Ormr

Old Norse Dictionary - ormr

Meaning of Old Norse word "ormr" in English.

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

ormr Old Norse word can mean:

ormr
m. [Ulf. waurms = ὄφις; A. S. wyrm; Engl. worm: O. H. G. and Germ. wurm; Dan.-Swed. orm; Lat. vermis; cp. Orms-head in Wales]:—a snake, serpent, also including ‘worms’ (cp. maðkr), and even dragons, Hm. 85, Vsp. 44, 50, Gm. 34, Skm. 27, Akv. 31, Am. 22, 55. FmS. vi. 143, Hkr. i. 103, and passim; högg-ormr, a viper; eitr-ormr, the bane of snakes, i. e. the winter time. The abode of the wicked after death was a pit full of snakes (Hver-gelmir, Ná-strönd), Edda, Vsp. 44, which calls to mind the Gehenna in Mark ix. 43, 44, and one of the Bolgos in Dante’s Inferno, Canto 24. Serpents gnawed at the root of the world-tree Yggdrasil, Gm. 34. Pits of snakes were a place of punishment, Ragn. S. l. c., Am., Akv.; but only in mythological, not in historical recordS. Serpents brooded over gold and treasures, cp. the serpent Fafnir, Edda, Fm., Gullþ. ch. 4, Ragn. S. (begin.); whence in poetry gold is called orm-bekkr, -beðr, -ból, -garðr, -land, -látr, -láð, -reitr, -setr, -stallr, -torg, -vangr, -vengr, the bank, bed, abode, garden, land, litter, earth, etc. of snakes, Lex. Poët. For the world-serpent, see miðgarðr. orm-fellir, m. the snake-killer = the winter, FmS. vi. (in a verse): a sword is called a snake, blóð-ormr, rand-ormr, see Lex. Poët.; ketil-ormr, a sausage, Korm.: of ships of war with dragons’ heads, Ormr inn Langi, Ormr inn Skammi, Ó.T.
ormr
II. pr. names, Ormr and Ormarr; and in compds, Hall-ormr, Ráð-ormr, Þór-ormr, Goð-ormr, Veðr-ormr. = the holy Serpent, a name which indicates serpent worship, although no record of such worship is found in the SagaS.
ormr
COMPDS: ormsbit, ormabæli, ormstunga, ormaturn.

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

Abbreviations used:

A. S.
Anglo-Saxon.
begin.
beginning.
ch.
chapter.
cp.
compare.
Dan.
Danish.
Engl.
English.
etc.
et cetera.
f.
feminine.
Germ.
German.
gl.
glossary.
i. e.
id est.
l.
line.
Lat.
Latin.
l. c.
loco citato.
m.
masculine.
n.
neuter.
O. H. G.
Old High German.
S.
Saga.
Swed.
Swedish.
Ulf.
Ulfilas.
v.
vide.
þ.
þáttr.
pr.
proper, properly.

Works & Authors cited:

Akv.
Atla-kviða. (A. II.)
Am.
Atla-mál. (A. II.)
Edda
Edda. (C. I.)
Fm.
Fafnis-mál. (A. II.)
Fms.
Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Gm.
Grímnis-mál. (A. I.)
Gullþ.
Gull-Þóris Saga. (D. II.)
Hkr.
Heimskringla. (E. I.)
Hm.
Hává-mál. (A. I.)
Korm.
Kormaks Saga. (D. II.)
Lex. Poët.
Lexicon Poëticum by Sveinbjörn Egilsson, 1860.
Ragn. S.
Ragnars Saga. (C. II.)
Skm.
Skírnis-mál. (A. I.)
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.

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