Bæta

Meaning of Old Norse word "bæta"

As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:

Old Norse word bæta can mean:bæta

bæta

tt, [bót; Ulf. bôtjan = ωφελειν; Hel. bôtian; A. S. bêtan; O. H. G. bôzau; Germ. büssen]:—to better, improve, amend, also t o restore, repair, Nj. 163, Gþl. 411; b. aptr, to restore, Grág. ii. 336; b. upp, to restore, atone for, FmS. ix. 43; b. at e-u, to repair, 367; bæta ráð sitt, to better one’s condition, to marry, Nj. 2: theol. to better one’s life: Guð bætti honum af þessi sótt, God restored him to health, FmS. ix. 391; with gen. of the sickness, O. H. l. 84.

bæta

β. to mend, put a patch on a garment.

bæta

2. reflex., e-m bætisk, one gets better, is restored to health; at föður hans bættisk helstríð, Landn. 146: absol., bættisk honum þegar, he got better at once, BS. i. 318, 319, 325: with gen., bættisk Búa augna-verkjarins, Ísl. ii. 428 (rare); cp. heilsu-bót, recovery of health.

bæta

II. a law term, to pay weregild, the person slain in acc., the money in dat.; Hrafnkell bætti engan mann fé, i. e. H. paid no weregild whomsoever he slew, Hrafn. 4; ek vil engan mann fé b., 9; Styrr vá mörg víg, en bætti engin (viz. víg), S. slew many men, but paid for none, Eb. 54; bæta þá menn alla er þar létusk eðr fyrir sárum urðu, 98; b. sakir (acc.) fé (dat.), Grág. ii. 169: the allit. law term, b. baugum, to pay weregild, 174: the amount of money in acc. to pay out, bæt heldr fé þat er þú ert sakaðr við hann, FmS. iii. 22; ok á hann eigi þat at b., he has not to pay that, Grág. ii. 168; b. öfandar bót, Gþl. 358: part. bættr, Eb. 98, 246.

bæta

2. metaph. to redress, adjust; b. við e-n, or b. yfir við e-n, to give one redress, make good a wrong inflicted; hefir þú yfir bætt við mik um þetta bráðræði, FmS. ii. 25, xi. 434: also used in a religious sense, skaltu b. við Guð, er þú hefir svá mjök gengit af trú þinni, ii. 213 (yfír-bót, repentance); b. sál, or b. fyrir sál sinni, to do for the health of the soul, iv. 63, Fb. i. 345 BS. i. 642 (in a verse); b. um e-t, to make a thing better (um-bot, bettering, improvement), Orkn. 442: reflex., ekki bætisk um, matters grow worse, FmS. ii. 53; b. við, to add to (við-bót, addition), Húv. 45.

bæta

3. part. pass, used as adj. in compar.; ok er eigi at bættra, þótt …, things are no better, though …, FmS. vii. 36; þykir mér Ólafr ekki at bættari, þótt…, i. e. it is no redress for Olave’s death, though …, FaS. ii. 410; er mér ekki sour minn at bættari þótt Bolli sé drepinn, my son’s death is none the more atoned for though B. is slain, Ld. 226.

bæta

4. part. act. as noun; bætandi, pl. -endr, a law term, one who has to pay weregild, Grág. ii. 174, etc.

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᛒᛅᛏᛅ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements