Fær

Old Norse Dictionary - fær

Meaning of Old Norse word "fær"

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

fær
f. a sheep; in Swed.-Dan. faar and fär are the usual words for sheep; but in Icel. it is almost unknown; it occurs in Skálda 162; also now and then in the compd fær-sauðr, m., spelt fjar-sauðr, Tistr. 4 (prop. a ‘sheep-sheep,’ sauðr being the common Icel. word for sheep), Stj. 45, 177, 235, n. G. l. i. 75, K. Þ. K. 130; from fær is also derived the name Fær-eyjar, f. pl. the Faroe Islands (Sheep-islands); Fær-eyskr, adj., and Fær-eyingar, m. pl. the Faroe Islanders; described by Dicuil as plenae innumerabilibus ovibus, p. 30 (Ed. 1807): fær is a South-Scandin. word, and seems to be formed from the gen. of fé (fjár).

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

Abbreviations used:

adj.
adjective.
Dan.
Danish.
f.
feminine.
gen.
genitive.
Icel.
Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
l.
line.
L.
Linnæus.
m.
masculine.
n.
neuter.
pl.
plural.
prop.
proper, properly.
Scandin.
Scandinavia, Scandinavian.
Swed.
Swedish.

Works & Authors cited:

K. Þ. K.
Kristinn-réttr Þorláks ok Ketils = Kristinna-laga-þáttr. (B. I.)
N. G. L.
Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)
Skálda
Skálda. (H. I.)
Stj.
Stjórn. (F. I.)
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

Back