Metja

Old Norse Dictionary - metja

Meaning of Old Norse word "metja" in English.

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

metja Old Norse word can mean:

metja: met, matti, [Ulf. matjan = φαγειν; from matr], prop. to ‘take food,’ but it remains only in the special sense to lap with the tongue like a dog; þeir er sötra vatn ór lófum allt eitt ok rakkar metja með tungu, Stj. 392: in mod. usage esp. used of fishes mumbling with the mouth in water when feeding, þtir vóru at metja stökkva ok steðja, Bb. 2. 29; metja strauminn, to gulp the stream, id.

metja: II. metaph., meta árum í sjó, to dip the oars into the water, to dabble with the oars; þá meta þau í árum ok róa burt slíkt er þau mega, Háv. 46; kindred is the passage Fspl. 19, Skögul at skutlum skaptker Hnikars mat af miði minnis-hornum, S. ladled the mead with the horns, filling them out of the skapker, see Dr. Schewing’s note to the passage in his edition of the poem. The form mat for matti is due to a confusion with meta mat.

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

Abbreviations used:

esp.: especially.

f.: feminine.

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

mod.: modern.

prop.: proper, properly.

Ulf.: Ulfilas.

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

metaph.: metaphorical, metaphorically.

pl.: plural.

S.: Saga.

v.: vide.

Works & Authors cited:

Bb.: Búnaðar-bálkr.

Stj.: Stjórn. (F. I.)

Fspl.: Forspjalls-ljóð. (A. I.)

Háv.: Hávarðar Saga. (D. 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.