and contr. ausli and usli, a, m.; etym. uncertain, ausli, Gþl. 385 A; usli, N. G. L. i. 246, Fms. i. 202, viii. 341, xi. 35, Edda (Gl.) In the Grág. auvisli, spelt with au or av; in the Ed. of 1829 sometimes with ö where the MSS. have au:

I. a law term, damages, Lat. damnum; bæta auvisla is a standing law term for to pay compensation for damages done, the amount of which was to be fixed by a jury; bæta skal hann a. á fjórtán nóttum sem búar fimm virða, Grág. i. 383, 418, ii. 229, 121, 223 (Ed. 1853), 225 (twice): hence auvislabót. In Norse law, gjalda a., Gþl. 384; ábyrgi honum garðinn ok allan ausla þann er, 385 A; beiða usla bótar, N. G. L. i. 246.

II. metaph. hurt, injury in general; mondi þeim þá ekki vera gjört til auvisla, Ld. 76; ok er þat þó líkast, at þú setir eigi undan öllum avvisla (thou wilt not get off unscathed), ef þú tekr eigi við, Fms. iii. 144.

2. devastation, Fms. xi. 81: esp. by fire and sword in the alliterative phrase, eldr (fire) ok usli; fara með eld ok usla, i. 202; heldr en þar léki yfir eldr ok usli, viii. 341; þá görði á mikit regn, ok slökði þann eld vandliga, svá at menn máttu þá þegar fara yfir usla þann inn mikla (embers and ruins), xi. 35. In the Edda (Gl.) usli is recorded as one of the sixty names of fire: cp. also the mod. verb ösla, to plunge through: auvisli is now an obsolete word, usli a common word, gjöra usla, to desolate, in the metaph. sense.

COMPDS: auvislabót, auslagjald.