Festa

Meaning of Old Norse word "festa"

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

Old Norse word festa can mean:festa

festa

t, [fastr], to fasten; lím er festir allart vegginn, Rb. 390.

festa

2. to fasten with a cord, to fasten a thing afloat; festa skip, to make a ship fast, moor it, Eg. 161, Fms. v.i. 314; þeir festu sik aptr við lyptingina, they made the ship fast, ii. 327; festa hval, Grág. ii. 337; festa við, of drift-timber, id.

festa

β. to hang up; festa út til þerris, to hang out for drying, Ld. 290; ef maðr festir upp vápn sitt þar er sjálft fellr ofan, Grág. ii. 65; festa á gálga, to hang on the gallows, Am. 55, Hðm. 22, Fms. i. 89; festa upp, to hang up, Nj. 9, Fær. 188, Fms. v.. 273, ix. 410; festa í stagl, to make fast to the rack, 656 C. 38; cp. stagl-festa, 623. 51.

festa

II. metaph. in many phrases; festa trúnað, to fix one’s faith on, to believe in, Eg. 59, Fms. i. 100; festa yndi, to feel happy in a place, 135; festa hug við e-t, to fix the mind upon a thing, hence hug-fastr; festa bygð, stað, to fix one’s abode (stað-fastr, steadfast); festa ráð, to make one’s mind up, iv. 149; festa e-t í minni, to fix in the memory, Edda (pref.), Fms. iv. 116, hence minnis-fast; also absol., festa kvæði, to fix a poem in the memory, learn it by heart; Síðan orti Egill alla drápuna, ok hafði fest, svá at hann mátti kveða um morguninn, Eg. 421.

festa

2. in law phrases, to settle, stipulate; festa mál, sáttmál, to make a settled agreement, Eg. 34, Fms. x. 355; festa grið, to make a truce, Grág. ii. 194; festa kaup, verð, to wake a bargain, 399; festa fé, to give bail, Gþl. 482, N. G. l. i. 23, Fms. v.i. 290; festa eið, to pledge oneself to take an oath, Gþl. 539; festa járn, to pledge oneself to the ordeal of red-hot iron, Fms. v.i. 230; festa dóm e-s, or f. e-m dóm, iv. 227, vii. 311, Hkr. i. 168, N. G. l. i. 23; festa eindæmi, q. v., Sturl. ii. 22; festa e-t í dóm e-s, id., Fms. v.i. 302; festa e-t á dóm e-s, id., iv. 327; festa lög fyrir e-t (= lög-festa), to claim a thing as one’s lawful property, and thus forbid another any use of it, K. Á. 184, N. G. l. i. 154, Gþl. 333, Jb. 151–249 (passim), cp. Vídal. Skýr. s. v. festa: absol. to pledge oneself, Eysteinn konungr festi at gjalda hálfan fimta tög marka gulls, Fms. v.i. 290.

festa

β. to bind in wedlock; Ásgrímr festi Helga dóttur sína, Asgrim (the father) bound his daughter in wedlock to Helgi (dat.), betrothed her to him, Nj. 40; létu þeir nú sem fyrr, at hón festi sik sjálf, she should bind herself, 49: also of the bridegroom, the bride in acc. as the bargain stipulated, festi Þorvaldr Hallgerði, 17; nú festir maðr sér konu, N. G. l. i. 350, Glúm. 351, cp, Grág. f. Þ. passim.

festa

III. impers. in a pass. sense, to cleave, stick fast to; spjótið (acc.) festi í skildinum, Nj. 43, 262; kemr í skjöldinn svá at festi, 70; rekr hann (acc.) ofan á vaðit ok festi þar á steini, stuck fast on a stone, of a thing floating, 108; við eðr hval festir í vatns-bökkum, timber or whales aground in the shoals, Grág. ii. 355; ef við rekr at ám ofan, ok festir í eyrum, and sticks on the gravel banks, id.; nema festi í miðju vatninu, id.; eld festir, the fire catches, takes hold, Fms. i. 128.

festa

β. medic., bein (acc.) festir, a bone joins (after a fracture); fót festir, the leg grows firm, Bs. i. 743, cp. Eb. 316 and Bs. 5. 424.

festa

IV. reflex. to grow to, stick fast to; nafnið festisk við hann, Ld. 52, Fas. i. 86; ryðr festisk, rust sticks to it, it grows rusty, 519; festask í landi, ríki, absol. to get a fast footing in the land, Fms. i. 32, xi. 343: the milit. phrase, bardagi, orrosta festisk, the battle closes up fast, when all the ranks are engaged, Sturl. iii. 63, Fms. ii. 313.

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

Similar entries:

• Festa (I)