Mjöt

Old Norse Dictionary - mjöt

Meaning of Old Norse word "mjöt" (or mjǫt) in English.

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

mjöt (mjǫt): f. [Ulf. mitaþs = μέτρον; O. H. G. mez; Germ. masz]:—a measure; kann ek mála mjöt, I know the measure of words, how to make a speech, Höfuðl. 20: þess kann maðr mjöt, a man knows the measure of that, Bugge’s Hm. 60 (see foot-note as to the reading in Cod. Reg.); mjötuðr, from Vsp. the preceding poem, seems to have been in the transcriber’s mind, and so he first wrote mjotvþc and then dotted the v, denoting that the last three letters were to be struck out. A fem. mjotuð would, it is true, agree with the Goth. mitaþs, but it does not suit the rhythm, in which a monosyllable is required.

Orthography: The Cleasby & Vigfusson book used letter ö to represent the original Old Norse vowel ǫ. Therefore, mjöt may be more accurately written as mjǫt.

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

Abbreviations used:

Cod.: Codex.

f.: feminine.

fem.: feminine.

Germ.: German.

Goth.: Gothic.

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

O. H. G.: Old High German.

Ulf.: Ulfilas.

Works & Authors cited:

Hm.: Hává-mál. (A. I.)

Höfuðl.: Höfuðlausn. (A. III.)

Vsp.: Völuspá. (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.