Old Norse Dictionary Entry

MÚS

Old Norse Dictionary Entry

Definitions

4 definitions

1 MÚS

f., pl. mýss, acc. mýs, mod. mýs; [A. S. mûs, pl. mýs; Engl. mouse, pl. mice; O. H. G. mûs; Germ. maus, pl. mäuser; Dan. muus; Lat. mus; Gr. μυς]:—a mouse, H. E. i. 482, Al. 169, Stj. 23; spilltu mýss kornum ok ökrum, var þar víða jörð hol ok full af músum, Bs. i. 293; mús hljóp áðan á kinn mér, Fs. 140; sér köttrinn músina? Ísl. ii. 309; svá hræddr sem mús í skreppu, Fms. vii. 21; hlaupa hingat ok þangat sem mýss í holur, viii. 39; veiða mýs, to catch mice; mýss svá stórar sem kettir, Ó. H. 109 (rats?); þá sá hann mýs tvær aðra hvíta en aðra svarta, Barl. 56; mýss Valkar, Welsh mice, strange mice = rats, Fms. xi. 279; whence mod. Icel. valska, q. v.; flæðar-mús, skógar-mús, a wood-mouse, mus sylvaticus, Eggert Itin.: allit., maðr og mús, thus in Danish if a ship is lost, ‘med mand og muus,’ i. e. with all hands. In tales mice are said to pass over rivers on cakes of cow-dung (skán), steering with their tails, see Eggert Itin. ch. 329, and Ísl. Þjóðs., which reminds one of the witch who sails ‘like a rat without a tail’ in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. For the fabulous tales of wizards keeping a flæðar-mús that it may always provide them with money see Maurer’s Volks.; when the wizard dies, the mouse breaks loose into the sea and a tempest arises, called Músar-bylr, mouse-tempest; that a similar superstition existed in olden times may be inferred from the name Músa-Bölverkr, Landn.

2 MÚS

2. the name of a mouse-gray young cow, Ísl. ii. 401.

3 MÚS

COMPDS: músarbragð, músarbróðir, músarrindill, músareyra, músagangr, músagildra.

4 MÚS

B. Metaph. the biceps muscle in the arm; þá flaug ör ein ok kom í hönd Hákoni konungi upp í músina fyrir neðan öxl, Hkr. i. 159; kom ein ör í handlegginn í músina, Bs. i. 781: mûs in A. S. and O. H. G. is used in a similar sense; cp. also Lat. musculus = a little mouse, whence muscle: the chief muscles of the body were named from lively animals, thus fiskr of the cheek (kinn-fiskr), mús of the arm, kálfi (calf) of the leg.

Similar Words

Runic Inscription

MÚS

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark

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

Abbreviations Used

Common Abbreviations

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.
acc.: accusative.
allit.: alliteration, alliterative.
ch: chapter.
ch.: chapter.
cp: compare.
cp.: compare.
Dan: Danish.
Dan.: Danish.
Engl: English.
Engl.: English.
esp: especially.
f.: feminine.
Germ: German.
Germ.: German.
gl: glossary.
gl.: glossary.
Gr.: Greek.
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
l.: Linnæus.
Lat: Latin.
Lat.: Latin.
lit: literally.
lit.: literally.
m.: masculine.
mod: modern.
mod.: modern.
n.: neuter.
O. H. G.: Old High German.
p.: page.
pl.: plural.
q. v.: quod vide.
S.: South, Southern.
v.: vide, verb.

Works & Authors

Al.: Alexanders Saga. (G. I.)
Barl.: Barlaams Saga. (F. III.)
Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Fs.: Forn-sögur. (D. II.)
H. E.: Historia Ecclesiastica Islandiae. (J. I.)
Hkr.: Heimskringla. (E. I.)
Ísl. Þjóðs.: Íslenzkar Þjóðsögur.
Itin.: Itinerarium or Travels of Eggert Ólafsson, 1772.
Landn.: Landnáma. (D. I.)
Ó. H.: Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)
Stj.: Stjórn. (F. I.)

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