Byrr
Old Norse Dictionary - byrr
Meaning of Old Norse word "byrr"
As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:
- byrr
- gen. byrjar, nom. pl. byrir, acc. byri: [Swed.-Dan. bör; cp. usage of Gr. ουριος]:—a fair wind; it is freq. used in pl., esp. in the impers. phrase, e-m gefr vel byri (acc. pl.), one gets a fair wind, rarely, and less correct, byr (acc. sing.), Nj. 10, Vápn. 9, but sing. Nj. 4, Eg. 98; byri gefr hann brögnum, Hdl. 3; með hinum beztuni byrjum, Bs. i. 781; bíða byrjar, Fms. i. 131; liggja til byrjar, to lie by for a fair wind, Eg. 183; byrr rennr á, a fair breeze begins to blow; þá rann á byrr ok sigldu þeir, Nj. 135, Eg. 158; þá féll byrrinn, Eb. 8; þá tók byrr at vaxa, Eg. 390: allit, naut. phrases, blásandi byrr, blíðr byrr, beggja skauta byrr; hagstæðr byrr, fagr byrr. hægr, óðr byrr, Hm. 89; hrað-byri, etc.: also metaph., hafa góðan, mikinn, lítinn byrr, to be well, much, little favoured: in poetry in many compds, byrjar drösull, the horse of the wind, a ship; byr-skíð, byr-rann. a ship; byrr always denotes the wind on the sea. byrjar-gol, n. a fair breeze, Fms. ix. 21.
Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᛒᚢᚱᚱ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements
Abbreviations used:
- acc.
- accusative.
- cp.
- compare.
- Dan.
- Danish.
- esp.
- especially.
- etc.
- et cetera.
- freq.
- frequent, frequently.
- gen.
- genitive.
- Gr.
- Greek.
- impers.
- impersonal.
- l.
- line.
- m.
- masculine.
- metaph.
- metaphorical, metaphorically.
- n.
- neuter.
- naut.
- nautical.
- nom.
- nominative.
- pers.
- person.
- pl.
- plural.
- sing.
- singular.
- Swed.
- Swedish.
Works & Authors cited:
- Bs.
- Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
- Eb.
- Eyrbyggja Saga. (D. II.)
- Eg.
- Egils Saga. (D. II.)
- Fms.
- Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
- Hdl.
- Hyndlu-ljóð. (A. II.)
- Hm.
- Hává-mál. (A. I.)
- Nj.
- Njála. (D. II.)
- Vápn.
- Vápnfirðinga Saga. (D. II.)