Vaska

Old Norse Dictionary - vaska

Meaning of Old Norse word "vaska" in English.

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

vaska Old Norse word can mean:

vaska: að, [A. S. wascan; Engl. wash; Germ. waschen; Dan. vaske]:—to wash, but rare or at least hardly used in Icel., having been superseded by þvá, q. v.; in Dan. and Swed. it is freq.; in the Sagas only of washing the head with a kind of soap, see lauðr; vaska sér, to wash one’s head, Vígl. 30 (cp. the verse l. c.); vaska honum betr, Ísl. ii. 334, Bjarn. 68; þveginn ok vaskaðr, SkS. 362; vaskaði dasi, er ek dró þessa ár at borði, the laggard had his head washed, i. e. sat snug at home, whilst I pulled this oar, FS. (in a verse); in all these instances of the head: metaph., vaska e-n í orðum, to wash one in words, MS. 4, 6.

vaska: 2. to wash, as a naut. term of the waves; brim vaskar, Edda (in a verse), so too in Dan. det vasker over.

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

Abbreviations used:

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.

cp.: compare.

Dan.: Danish.

Engl.: English.

freq.: frequent, frequently.

Germ.: German.

gl.: glossary.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

i. e.: id est.

l.: line.

l. c.: loco citato.

m.: masculine.

metaph.: metaphorical, metaphorically.

n.: neuter.

q. v.: quod vide.

S.: Saga.

Swed.: Swedish.

v.: vide.

naut.: nautical.

Works & Authors cited:

Bjarn.: Bjarnar Saga. (D. II.)

Fs.: Forn-sögur. (D. II.)

Sks.: Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)

Vígl.: Víglundar Saga. (D. V.)

Edda: Edda. (C. 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.