compare.

dat.: dative.

defect.: defective.

f.: feminine.

Gr.: Greek.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

indic.: indicative.

l.: line.

Lat.: Latin.

m.: masculine.

metaph.: metaphorical, metaphorically.

mod.: modern.

part.: participle.

pres.: present.

pret.: preterite.

q. v.: quod vide.

reflex.: retlexive.

sing.: singular.

subj.: subjunctive.

Teut.: Teutonic.

Ulf.: Ulfilas.

v.: vide.

freq.: frequent, frequently.

Germ.: German.

Works & Authors cited:

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Gs.: Grótta-söngr. (A. II.)

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

Hkv.: Helga-kviða Hundingsbana. (A. II.)

Od.: Odysseifs-kvæði, prose, 1829.

Sæm.: Sæmundar Edda. (A, C. 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.