u, f. [Swed. enka and Dan. enke shew that the root consonants are nk; this word is peculiar to the Scandin. tongue; even Ulf. renders χήρα by vidovo, which is the Lat. vidua]:—a widow, Grág. i. 108, 306, Blas. 21, Bs. ii. 161, Fas. i. 223; this word (as well as ekkill = Swed. enkling) is no relation to ekki = sobbing, but is derived from einn, one, and an inflexive -ka, like in stúlka, see Gramm. p. xxxii. col. 2. Ekkja originally meant a single woman, a damsel, and is thus used by the ancient poets, e. g. vara sem unga ekkju í öndugi kyssa, Km.; út munu ekkjur líta allsnúðula prúðar, Sighvat; ‘ekkja’ and ‘ung kona’ are synonymous, Ísl. ii. (Gunnl.) in a verse; ekkjan stendr ok undrask áraburð, Lex. Poët. It then came to mean a widow (a single, lone woman, having lost her husband). Ekkja is a word peculiar to all Scandin. languages, old and modern; although, as we believe, it superseded a still older ‘widuwo’ (cp. the Goth., Germ., and Engl.); this change took place at so early a time that no traces are found of that word anywhere in Scandin. speech or writing (cp. Swed. en-ka, Dan. en-ke).

COMPDS: ekkjubúnaðr, ekkjudómr, ekkjunafn, ekkjuskapr, ekkjusonr.