n., as in leirinu, Stj. 72, 414; með góðu leiri ok seigu, Sks. 417; leirit, Fms. ix. 511, v. l. In mod. usage leirr, m., which also occurs in Fms. ix. 511 (leirrinn); grár leirr, Orkn. 374 (in a verse); leirinum, Fb. i. 354, Orkn. 336, but leirinu öllu two lines below; leirnum, Fas. iii. 583; leirinn, Orkn. 374 (Fb.); thus the older vellums prefer the neut., the later the masc.; [Dan. leer; Swed. ler; Scot. lair]:—clay, earth, loam, but also mud, esp. on the beach, passim, see the references above: in plur. leirar = leira (q. v.)

II. metaph. and poët., arnar leir, ‘eagle’s mud’ = bad poetry, referring to the legend told in the Edda 49, alluded to in Gd. 2, Sturl. ii. 56 (in a verse); as also in mod. usage, whence leir-skáld, n. a poetaster: local names, Leir-á, Leir-vík, etc.

COMPDS: leirbakki, leirblót, leirbolli, leirbrúsi, leirburðr, leirbúð, leirdepill, leirgata, leirgröf, leirjötunn, leirkelda, leirker, leirkerasmiðr, leirkrukka, leirljós, leirmaðr, leirpottr, leirskáld, leirsletta, leirsmiðr, leirstokkinn, leirtjörn, leirvaðill, leirvík, Leirvör.