Old Norse Dictionary Entry

Hams

Old Norse Dictionary Entry

Definitions

2 definitions

1 hams

m. (= hamr), a snake’s slough; ormar skríða ór hamsi á vár, Mkv.; kalla sverðit orm, en fetlana ok umgörð hams hans, Edda (Ht.) 123: metaph., góðr (íllr) hams er á e-m, one is in a good (bad) frame of mind; hams er góðr á fljóðum, Hallfred: Icel. say, vera í góðum, vondum hamsi, id.: allit. phrases as, hafa hold og hams, ‘to keep up flesh and skin,’ i. e. to be hale and hearty, to be in a good state.

2 hams

II. in plur. hamsar means particles of suet. In Norway hams means the husks of beans and grains: in Dan. a kind of beetle is called gjedehams. ☞ The s in hams is curious; it is kept throughout all cases; it is either a remnant of the old masc. mark s for r as in Gothic, or perhaps the s answers to the inflex. d as in O. H. G. hamedi, Germ. hemd; but still more closely to the inflex. final s in Ital. camisa, Fr. chemise.

Similar Words

Runic Inscription

hams

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark

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

Abbreviations Used

Common Abbreviations

allit.: alliteration, alliterative.
ch: chapter.
Dan: Danish.
Dan.: Danish.
Fr: French in etymologies.
Fr.: French in etymologies.
Germ: German.
Germ.: German.
i. e.: id est.
Icel: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
id: idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation
id.: idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation
inflex.: inflexive.
Ital.: Italian.
l.: Linnæus.
lit: literally.
lit.: literally.
m.: masculine.
masc.: masculine.
metaph.: metaphor, metaphorical.
n.: neuter.
O. H. G.: Old High German.
part: participle.
plur.: plural.
v.: vide, verb.

Works & Authors

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)
Fr.: Fritzner’s Dictionary, 1867.
Ht.: Hátta-tal. (C. I.)
Mkv.: Málshátta-kvæði. (A. III.)

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