Drífa
Old Norse Dictionary - drífa
Meaning of Old Norse word "drífa"
As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:
Old Norse word drífa can mean:drífa
- drífa
- pret. dreif, pl. drifu; pres. dríf; pret. subj. drifi; part. drifinn: [Ulf. dreiban = εκβάλλειν; A. S. drîfan; Engl. drive; O. H. G. triban; mod. Germ. treiben; Swed. drifva; Dan. drive, all in a transitive sense—to drive.]
- drífa
- I. to drive like spray, either perS. or imperS., with dat. or even neut.; þá kemr áfall mikit … ok dreif yfir búlkann, BS. i. 422; lauðri dreif á lypting útan, the spray drove over the poop, FmS. vi. (in a verse); hence metaph. phrases, láta yfir d., to let drift before wind and wave, Ísl. ii. 461: or even reflex., láta yfir (fyrir) drífask, to let drive or drift away, let go, give in; rán ok útlegðir þeirra manna er eigi létu fyrir drífask, Fb. i. 70; þat dugir á enga leið, at menn láti yfir drífask, BS. ii. 51; ok er þó þat ráð, at láta eigi fyrir drífask, Karl. 386, 452: allit. phrase, drífa á dagana, e. g. mart hefir drifit á dagana, many things (splashes) have happened; drifinn döggu, besprent with dew, Vtkv. 5: naut., róa drífanda, to pull so that the spray splashes about, pull hard, FmS. viii. 263, 431: to drift, of a snow storm or the like, tré með drífandum kvistum, a tree with the branches full of snow. SkS. 49; veðr var drífanda, it snowed, Sturl. iii. 50, Ó. H. 85; þegar dreif í Löginn krömmu, there fell soft snow in the Lake, i. e. it began to sleet, FmS. v. 196; þá drífr snær ór öllum áttum, Edda 40: metaph. of missiles, to shower as flakes of snow, borgarmena láta þegar d. skot á þá, Al. 11; lata þeir d. vápn á þá, Fb. i. 135.
- drífa
- II. neut. to crowd, throng; þá drífr ofan mannfjöldi mikill til strandar, a great crowd rushed down to the shore, Ld. 76; tóku menn þá at d. brott frá hertoganum, the men began to desert (run away) from the duke, FmS. ix. 531, dreif allt fólk á hans fund, all people rushed to see him, i. 21, iv. 105; d. á dyrr, to rush to the door, Vkv. 19.
- drífa
- III. to perform; eiga e-t at d., to have a thing to perform, Gþl. 15, 16; en í annan stað á ek at d. mikinn vanda, I am in a hard strait, FmS. i. 221; d. leik, to play, FaS. i. 37: the sense to drive out, expel, so common in all other Teut. dialects, hardly occurs in old writers, and sounds foreign even now; the proverb, með íllu skal illt út drífa; d. sig, to exert oneself, etc., (cant phraseS.)
Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᛏᚱᛁᚠᛅ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements
Similar entries:
Abbreviations used:
- A. S.
- Anglo-Saxon.
- Dan.
- Danish.
- Engl.
- English.
- f.
- feminine.
- Germ.
- German.
- gl.
- glossary.
- l.
- line.
- m.
- masculine.
- mod.
- modern.
- n.
- neuter.
- O. H. G.
- Old High German.
- part.
- participle.
- pl.
- plural.
- pres.
- present.
- pret.
- preterite.
- S.
- Saga.
- subj.
- subjunctive.
- Swed.
- Swedish.
- Ulf.
- Ulfilas.
- allit.
- alliteration, alliterative.
- dat.
- dative.
- e. g.
- exempli gratia.
- i. e.
- id est.
- impers.
- impersonal.
- lit.
- literally.
- metaph.
- metaphorical, metaphorically.
- neut.
- neuter.
- naut.
- nautical.
- pers.
- person.
- reflex.
- retlexive.
- s. v.
- sub voce.
- v.
- vide.
- etc.
- et cetera.
- Teut.
- Teutonic.
Works & Authors cited:
- Al.
- Alexanders Saga. (G. I.)
- Bs.
- Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
- Edda
- Edda. (C. I.)
- Fb.
- Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)
- Fms.
- Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
- Karl.
- Karla-magnús Saga. (G. I.)
- Ó. H.
- Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)
- Sks.
- Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)
- Sturl.
- Sturlunga Saga. (D. I.)
- Vtkv.
- Vegtams-kviða. (A. I.)
- Ld.
- Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)
- Vkv.
- Völundar-kviða. (A. II.)
- Fas.
- Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)
- Gþl.
- Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)