Byrja
Old Norse Dictionary - byrja
Meaning of Old Norse word "byrja"
As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:
Old Norse word byrja can mean:byrja
- byrja
- að, [Swed. börja; lost in Dan., which has replaced it by begynde; Germ. beginnen; and probably also extinct in the mod. Norse dialects, vide Ivar Aasen, who seems not to have heard the word; it is in full use in Icel. and is a purely Scandin. word; the root is the part. pass. of bera A. II]:—to begin.
- byrja
- I. in the phrase, b. mál e-s, to plead one’s cause, O. H. l. 5; ek skal byrja (support) þitt mál, sem ek kann, Fs. 10, Fms. ii. 65; hann byrjaði hennar mál við Ólaf konung, x. 310; með einum hundraðs-höfðingja þeim er byrjaði mál hans, Post. 645. 96; hefir þú fram byrjat þitt erindi, 655 xxx. 13, Al. 159: this sense, however, is rare and obsolete.
- byrja
- II. to begin; b. ferð, to begin one’s journey, to start, Edda 1, Fms. iv. 232, Eg. 106, Ld. 162; b. ræðu, to begin a speech, Sks. 238; b. e-t upp, to begin, Bs. i. 825: reflex., Rb. 210: the word is not very freq. in old writers, who prefer the word hefja, incipere, hence upphaf, beginning; in mod. writers hefja is rather archaïc, but byrja in full use, and is used both as act., impers., and reflex.; Icel. say, sagan byrjar, söguna byrjar, and sagan byrjast, all in the same sense.
- byrja
- III. [bera A. II], mostly in pass. to be begotten, Lat. suscipi; Elias af hjúskap byrjaðr, GrEg. 16; á þeim mánuðum er barn var byrjað, Grág. i. 340; á þeirri sömu nótt sem hann byrjaðisk, Stj. 176; sem þau hittusk á fjallinu Brynhildr ok Sigurðr ok hon (viz. the daughter Áslaug) var byrjuð, Fas. i. 257; heldr ertu bráðr að byrja þann er bein hefir engin, 250 (in a verse).
- byrja
- IV. impers. with dat.:
- byrja
- 1. [bera C. III], to behove, beseem, be due; sem konungs-syni byrjar, Fms. i. 81; hann gefr sálu várri slíkan mátt sem henni byrjar, Hom. 157; svá byrjaði (behoved) Christo að líða, Luke xxiv. 46; þat byrjar mér meir at hlýða Guði en mönnum, 623. 11; sem aðiljanum byrjaði, Grág. i. 394; sem þeim byrjaði at manntali, i. e. in due proportion to their number, ii. 381; sem byrjar (as it behoves) hlýðnum syni ok eptirlátum, Sks. 12; er helzt byrjar kaupmönnum at hafa, 52.
- byrja
- 2. [byrr], the phrase, e-m byrjar vel, illa, one gets a fair, foul, wind; þeim byrjaði vel, Eg. 69; honum byrjaði vel, 78, Eb. 8; byrjaði þeim vel um haustið, Fms. iv. 293; þeim byrjaði illa, Eg. 158.
Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᛒᚢᚱᛁᛅ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements
Similar entries:
Abbreviations used:
- begin.
- beginning.
- Dan.
- Danish.
- Germ.
- German.
- Icel.
- Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
- l.
- line.
- m.
- masculine.
- mod.
- modern.
- n.
- neuter.
- part.
- participle.
- pass.
- passive.
- Scandin.
- Scandinavia, Scandinavian.
- Swed.
- Swedish.
- L.
- Linnæus.
- act.
- active.
- freq.
- frequent, frequently.
- impers.
- impersonal.
- pers.
- person.
- reflex.
- retlexive.
- v.
- vide.
- Lat.
- Latin.
- viz.
- namely.
- dat.
- dative.
- i. e.
- id est.
Works & Authors cited:
- Ivar Aasen
- Ivar Aasen’s Dictionary, 1850.
- Al.
- Alexanders Saga. (G. I.)
- Fms.
- Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
- Fs.
- Forn-sögur. (D. II.)
- O. H. L.
- Ólafs Saga Helga Legendaria. (E. I.)
- Post.
- Postula Sögur. (F. III.)
- Bs.
- Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
- Edda
- Edda. (C. I.)
- Eg.
- Egils Saga. (D. II.)
- Ld.
- Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)
- Rb.
- Rímbegla. (H. III.)
- Sks.
- Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)
- Fas.
- Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)
- Grág.
- Grágás. (B. I.)
- Greg.
- Gregory. (F. II.)
- Stj.
- Stjórn. (F. I.)
- Hom.
- Homiliu-bók. (F. II.)
- Eb.
- Eyrbyggja Saga. (D. II.)