A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic
Online version of the `"A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic`" dictionary by Geir Zoëga, originally published in 1910
Zoëgas attempt was to made easier-to-approach version of the more full Cleasby - Vigfusson dictionary, specifically for beginners and those interested in Old Icelandic prose writing.
Search the dictionaryWhat is Old Icelandic?
Old Icelandic was a western dialect of Old Norse. Old Norse is a dead language, that was the father of modern languages like Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Faroese and Elfdalian. Popularly known as the language that vikings spoke.
A sample of Old Icelandic:
Úlfr hét maðr, sonr Bjálfa ok Hallberu, dóttur Úlfs ins óarga. Hon var systir Hallbjarnar hálftrölls í Hrafnistu, föður Ketils hængs. Úlfr var maðr svá mikill ok sterkr, at eigi váru hans jafningjar. En er hann var á unga aldri, lá hann í víkingu ok herjaði. Með honum var í félagsskap sá maðr, er kallaðr var Berðlu-Kári, göfugr maðr ok inn mesti afreksmaðr at afli ok áræði. Hann var berserkr.
- Excerpt from Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar, from 1220 - 1240 AD.
Random entries from the dictionary:
- frásaga
f. account, narrative.
- halzi
a. indecl. holding (with gen.).
- hattar
from höttr, hood.
- haugtekinn
pp. taken from a cairn.
- háðsemi
f. mockery (með hrópyrðum ok ~).
- hálfrými
n. half a rúm in a ship.
- hegla
(-di, -t), v. to hail.
- heiðvanr
a. accustomed to the clear sky.
- heilsubót
f. improvement of health, recovery.
- heilsufar
n. state of health.
- heilsulitíll
a. in weak health.
- heimilissök
f. a charge that can be brought home to one.
- herfœrr
a. able for war service.
- herglötuðr
m. destroyer of hosts.
- hinnig
(= hinneg, hinnog), adv.
- hjálmvítr
f. ‘helm-wight’, Valkyrie.
- hjónaval
n. choice of servants (eigi hefik dyggt h.).
- hjörundaðr
pp. wounded by a sword.
- hollræði
n. wholesome counsel.
- horfinn
pp. from hverfa I;
- hóglífi
n. easy (quiet) life.
- hósta
(að), v. to cough.
- hreinstaka
f. reindeer skin.
- hrer
n. corpse, = hrør.
- hrinda
(hrind; hratt, hrandum; hrundinn), v.
- hrossakipping
f. quarrel about horses.
- hugarumskipti
n. pl. change of mind.
- hœverskr
a. well-mannered, polite.
- höfuðband
n. head-band, snood, fillet.
- höfuðgjöf
f. capital gift.
- höfuðkirkja
f. high-church, cathedral.
- höfuðlöstr
m. cardinal sin.
- höfuðsmiðr
m. chief builder.
- hörundsljóss
a. of bright complexion.
- ístað
(pl. í-stöð), n. stirrup.
- kvennsvift
adv. = kvennsift.