n. [A. S. holt = sylva; Germ. holz = lignum; in E. Engl. and North. Engl. holt means copsewood, and the word often occurs in local names]

1. prop. wood, copsewood, a coppice; but this sense is almost obsolete, though it remains in the saying, opt er í holti heyrandi nær, in a holt a hearer is nigh, answering to the Engl. leaves have ears, in Germ. die blätter haben ohren, Grett. 133: as also in old poems, holt ok hrár viðr, Skm. 32; ösp í holti, Hðm. 4; Hoddmímis holt, Vþm.; fara ór holti, to go from the woods, Vkv. 15: whence holt-skriði, a, m. ‘holt-creeper,’ poët. for a snake, Edda: holta-þór, m. reynard the fox: in laws, yrkja holt né haga, Gþl. 315; h. eða haga eða veiði-staði, 362; but otherwise rare in common prose, holt eðr skógar, Eg.; smákjörr ok holt, Fms. vi. 334: in local names, Holtsetar (Holsetar), m. pl. ‘holt-sitters,’ the men of Holsten; Holtseta-land, n. the land of the Holtsetar (Holstenland), whence the mod. Germ. Holstein. In barren Icel., Holt, Holtar are freq. local names, as also in compds, e. g. Lang-holt, Skála-holt, Geldinga-holt, Villinga-holt, Reykja-holt, Holta-vað, see Landn.; in olden times; all these places were no doubt covered with copse (of dwarf birch).

2. in common Icel. usage holt means any rough stony hill or ridge, opp. to a marsh or lea, Fms. v. 70, 97, Ld. 96, Eg. 713, Fs. 19, 22, 67, passim, as also in mod. usage.

COMPDS: holtarót, holtasóley, holtbarð, holtsgata, holtshnjúkr, holtsmúli.