Tönn

Old Norse Dictionary - tönn

Meaning of Old Norse word "tönn" (or tǫnn) in English.

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

tönn Old Norse word can mean:

tönn (tǫnn): f., this word (like nagl, q. v.) was originally a masc. tann or tannr, like maðr, mannr, of which gender there are remnants in pr. names, Hildi-tannr, gen. Hildi-tanns, Edda (in a verse); dat. Hildi-tanni, see hildr B; it then became fem. tönn, gen. tannar, dat. acc. tönn, gen. pl. tanna, dat. tönnum; nom. pl. tenn (as if from maðr), skakkar tenn rhymes with menn, Skíða R. 5, 9; litlar tenn, Al. 3; with article, tennrnar, FmS. xi. 139; brjóta tenn ór höfði manns, Grág. ii. 11; acc. tennar, BS. i. 641, l. 21 (perh. an error); old poët. pl. teðr rhyming with veðr, Lex. poët.; mod. plur. is tönnur: [a word common to all Indo-Germ. languages; Goth. tunþus; A. S. tóð; Engl. tooth, pl. teeth; O. H. G. zand; Germ. zahn; Dan. and Swed. tand; Lat. dent-is; Gr. ὀ-δόντ-ος]:—a tooth, including the sense of tusk; teðr hans, Eluc. 49; ór tönnum, Nj. 185; með tönnum, Eg. 233: phrases, glotta um tönn, or við tönn, to grin scornfully, Edda 30, Nj. 182, Ó. H. 114; rjóða tönn á e-m, to redden one’s teeth, taste blood, metaph. from a beast of prey; hefi ek nú nakkvat roðit tönn á þeim er ek tók höndum Hákon jarl, Ó. H. 32: allit., tönn ok tunga, hafa tönn og tungu á öllu, to have tooth and tongue on everything, of a quick-witted child learning to speak; tungan vefst um tönn, see tunga; tungan leikr við tanna sár, the tongue touches on the tooth-wound, a saying, Mkv.; tæja tanna, see tæja; fram-tennr, the front teeth.

tönn (tǫnn): 2. a tusk (of the walrus), Krók. ch. 9, BS. i. 641; biskups-staf af tönn görvan … grafa tönn, to carve, BS. i. 143, cp. Skíða R. 199: a thing worked in walrus-tusk, Máríu-skript með tönn …, húslker með tönn, Vm. 22, 54; buðkr með tönn, B. K. 84: in Icel. an ivory box, scent-box, snuff-box, or the like, is called tönn.

tönn (tǫnn): 3. metaph. the tooth or iron of a plane, hefil-tönn: poët., lagar-tönn, ‘sea-tooth’ = a stone; foldar tönn, ‘earth-tooth,’ id., Lex. poët.: the golden teeth of Heimdal, the Lucifer of the Northern mythology, represent the rays of the dawn.

tönn (tǫnn): 4. hildi-tönn, a dog-tooth, usually called víg-tönn; skögul-tönn or skæl-tönn, a tusk; cp. tann-.

tönn (tǫnn): COMPDS: tannafar, tannagangr, tannagnastran, tannagnistran.

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

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

Abbreviations used:

acc.: accusative.

allit.: alliteration, alliterative.

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.

Dan.: Danish.

dat.: dative.

Engl.: English.

f.: feminine.

fem.: feminine.

gen.: genitive.

Germ.: German.

gl.: glossary.

Goth.: Gothic.

Gr.: Greek.

l.: line.

Lat.: Latin.

lit.: literally.

m.: masculine.

masc.: masculine.

metaph.: metaphorical, metaphorically.

mod.: modern.

n.: neuter.

nom.: nominative.

O. H. G.: Old High German.

perh.: perhaps.

pl.: plural.

plur.: plural.

poët.: poetically.

pr.: proper, properly.

q. v.: quod vide.

R.: Rimur.

S.: Saga.

Swed.: Swedish.

v.: vide.

ch.: chapter.

cp.: compare.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

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

Works & Authors cited:

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

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)

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

Eluc.: Elucidarium. (F. II.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Lex. Poët.: Lexicon Poëticum by Sveinbjörn Egilsson, 1860.

Mkv.: Málshátta-kvæði. (A. III.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

Ó. H.: Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)

B. K.: Björgynjar Kálfskinn. (J. II.)

Krók.: Króka Refs Saga. (D. V.)

Vm.: Vilkins-máldagi. (J. I.)

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary