Várr

Old Norse Dictionary - várr

Meaning of Old Norse word "várr" in English.

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

várr Old Norse word can mean:

várr: vár, várt, mod. vor, a possesS. pron. This word has undergone several changes, starting from an original form uns, Goth. unsar, which was contracted into ús, cp. órir, p. 469; next the s changed into r (as in vera, heyra, eyra, járn), thus it became ûrr or ór-r, cp. A. S. ûre, Engl. our; lastly, the initial vowel was turned into the cognate consonant v, prob. from being confounded with the personal pronoun vér. The old poets seem only to know the vowel form, as is always seen in alliteration, Vþm. 4, 7, Hým. 33, Hkv. Hjörv. 23; and so in rhymes, stórr, órar, Kormak. Thorodd cites this form, órar eru ú-rækðir órar; and the earliest vellums use it throughout. About A. D. 1200 várr begins to appear, an innovation prob. imported from abroad; thus in Clem. S. (Arna-Magn. 645), p. 147, ‘ór,’ ‘órum,’ six times (ll. 1, 4, 9, 12, 13, 28), but ‘várra,’ ‘vár,’ twice (ll. 6, 25); in a few poems of the 12th century, preserved in late vellums, the spelling is ‘vórr,’ whereas the alliteration and rhyme demand ó, e. g. Líkn. 24, HarmS. 53, 54, 58; in LS. 52 ‘vömmin vár’ is an exception and otherwise corrupt, for ‘vár’ could not have existed at the time when that poem was composed. In this way the modern várr arose, being quite peculiar to the Scandinavian: [Dan. vor, Swed. vår; whereas Goth. unsar, Germ. unser, answer to the obsolete Icel. ossir; and A. S. ûre, Engl. our, answer to early Icel. órr]:—our.

várr: B. USAGES.—Our; várt höfuð, FmS. x. 7; várs herra, Stj.; várrar, id.; með vórum afla, Hkr. ii. 92; várra glæpa, Stj.

várr: 2. neut. as subst.; [cp. Engl. ours]; láta slíka sitja yfir váru, Ísl. ii. 224.

várr: 3. with another pron.; várr skal hverr eina konu eiga, n. G. l. i. 20; várr skal engi blandask við búfé, each of us, 18; skipi hvert várt stýrði, Am. 96; einn várn, one of us, FmS. vi. 165; hverjum várum, each of us Ó. H. 61; kvað hvern várn skyldu falla þveran of annan, FmS. vi. 313 (in a verse); sjám hverr várr (who of us) fái fyrst búnar snekkjur. FaS. i. 350 (in a verse); engum várum, none of us, Glúm. 332; fundir várir Hákonar, our meetings, i. e. of H. and myself, FmS. vii. 256.

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

Abbreviations used:

A. D.: Anno Domini.

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.

cp.: compare.

Dan.: Danish.

e. g.: exempli gratia.

Engl.: English.

Germ.: German.

gl.: glossary.

Goth.: Gothic.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

mod.: modern.

n.: neuter.

prob.: probably.

pron.: pronoun.

S.: Saga.

Swed.: Swedish.

v.: vide.

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

neut.: neuter.

subst.: substantive.

i. e.: id est.

L.: Linnæus.

Works & Authors cited:

Arna-Magn.: Arna-Magnacanus.

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

Hkv.: Helga-kviða Hundingsbana. (A. II.)

Hkv. Hjörv.: Helga-kviða Hjörvarðssonar. (A. II.)

Hým.: Hýmis-kviða. (A. I.)

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

Magn.: Magnús Saga jarls. (E. II.)

Vþm.: Vafþrúðnis-mál. (A. I.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Hkr.: Heimskringla. (E. I.)

Stj.: Stjórn. (F. I.)

Am.: Atla-mál. (A. II.)

Fas.: Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)

Glúm.: Víga-Glúms Saga. (D. II.)

N. G. L.: Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)

Ó. H.: Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary