Ván

Old Norse Dictionary - ván

Meaning of Old Norse word "ván" in English.

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

ván Old Norse word can mean:

ván: (vón, von), f., old nom. v́n with umlaut, Skálda (Thorodd); old dat. vánu, with compar., see below; ónu, LS. 36; tungan er málinu vn en at tönnunum er bitsins v́n, Thorodd: vón, spónum make a rhyme, Gísl.; ón, Am. 67, Hom. 60: dat. ónu, LS. 36: [Ulf. wêns = ἐλπίς; A. S. wên, cp. Engl. ween; Germ. wahn; the Dan. haab, Swed. hopp are mod. and borrowed from the Germ.]:—a hope, expectation; er mikil ván, at …, FmS. xi. 13; mér er ván, at …, I expect, apprehend, that …, Eg. 353; sem hann hafði áðr sagt á ván um, given to understand, FmS. xi. 87; eiga ván til e-s, 623. 17; allar þjóðir munu hafa ón mikla (a high hope) til namns hans, Hom. 60; slíks var ván, Nj. 5; engi ván er til þess, Eg. 157: sem ván var at, as was to be expected. Glúm. 337; vita sér engis ótta vánir, to apprehend no danger, FmS. xi. 46, Orkn. 414, Eg. 74; konungs var þangat ván, the king was expected, FmS. x. 323; þar var ván féfangs mikils, Eg. 265; ván er borin, past hope, Ld. 258; ván er þrotin, Eg. 719; ván rekin, id., Ld. 216; e-t stendr til vánar, bids fair, Eg. 173; e-t er at vánum, it is what could be expected, Nj. 255; but, eptir vonum, as good as could be expected, very good indeed; eiga e-t í vuniim, to have a thing expected; eiga barn í vánum, Grág.

ván: 2. spec. usages; ef hann görir aðrar vánir yfir land annars manns, Gþl. 449; þá er allar vánir vóru rannsakaðar, all places where it could be expected to be found, FmS. v. 216; cp. leita af sér vonina, to seek until one is satisfied it cannot be found.

ván: 3. dat. vánu, with compar.; vánu bráðara, sooner than expected, i. e. quickly, at once, FmS. ix. 408, xi. 112; vánu skjótara, x. 408; ónu verr, worse than might be expected, quite bad, bad indeed, LS. 36; yrkja kann ek vánu verr, Mkv.; vánu betr, well indeed; vita e-t vánu nær, to know quite, SkS. 183 B.

ván: II. eccl. hope, n. T., PasS., Vídal. passim.

ván: III. in a few instances, esp. in a few compds (vánar-völr, see below), ván seems to denote despair, cp. also the name of the myth. river Ván, despair, agony: Ván and Víl were the rivers produced by the slaver from the mouth of the fettered wolf Fenrir, who is hence called Vánar-gandr, the monster of the water W., Edda.

ván: COMPDS: vánarlauss, vánarmaðr, vánarvölr.

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

Abbreviations used:

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.

compar.: comparative.

cp.: compare.

Dan.: Danish.

dat.: dative.

Engl.: English.

f.: feminine.

Germ.: German.

gl.: glossary.

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

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

mod.: modern.

n.: neuter.

nom.: nominative.

S.: Saga.

Swed.: Swedish.

Ulf.: Ulfilas.

spec.: specially.

s. v.: sub voce.

v.: vide.

i. e.: id est.

eccl.: ecclesiastical.

esp.: especially.

Works & Authors cited:

Am.: Atla-mál. (A. II.)

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

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Gísl.: Gísla Saga. (D. II.)

Glúm.: Víga-Glúms Saga. (D. II.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Hom.: Homiliu-bók. (F. II.)

Ld.: Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)

Ls.: Loka-senna. (A. I.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

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

Skálda: Skálda. (H. I.)

Gþl.: Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)

Mkv.: Málshátta-kvæði. (A. III.)

Sks.: Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)

N. T.: New Testament.

Pass.: Passiu-Sálmar.

Vídal.: Vídalíns-Postilla.

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary