Svá

Old Norse Dictionary - svá

Meaning of Old Norse word "svá" in English.

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

svá Old Norse word can mean:

svá: adv., so in old rhymes in the 13th century, e. g. svá and gá, Mkv. 20; svá and á, Al. (C. I.)">Ht. 82; later form svó (freq. in the 14th and 15th centuries); whence svo, and lastly so: [a common Teut. particle; Ulf. swê; A. S. swâ; Engl. and Germ. so; Dan. saa.]

svá: B. So, thus; ertú Íslenzkr maðr?—Hann sagði at svá var, he said it was so, Nj. 6; beiddi Þorsteinn Atla at … Hann görði svá, he did so, Ísl. ii. 193; nú görðu þeir svá, so they did, FmS. x. 238; eigi görr enn svá, ‘not farther than so,’ only so far, Grág. i. 136; þeir heita svá, thus, Edda, Hom. 141; ef þú vill eigi segja mér, ok farir þú svá (thus, i. e. without letting me know) héðan, FmS. vii. 30; þeir segja svá Ólafi konungi, at …, iii. 181; svá er sagt, at …, it is told, that …, vi. 3.

svá: 2. joined with another particle; svá ok, so also, also; svá skal ok ætla þeim er þá kömr við, Grág. i. 235; svá ráns-maðrinn ok okrkarlinn, the robber as well as the usurer, Mar.; öll landráð, svá lögmál ok sættar-görðir, the law as well as the S., SkS. 13 B; svá starf ok torveldi, both toil and trouble, FmS. vii. 221; ok svá, and also, as also; höfuð hans ok svá marga dýrgripi, Eg. 86; sumarit ok svá um vetrinn, the summer, as also the winter, FmS. xi. 51; fögr augu ok svá snarlig, fair eyes and also sharp, i. 102; ekki líkr yfirlits föður sínum ok svá í skaplyndi (here ok svá is adversative = né), x. 266; í Suðrlöndum ok svá norðr, Þiðr.; þeir minntu konung opt á þat, ok svá þat með, at…, Eg. 85; ok hlaða svá veggi, and also make the walls, Grág. ii. 336; austr undir Eyjafjöll ok svá austr í Holt, and so also east of H., Nj. 261.

svá: II. so, denoting degree; ærit man hann stórvirkr, en eigi veit ok hvárt hann er svá (equally) góðvirkr, Nj. 55: with a compar., eigi getr nær enn svá, it is not to be got nearer than so, Clem. 46; ekki meirr enn svá, not more than so, so and not more, with an adverse notion; ekki þótta ek nú dæll meirr enn svá, FmS. xi. 91; eigi fengiligri enn svá, Sturl. i. 159.

svá: 2. svá followed by an adjective and ‘at;’ svá ríkr, góðr, mikill, margr, fáir … at, so mighty, good, great, many, few … that, Nj. 1, FmS. i. 3, passim; svá at, so that, contracted svát (as þótt for þó at), see ‘at’ III. γ (p. 29, col. 2): the svá put after the adjective, kaldr svá at, so cold that, Edda (pref.); ástblindir svá, Mkv.; sjúkr svá, at (so sick that) hann sé kominn at bana, FmS. xi. 158: with a gen., Hallfreðr er svá manna, at ek skil sízt hvat manna at er, H. is such a man as I never can make out, FS. 98; hón er svá kvenna, at mér er mest um at eiga just such a woman as I like best, Ld. 302; hón er svá meyja í Noregi, at ek vilda helzt eiga, FmS. v. 310.

svá: 3. svá sem, so as, as; þjóna honum svá sem börn föður, Edda 13; ok svá sem hón er sterk, þá mon hón brotna, er …, strong as it(the bridge) is, it will break when …, 8 (see sem); hárit var svá fagrt sem silki, fair as silk, Nj. 2; þeim konungi sem svá er góðr ok rétt víss sem Ingi, i. e. so very good and just a king, FmS. vii. 263; svá vel sem þér ferr, well as thou behavest, Nj. 225.

svá: 4. the phrase, gör svá vel, be so good as to, I pray thee! Nj. 111, FmS. vii. 157; göri guðin þá svá vel, láti mik eigi bíða, Al. 106.

svá: 5. in greeting; heill svá! 623. 17; heilir svá, Stj. 124, 475, Karl. 507; ek svá heill! FmS. v. 230; svá vil ek heil! Grett. 170 new Ed; farit ér í svá gramendr allir! Dropl. 23.

svá: III. slíkr svá, nokkur svá, því-líkr svá, mjök svá, somewhat so, much in that way, about so; slíkum svá fortölum, such a persuasion, Al. 33; ekki meira enn slíkt svá, not more than so, FmS. v. 308; þvílíkum svá mönnum, sem þit erut, Eg. 739; þiggja gjafar at slíkum svá mönnum, FmS. vi. 99; nakkvat svá, somewhat so, xi. 11; fegnir nokkut svá, i. e. rather glad, quite glad, viii. 27 (v. l. mjök svá, very); mjök svá, almost, very nearly, all but; hafa lokit mjök svá heyverkum, Ísl. ii. 329; mjök svá kominn at landi, FmS. i. 212; mjök svá kominn at bana, 158; mjök svá feginn, viii. 27, v. l.; allmjök svá, v. 320.

svá: 2. the phrases, svá-gurt, see soguru and göra (f. III); svá-búit, see búa (B. II. 2. δ): svá-nær, so near, i. e. quite near; þat mun þó svá nær fara, it will be quite on the verge of that, Nj. 49; ef barn elsk svá-nær Páskum, just before Easter, K. Þ. K. 7 new Ed.; lagði þá svá nær, at…, Nj. 163; hafði svá nær, at, 160.

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

Abbreviations used:

adv.: adverb.

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.

Dan.: Danish.

e. g.: exempli gratia.

Engl.: English.

f.: feminine.

freq.: frequent, frequently.

Germ.: German.

gl.: glossary.

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

n.: neuter.

S.: Saga.

Teut.: Teutonic.

Ulf.: Ulfilas.

v.: vide.

i. e.: id est.

compar.: comparative.

gen.: genitive.

pref.: preface.

s. v.: sub voce.

pl.: plural.

v. l.: varia lectio.

Works & Authors cited:

Ht.: Hátta-tal. (C. I.)

Mkv.: Málshátta-kvæði. (A. III.)

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Hom.: Homiliu-bók. (F. II.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

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

Mar.: Maríu Saga. (F. III.)

Sks.: Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)

Þiðr.: Þiðreks Saga. (G. I.)

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

Sturl.: Sturlunga Saga. (D. I.)

Fs.: Forn-sögur. (D. II.)

Ld.: Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)

Al.: Alexanders Saga. (G. I.)

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

Grett.: Grettis Saga. (D. II.)

Karl.: Karla-magnús Saga. (G. I.)

Stj.: Stjórn. (F. I.)

K. Þ. K.: Kristinn-réttr Þorláks ok Ketils = Kristinna-laga-þáttr. (B. 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.