Ný-görfing

Old Norse Dictionary - ný-görfing

Meaning of Old Norse word "ný-görfing" (or ný-gǫrfing) in English.

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

ný-görfing Old Norse word can mean:

ný-görfing (ný-gǫrfing)
f. a novelty, innovation, Ann. 1347, Fs. 76.
ný-görfing (ný-gǫrfing)
2. a gramm. term, a new trope or figure of speech, esp. of poët. circumlocutions not founded on ancient usage or old mythol. tales, but drawn from the imagination of the poet; thus, calling the tears the ‘rain, shower, pearls of the eyes’ would be ‘nýgörving,’ as also calling the sword a ‘snake,’ the sheath its ‘slough,’ Edda (Ht.) 123; skjöldr er land vápnanna, en vápn er hagl eða regn þess lands ef nygörfingum er ort, Edda 90.
ný-görfing (ný-gǫrfing)
II. mod. in a bad sense, whence ný-görfingr, m. of a person, an innovator, Pál Vídal. Skyr. passim; of a thing, new-fangledness, novelty, nýgörfings-ligr, adj. new-fangled.

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

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

Abbreviations used:

f.
feminine.
n.
neuter.
esp.
especially.
gramm.
grammar.
l.
line.
m.
masculine.
mythol.
mythology, mythologically.
poët.
poetically.
adj.
adjective.
mod.
modern.

Works & Authors cited:

Ann.
Íslenzkir Annálar. (D. IV.)
Fs.
Forn-sögur. (D. II.)
Edda
Edda. (C. I.)
Ht.
Hátta-tal. (C. I.)
Vídal.
Vídalíns-Postilla.
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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