Bryti

Old Norse Dictionary - bryti

Meaning of Old Norse word "bryti"

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

bryti
old gen. brytja, mod. bryta, m. [A. S. brytta = villicus; old Dan. bryde], a steward, bailiff. This word occurs twice or thrice in Icel. books, of the bailiffs, of private farms, Nj. 201, Þorf. S. Karl. 408, FS. 147; also of the two bishops’ bailiffs, BS. i. 247, 477, 839, 848, where bryti is inferior to ráeth;smaðr, a steward, and denotes the head-labourer in the bishop’s homestead. In Denmark it was more in use, cp. a treatise of n. m. Petersen (‘Bonde og Bryde’) upon the subject, publ. in Ann. for Nord. Oldk. 1847; even used in Denmark as a pr. name, as Steward, Stewart in the Brit. Isles, Hkr. i. 228; bryta eðr hinum bezta manni er í bæ er staddr, Gþl. 428: the bryti was in Norway the head-bondsman, tveir þrælar, þjónn ok bryti, n. G. l. i. 70, 36.

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᛒᚱᚢᛏᛁ
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.
f.
feminine.
gen.
genitive.
Icel.
Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
l.
line.
L.
Linnæus.
m.
masculine.
mod.
modern.
n.
neuter.
pr.
proper, properly.
S.
Saga.

Works & Authors cited:

Ann.
Íslenzkir Annálar. (D. IV.)
Bs.
Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
Fs.
Forn-sögur. (D. II.)
Gþl.
Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)
Hkr.
Heimskringla. (E. I.)
Karl.
Karla-magnús Saga. (G. I.)
N. G. L.
Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)
Nj.
Njála. (D. II.)
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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