m. [Ulf. heimos (fem. pl.) = κώμη; A. S. hâm; cp. Eng. home, and in local names -ham; O. H. G. haim; Germ. heim; Dan. hjem; Swed. hem]:—prop. an abode, village, and hence land, region, world:

I. abode, land,

1. partly in a mythol. sense, each heimr being peopled with one kind of beings, gods, fairies, men, giants, etc.; níu man ek heima, I remember nine abodes, Vsp. 2, and also Alm. 9 sqq., Vþm. 45, refer to the mythol. conception of nine heavens, nine kinds of beings, and nine abodes, cp. Goð-heimr, God-land, Yngl. S., Stor.; Mann-heimar, Man-land, the abode of men, Yngl. S.; Jötun-heimar, Giant-land; Álf-heimr, Elf-land, Fairy-land; Nifl-heimr, Mist-land, the world below, Edda, Gm.; Undir-heimar, the nether world, Fms. iii. 178, Fas. iii. 391; Upp-heimr, the ‘Up-land,’ Ether, Alm. 13; cp. also Sól-heimar, ‘Sun-ham,’ Sunniside, freq. as a local name, Landn.; vind-h., ‘wind-ham,’ the heaven, Vsp. 62; sá heimr er Múspell heitir, Edda 3; heyrir blástr hans í alla heima, 17: the phrase, spyrja einn í alla heima, to ask one freely; er slíkt harla úhöfðinglegt at spyrja úkunna menn í hvern heim, Fb. i. 211.

2. the region of the earth or sky; Austr-heimr, the East; Norðr-h., the North; Suðr-h., the South; Vestr-h., the West; Jórsala-heimr, Palestine: poët., dvalar-heimr, a dwelling-place, Sól. 35; ægis-h., 33; alda-h., the abode of men, 41; heimar goða, the abode of gods, Hkm. 13; munar-h., a place of bliss, Hkv. Hjörv. 42; ljóð-h., the abode of men, Gg. 2; myrk-h., the mirky abode, Akv. 42; sólar-h., the sun’s abode, heaven, Geisli.

3. a village, in local names, Engl. -ham, Germ. -heim; but in mod. Dan., Norse, and Swed. local names contracted to -om or -um, so that in many instances it is doubtful whether it is from heim or a dat. pl. in um, thus Veom, Viom may be Véheimr or Véum; Sæ-heimr = mod. Norse Sæm; Há-heimr = Hæm; Fors-heimr = Forsum, Munch, Norge’s Beskr. Pref.: in Icel. not very freq., Sól-heimar, Man-heimar (cp. Safn i. 353 note), Vind-h.: the mythical Glaðs-h., ‘Bright-ham,’ Þrym-h., Þrúð-h., Gm. 4, 8, 11.

II. this world, opp. to Hel or other worlds; fyrst fólkvíg í heimi, Vsp. 26; segðu mér ór heimi ek man ór Helju, Vtkv. 6, Hkv. Hjörv. 40, Skv. 3, 62, Vþm. 49, Am. 83, Stor. 19, Vsp. 46, Helr. 4; koma í heiminn, to be born, Fas. ii. 513; þessa heims, in this world, 623. 48, Gþl. 42, Hom. 48; opp. to annars heims, in the other world; þessa heims ok annars, Nj. 200, Sks. 354; kringla heimsins, the globe, orbis terrarum, Hkr. (init.); um allan heim, Grág. i. 169; heimr er bygðr, Ísl. ii. 381; spor þín liggja lengra út í heim en ek fæ séð, Orkn. 142; var heimrinn allr greindr í þriðjunga, Al. 117, Sks. 194, Rb. 134; al-heimr, the universe; minni-h., microcosmos, Eluc. 19.

2. phrases, liggja (vera) milli heims ok Heljar, to lie between life and death, in extreme illness, Fb. i. 260 (of a swoon); lá Þorsteinn þá milli heims ok heljar ok vætti sér þá ekki nema dauða, Fas. ii. 437; þá sigaði svá at honum, … ok lá náliga í milli heims ok heljar, Grett. 114; sýna e-m í tvo heimana, to make one look into two worlds, i. e. to treat a person roughly; cp. laust hann svá at hann vissi lítið í þenna heim, he struck him so that he nearly swooned, Karl. 35.

3. eccl. the world, mundus; heims ágirni, Hom. 73; stíga yfir heiminn, to overcome the world, 49, N. T. passim, e. g. John xvi. 8, 11, 20, 33; heims börn, the children of the world, Pass.; heims dýrð, the glory of the world, Post.; heims skraut, the pomp of the world, Hom. 83; hold ok heimr, the flesh and the world, N. T. 4. denoting people, only in the compd þing-heimr, an assembly, cp. Fr. monde.

COMPDS: heimsaldr, heimsálfa, heimsbrestr, heimsbygð, heimsendi, heimskringla, heimsskapan, heimsskaut, heimsslit, heimssól, heimsstaða, heimsstjórn, heimsstýrir, heimsvist, heimsþriðjungr.