u, f., gen. pl. kirkna; [Scot. kirk; Dan. kirke; Germ. kirche; but Engl. church]

I. a kirk, church; timbr-k., a timber church; stein-k., a stone church; the earliest Scandin. churches were all built of timber, the doors and pillars being ornamented with fine carved work, see Worsaae, Nos. 505–508; in the 12th and following centuries the old timber churches were one by one replaced by stone buildings. In Denmark the last timber church was demolished at the beginning of the 17th century, but in Norway some old churches (called stav-kyrkior) have remained up to the present time, see an interesting essay in Nord. Aarb. 1869, p. 185 sqq. Many passages in the Sagas refer to the building of churches, especially in records of the years following after 1000, see esp. Ld. ch. 74 sqq.; a curious legend, for the purpose of encouraging men to build churches, is told in Eb. ch. 49,—that a man could grant as many souls a seat in heaven as the church which he built held persons; ok þegar er þingi var lokit (the summer of A. D. 1000) lét Snorri goði göra kirkju at Helgafelli, en aðra Styrr mágr hans undir Hrauni, ok hvatti pat mjök til kirkju-görðar, at þat var fyrirheit kennimanna, at maðr skyldi jafnmörgum eiga heimolt rúm í himinríki, sem standa mætti í kirkju þeirri er hann lét göra, Eb. l. c. For the removal of a church, when all the graves were to be dug up and the bones ‘translated’ to the new church, see Eb. (fine), Bjarn. 19. For references see the Sagas passim; kirkju atgörð, atbót, uppgörð, church reparation, Vm. 12, 118, N. G. L. i. 345; kirkju brjóst, gólf, dyrr, horn, hurð, láss, lykill, ráf, stigi, stoð, stöpull, sylla, veggr, a church front, floor, door-way, corner, door, lock, key, roof, stair, pillar, steeple, sill, wall, K. Þ. K. 168, 170, 186, Fms. vii. 211, 225, viii. 285, 428, ix. 47, 470, 524, Landn. 50, Pm. 5, Vm. 46, Sturl. i. 169, iii. 221, 228, K. Á. 28, N. G. L. i. 312; kirkju sár, a church font, Jm. 2, 35, Ám. 6; kirkju kápa, ketill, kola, kross, mundlaug, Sturl. i. 191, Vm. 1, 6, 34, 99, 149, Dipl. v. 18; kirkju mark (on sheep), H. E. i. 494, Bs. i. 725: áttungs-k., fjórðungs-k., fylkis-k., héraðs-k., höfuð-k., hægindis-k. (q. v.), þriðjungs-k., veizlu-k., heima-k., etc.: in tales even used in a profane sense, trolla-k., álfa-k., a trolls’ and elves’ church, place where they worship.

2. eccl. the Church = Ecclesia, very rarely, for Kristni and siðr are the usual words; kirkjan eðr Kristnin, Stj. 44.

II. in local names, Kirkju-bær, Kirkju-ból, Kirkju-fjörðr, Kirkju-fell, Landn. and maps of Icel. passim, cp. Kirkby or Kirby in the north of England.

COMPDS: kirkjubann, kirkjubók, kirkjuból, kirkjubólstaðr, kirkjubóndi, kirkjubúningr, kirkjubær, kirkjudagr, kirkjudagshald, kirkjudróttinn, kirkjueign, kirkjuembætti, kirkjufé, kirkjufólk, kirkjufrelsi, kirkjufriðr, kirkjufundr, kirkjuganga, kirkjugarðr, kirkjugarðshlið, kirkjugengt, kirkjugjöf, kirkjugóz, kirkjugrið, kirkjugræfr, kirkjugörð, kirkjuhelgi, kirkjuhluti, kirkjuland, kirkjuligr, kirkjulægr, kirkjulög, kirkjulögbók, kirkjumál, kirkjumaldagi, kirkjumenn, kirkjumannafundr, kirkjumessa, kirkjunáðir, kirkjuprestr, kirkjurán, kirkjureikningr, kirkjureki, kirkjuréttr, kirkjuskot, kirkjuskraut, kirkjuskrúð, kirkjuskyld, kirkjusmíð, kirkjusókn, kirkjusóknarmaðr, kirkjusóknarþing, kirkjustétt, kirkjustóll, kirkjustuldr, kirkjusöngr, kirkjutíund, kirkjutjöld, kirkjuvarðveizla, kirkjuvegr, kirkjuviðr, kirkjuvist, kirkjuvígsla, kirkjuvörðr, kirkjuþjófr.

III. in plur. kirkna-friðr, -góz, -görð, -mál, -sókn, etc. = kirkju-, Fms. ix. 236, 478, K. Á. 216, Bs. i. 689, Ísl. ii. 380.