Men

Old Norse Dictionary - men

Meaning of Old Norse word "men" in English.

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

men
n., gen. pl. menja, dat. menjum; [A. S. mene; Hel. meni; cp. O. H. G. mani-kold = necklace-gold, as also the name of a plant, hence perhaps Engl. marigold; Lat. monile]:—a necklace, Þkv. 13; hringa ok men, Vsp. 23; móður menjum göfga, Hdl. 13; hlaðin háls-menjum, Am. 44, Yngl. S. ch. 17, 22:—they were also worn by men, hann lézk vilja færa þeim men er Björn hafði haft á sér, Bjarn. 67, Vápn. 26, 28: metaph. in plur. treasures, jewels, Þkv. 23, Fm. 16, Akv. 26:—poët. phrases, men jarðar, earth’s necklace = the sea, Orkn. (in a verse); men Karmtar, island necklace = the sea; lyngva men, necklace of the bush = a serpent; men storðar, the earth’s men = the world serpent, the Miðgards-orm, Lex. poët.: as necklaces were chiefly worn by ladies, a woman is called mens Syn, the fairy of the necklace, Edda (in a verse): Men-glöð, the ‘necklace-glad,’ is the name of a fairy woman, Fb. i. 529, Fsm.: as also men-brekka, -brík, -döll, -gefn, -grund, -gunnr, -hlín -reið, -skögul, -skorð, = a lady; on the other hand, a man is called men-broti, -brjótr, -fergir, -myrðir, -rýrir, -stríðir, -vörðr, -þverrir, = the giver, breaker etc. of treasures, Lex. poët.

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

Abbreviations used:

A. S.
Anglo-Saxon.
ch.
chapter.
cp.
compare.
dat.
dative.
Engl.
English.
etc.
et cetera.
gen.
genitive.
gl.
glossary.
Hel.
Heliand.
l.
line.
Lat.
Latin.
m.
masculine.
metaph.
metaphorical, metaphorically.
n.
neuter.
O. H. G.
Old High German.
pl.
plural.
plur.
plural.
poët.
poetically.
S.
Saga.
v.
vide.

Works & Authors cited:

Akv.
Atla-kviða. (A. II.)
Am.
Atla-mál. (A. II.)
Bjarn.
Bjarnar Saga. (D. II.)
Björn
Biörn Halldórsson.
Edda
Edda. (C. I.)
Fb.
Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)
Fm.
Fafnis-mál. (A. II.)
Fsm.
Fjölsvinns-mál. (A. II.)
Hdl.
Hyndlu-ljóð. (A. II.)
Lex. Poët.
Lexicon Poëticum by Sveinbjörn Egilsson, 1860.
Orkn.
Orkneyinga Saga. (E. II.)
Vápn.
Vápnfirðinga Saga. (D. II.)
Vsp.
Völuspá. (A. I.)
Yngl. S.
Ynglinga Saga. (C. II.)
Þkv.
Þryms-kviða. (A. 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.

Back