Bein

Old Norse Dictionary - bein

Meaning of Old Norse word "bein"

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

Old Norse word bein can mean:bein

bein: n. a word common to the Teut. idioms and peculiar to them; [the Goth. word is not on record, as Luke xxiv. 39 and John xix. 36 are lost in Ulf.; A. S. bân; Engl. bone; Germ. bein; Swed.-Dan. ben (been). Sansk., Gr., Lat., and the Slav. languages agree in a totally different root; Sansk. asthi; Gr. οστέον; Lat. os; the Slav. branch all with an initial c, cp. the Lat. costa. Vide Grimm (S. v.), who suggests a relation to Gr. βαίνω; but the native Icel. words beinn, rectus, and beina, promovere, are more likely roots; the original sense might thus be crus, Gr. σκέλος, but Lat. os the secondary one]:—a bone.

bein: I. spec. the leg from the knee to the foot; freq. in Swed. and Dan., but very rare and nearly obsolete in Icel., where leggr is the common word; hosa strengd at beini, Eg. 602, FmS. x. 331; kálfar á beinum fram, n. G. l. i. 339.

bein: II. gener. = Lat. os, a bone, but originally the bones with marrow (Germ. knochen), as may be inferred from the passages, þá er mergund ef b. er í sundr til mergjar, þat er mergr er í, Grág. ii. 11, i. 442, FmS. vii. 118, Vápn. 21, FaS. i. 66, Vígl. 20; stór bein í andliti, with a strongly-marked, high-boned face, Band. 7, whence stórbeinóttr, q. v.; viðbeina, a collar-bone; höfuðbein, pl. head-bones, the scull around the temples and the forehead; er gamlir grísir skyldu halda mér at höfuðbeinum, Grett. (in a verse); strjúka höfuðbeinin; málbein, os loquendi, a small bone in the head; hence the phrase, láta málbeinið ganga, of one talking incessantly and foolishly: metaph. in phrases, láta ganga með beini, to deal blows to the very marrow, deal severely, Ld. 230; hafa bein í hendi (the Danes say, have been i næsen), to have a boned hand, i. e. strength and power, Hrafn. 10, Al. 29.

bein: 2. pl. relics, remains (ashes); the phrase, bera bein, to repose, rest, be buried; far þú út til Íslands, þar mun þér auðit verða beinin at bera, Grett. 148, Nj. 201; ok iðrast nú að aptr hvarf að bera b. blá við hrjóstr, Bjarni, 57:—of the relics of saints, BS. 468, 469; hence beina-færsla, u, f. removal of bones (translatio); in the Catholic age, when churches were removed, the churchyard was dug up and the bones removed also, vide Eb. (in fine), Bjarn. 19, K. Þ. K. 40, Eg. (in fine).

bein: COMPDS: beinavatn, beinagrind, beináta, beinbrot, beinkröm, beinkveisa, beinsullr, beinverkir.

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

Abbreviations used:

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.

cp.: compare.

Dan.: Danish.

Engl.: English.

f.: feminine.

Germ.: German.

gl.: glossary.

Goth.: Gothic.

Gr.: Greek.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

l.: line.

Lat.: Latin.

m.: masculine.

n.: neuter.

S.: Saga.

Sansk.: Sanskrit.

Slav.: Slavonic.

s. v.: sub voce.

Swed.: Swedish.

Teut.: Teutonic.

Ulf.: Ulfilas.

v.: vide.

freq.: frequent, frequently.

L.: Linnæus.

spec.: specially.

gener.: generally.

i. e.: id est.

metaph.: metaphorical, metaphorically.

pl.: plural.

q. v.: quod vide.

Works & Authors cited:

Eg.: Egils Saga. (D. II.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

N. G. L.: Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)

Al.: Alexanders Saga. (G. I.)

Band.: Banda-manna Saga. (D. II.)

Fas.: Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Grett.: Grettis Saga. (D. II.)

Hrafn.: Hrafnkels Saga. (D. II.)

Ld.: Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)

Vápn.: Vápnfirðinga Saga. (D. II.)

Vígl.: Víglundar Saga. (D. V.)

Bjarn.: Bjarnar Saga. (D. II.)

Bjarni: Bjarni Thorarinson.

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

Eb.: Eyrbyggja Saga. (D. II.)

K. Þ. K.: Kristinn-réttr Þorláks ok Ketils = Kristinna-laga-þáttr. (B. I.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary