Ofan

Old Norse Dictionary - ofan

Meaning of Old Norse word "ofan" in English.

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

ofan Old Norse word can mean:

ofan: adv., the mod. Faroe dialect has oman, [Goth. obana; A. S. ofan; Germ. oben]:—from above, down, downwards.; falla ofan, to fall down, 623. 24, Eg. 240: taka ofan hús, to pull down, 100; fóru ofan þangat, Nj. 68; hann klauf ofan allan skjöldinn … reist ofan allan fótum, from top to bottom, 246; hann hjó frá ofan höndina, separated, cut off the hand, 160: metaph., telja e-t ofan, to ‘talk down,’ dissuade, FmS. xi. 11; taka ofan, to uncover the head.

ofan: II. with prepp. denoting motion from above; ofan af landi, Eg. 32; ofan af himnum, down from heaven; ofan til skipa, 244; ofan eptir dal, ofan eptir eyrum; hann féll ofan fyrir klettinn, he fell down over the rock, Fær. 31; ofan fyrir bjargið, ganga ofan í fen, to sink, plunge into the fen, Nj. 21; veit þá heldr fyrir ofan, it sloped downwards, Fær. 40.; detta ofan í, to sink down into the mire, of cattle; þeir riðu ofan í Skaptártungu, Nj. 261; ofan í fjöru, ofan í dalinn, ofan í gröfina, etc.; ofan á herðar, mitt læri, ofan á belti, 2; ór himni ofan, down from heaven, Clem. 21; ofan frá merkjá, Eg. 100; hann lét (the garment) falla ofan um sik … sem klæðit hrundi ofan um hann, Orkn. 182; ofan um ís, down through the ice.

ofan: 2. without motion; ofan á, upon, Lat. super; stendr hann þar á ofan, Ó. H. 108; liggja ofan á, leggjask ofan á, setja, láta ofan á e-t, etc.; ríða ofan á milli, to sit between the packs of a pack-horse; leggja ofan yfir, to cover over, FaS. i. 377.

ofan: III. the uppermost part; viðr ofan, large at the top, Fær. 29.

ofan: IV. adverbial, á ofan, over and above, to boot, into the bargain, Grett. 94, FmS. ii. 42: á þat ofan, BS. i. 71; fyrir þat ofan, besides, Grág. i. 428: fyrir ofan, with acc.; fyrir ofan hús, Nj. 199; fyrir ofan kné, 28; fyrir ofan sjó, FmS. iv. 354; steinveggr var fyrir ofan, above, higher up, Orkn. 310; fyrir ofan ok neðan.

ofan: V. with gen. above the surface of; ofan jarðar, above earth, alive; ofan sjóar, afloat.

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

Abbreviations used:

adv.: adverb.

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.

Germ.: German.

Goth.: Gothic.

m.: masculine.

metaph.: metaphorical, metaphorically.

mod.: modern.

S.: Saga.

v.: vide.

etc.: et cetera.

n.: neuter.

Lat.: Latin.

acc.: accusative.

gen.: genitive.

Works & Authors cited:

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

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

Clem.: Clements Saga. (F. III.)

Fær.: Færeyinga Saga. (E. II.)

Orkn.: Orkneyinga Saga. (E. II.)

Fas.: Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)

Ó. H.: Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Grett.: Grettis 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.