Nafn

Old Norse Dictionary - nafn

Meaning of Old Norse word "nafn" in English.

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

nafn Old Norse word can mean:

nafn: often spelt namn, n.; [Ulf. namo; common to all Teut. languages without the n, which has been preserved in the Norse; Dan. navn; Swed. namn; Lat. nomen; Gr. ὄνομα]:—a name; af hans nafni tók nafn Britannia, Fms. xi. 416; spyrja e-n at nafni, Nj. 6; gefa namn, Grág. i. 101; at nafni, by name, passim; kalla á namn e-s, 623. 24; í nafni e-s, in one’s name, id., passim; skírnar-nafn, a baptismal name; auk-nafn, a nickname. For the ancient ceremony, even of the heathen age, of sprinkling infants with water and giving them a name see the remarks and references given s. v. ausa, (to which add Dropl. 25, ok mun ek ekki við þér sjá, þvíat þú jóst mik vatni.) Proper names were either single as Steinn or compound as Hall-steinn, Þor-steinn, Vé-steinn, Há-steinn, Her-steinn, Gunn-steinn, see Þorst. hv. 46, Eb. 126 new Ed. (Append.); for giving names to infants see Vd. ch. 13, Nj. ch. 14, 59, Ld. ch. 13, Eb. ch. 7, 11, 12, and the Sagas passim. The ancient Teutons and Scandinavians used but one name, for nicknames are rare or of later date, and perh. came into use through contact with foreigners, as with the Gaelic tribes in the west, for in the Landn. such names abound in Icel., though they were afterwards disused; the law makes it a case of outlawry to ‘give names,’ ef maðr gefr manni nafn annat en hann eigi áðr ok varðar fjörbaugs garð, ef hann reiðisk við, Grág. (Kb.) ii. 182, see however nafn-festr below. For illustration see lists of names subjoined to the Editions of the Sagas, Landn., Bs., Fms., Fb. iii, Espól. Annals; a list of nicknames, Fb. iii. 657–663. Worthy of note is the desire of the men of old to live again in a new name, cp. Vd. ch. 3, Fb. ii. 7–9, and many other instances; one who falls short of the man he is named after is said to kafna undir nafni. 2. gramm. a noun, Skálda 180.

nafn: II. a name, title; at gipta hana tignara manni fyrir nafns sakir, Fms. i. 157; hersir at nafni, Ld. 8, Ó. H. 106; nafn ok veldi, Eg. 268; keisara-nafn, konungs-n., jarls-n., passim; at nafni, nominally, not really, not well; fontr með búnaði at nafni, Pm. 68, 78.

nafn: COMPDS: nafnagipt, nafnaskipti, nafnaskrá.

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

Abbreviations used:

ch.: chapter.

cp.: compare.

Dan.: Danish.

f.: feminine.

Gr.: Greek.

gramm.: grammar.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

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

l.: line.

Lat.: Latin.

m.: masculine.

n.: neuter.

perh.: perhaps.

pl.: plural.

s. v.: sub voce.

Swed.: Swedish.

Teut.: Teutonic.

Ulf.: Ulfilas.

v.: vide.

Works & Authors cited:

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

Dropl.: Droplaugar-sona Saga. (D. II.)

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

Fb.: Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Kb.: Konungs-bók. (B. I, C. I, etc.)

Landn.: Landnáma. (D. I.)

Ld.: Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

Skálda: Skálda. (H. I.)

Vd.: Vatnsdæla Saga. (D. II.)

Þorst. hv.: Þorsteins-þáttr hvíta. (D. II.)

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

Ó. H.: Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)

Pm.: Pétrs-máldagi. (J. 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.