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Old Norse Dictionary Entry

Al-menning

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Definitions

Definitions

8 definitions

1 al-menning

f. and almenningr, m.

2 al-menning

I. in Icel. almost always fem. in the sense of fundus communis, ager compascuus, common land, belonging to a whole ‘fjórðungr’ (quarter) of the country, and thus wider than the mod. ‘afrétt.’ It still remains in the local name of the deserts round Cape Horn at the north-west point of Icel., cp. Fbr. and Landn. 124; cp. also the passage in Íb. ch. 3. The word is now seldom used except of wastes belonging to nobody: þat er almenning er fjórðungs menn eigu allir saman, Grág. ii. 392–394, Js. 107, Íb. ch. 3, Grág. ii. 345, 352, 359, 385, K. Þ. K. 26, Fbr. 41, Landn. 124, in all those cases fem.

3 al-menning

II. masc. (Norse), [cp. Swed. almänning, pascuum, and Germ. almeinde, via publica or ager compascuus, Grimm R. A. p. 498]

4 al-menning

1. common or public pasture (answering nearly to the Icel. afrétt), where cattle are grazed during the summer months, cp. the Norse setr, Icel. sel: rarely used in Icel. writers. In Ó. H., ch. 114, used of Grímsey, an island off the north coast of Iceland, Gþl. 450, Jb. 299, 311.

5 al-menning

2. the high-street, in a Norse town, N. G. L. ii. 241.

6 al-menning

3. the people, the public in general, common now in Icel. in this sense, Stj. 292, 493, Fbr. 194; almennings matr, common food, Bs. ii. 5, 179.

7 al-menning

4. a levy, conscription; fullr, allr, hálfr a., a full, half levy of men and ships; fullr a. in Norway meant a levy of one in every seven male adults, N. G. L. ii. 199, Fms. iv. 142, i. 165, D. I. i. 66 (of the milit. duties of Icelanders when residing in Norway). Metaph. (as a phrase) in Nj. 207, of raising the country, the institution being unknown in the Icel. Commonwealth.

8 al-menning

COMPDS: almenningsbréf, almenningsdrykkja, almenningsfar, almenningsmörk, almenningsstræti, almenningstollr, almenningsvegr.
Similar Words

Similar Words

Runic Inscription

Runic Inscription

al-menning

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark

The runic text above represents the Old Norse word "al-menning" as it might appear in runic inscriptions from the Viking Age (c. 800-1100 CE).

Abbreviations Used

Abbreviations Used

Common Abbreviations

ch
chapter.
ch.
chapter.
cp
compare.
cp.
compare.
f.
feminine.
fem.
feminine.
Germ
German.
Germ.
German.
Icel
Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
Icel.
Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
id
idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation
l.
Linnæus.
lit
literally.
lit.
literally.
loc
local, locally.
m.
masculine.
masc.
masculine.
milit.
military.
mod
modern.
mod.
modern.
n.
neuter.
p.
page.
R.
Rimur.
sing
singular.
Swed
Swedish.
Swed.
Swedish.
v.
vide, verb.

Works & Authors

Bs.
Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
D. I.
Diplomatarium Islandicum. (J. I.)
Fbr.
Fóstbræðra Saga. (D. II.)
Fms.
Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Grág.
Grágás. (B. I.)
Gþl.
Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)
Íb.
Íslendinga-bók. (D. I.)
Jb.
Jóns-bók. (B. III.)
Js.
Járnsíða. (B. III.)
K. Þ. K.
Kristinn-réttr Þorláks ok Ketils = Kristinna-laga-þáttr. (B. I.)
Landn.
Landnáma. (D. I.)
N. G. L.
Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)
Nj.
Njála. (D. II.)
Ó. H.
Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)
Stj.
Stjórn. (F. I.)

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