Höggva
Old Norse Dictionary - höggva
Meaning of Old Norse word "höggva" (or hǫggva)
As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:
Old Norse word höggva can mean:höggva
- höggva (hǫggva)
- also spelt heyggva, Sæm. (Kb.); pres. höggr, mod. also heggr; pl. höggum, mod. höggvum; pret. hjó, hjótt, hjó, mod. hjó, hjóst, hjó; pl. hjoggum and hjuggum, mod. only the latter form; a Norse pret. hjoggi = hjó, D. n. ii. 331; pret. subj. hjöggi and heyggi, mod. hjyggi; part. högginn, mod. but less correct, höggvinn, which also is freq. in the Editions; but in the MSS. usually abbreviated, högḡ, höggͭ, = högginn, höggit: [not recorded in Ulf.; A. S. heawan; Engl. hew, hack; Hel. hauwan; O. H. G. houwan; Germ. hauen; Dan. hugge; Swed. hugga]:—höggva denotes to strike with an edged tool, slá and drepa with a blunt one:
- höggva (hǫggva)
- 1. to strike, smite with a sharp weapon; höggr sá er hlífa skyldi, he strikes who ought to shield, a saying: to deal blows with a weapon, hann görði ymist hjó eða lagði, Nj. 8; hann hjó títt ok hart, passim; höggva báðum höndum, 29; h. sverði, öxi, strike with, i. e. to brandish, a sword, axe, FmS. v. 168, GS. 6; h. til e-s, to deal a blow to one, smite, Grág. ii. 7, Al. 78; h. e-n bana-högg, to smite with a deathblow, Eg. 220: to cut down, destroy, þeir hjuggu drekann mjök, FmS. vii. 249: to maim, ef maðr höggr hund eða björn til háðungar manni, Grág. ii. 121; h. rauf á hjálmi, Al. 78: the phrases, h. sik í lends manns rétt, FmS. ix. 399: spec. phrases, höggðú allra manna armastr, nú hjóttu Noreg ór hendi mér! Ek þóttumk nú Noreg í hönd þér höggva, Ó. H. 184.
- höggva (hǫggva)
- 2. to put to death, behead, FmS. vii. 250, 251, xi. 148–152: to kill, högg þú hestinn, Nj. 92: to kill cattle, slaughter, h. bú, búfé, kýr, geitr, naut, Landn. 293, Eg. 532, FmS. vi. 95, xi. 123, Fb. i. 186: höggva strandhögg, Eg. 81.
- höggva (hǫggva)
- 3. to fell trees; höggva skög, Grág. ii. 294; h. keyrivönd, id.: absol., hann hefir höggit í skógi mínum, Nj. 98, passim: to cut grass (rarely), ef maðr höggr hey á hlut annars manns, n. G. l. ii. 112; upp höggvit gras, cut grass, Dipl. iv. 9, Jm. 7, (else always slá of mowing.)
- höggva (hǫggva)
- 4. to bite, of snakes (högg-ormr); Miðgarðsormr hjó hann til bana, Edda 155; naðran hjó fyrir flagbrjóskat, 76: of a wound from a boar’s tusk, ef svín höggr mann, Gþl. 190: the phrase, h. hest sporum, to prick a horse with the spur, Mag. 9.
- höggva (hǫggva)
- II. with prepp.; höggva af, to hew or cut off; h. af kampa ok skegg, to cut off the beard, K. Þ. K.; h. af lim, SkS. 555; to kill, slaughter, h. af fé, Ld. 64; höggva af sér, to parry off, FmS. v. 13:—h. niðr, to cut down, i. 38; to kill, butcher, vii. 261, Orkn. 120; hjuggu þeir niðr mungát sitt (by cutting casks to pieces), FmS. vii. 249:—h. upp, to cut down a tree, GrEg. 48, Matth. iii. 10; h. upp skip, to break a ship up, FmS. iii. 228, ix. 381; h. upp hús, to break a house up, viii. 166:—h. ór, to cut out, metaph. to make even; vóru margar greinir þær er ór þurfti at h. milli biskups ok leikmanna, BS. i. 751; láta konung ok erkibiskup ór h. (smooth) sagðar greinir, 773.
- höggva (hǫggva)
- III. reflex. to be cut, hacked; hjósk skjöldr Helga, Dropl. 24.
- höggva (hǫggva)
- 2. recipr. to exchange blows, fight; þeir hjuggusk nokkura stund, Háv. 56; þeir h. til í ákafa, Bret. 74.
- höggva (hǫggva)
- 3. metaph., höggvask í mitt mál, to begin abruptly, in the middle of a sentence; taka heldr at upphafi til, en höggvask í mitt mál, Landn. 275, v. l.; ef enn höggsk nokkurr í ok mælir svá, cuts in, objects, Skálda 168: þótti honum nú taka mjök um at höggvask, things looked hard, Grett. 142; þótti honum hart um höggvask, BS. i. 423.
Orthography: The Cleasby & Vigfusson book used letter ö to represent the original Old Norse vowel ǫ. Therefore, höggva may be more accurately written as hǫggva.
Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᚼᚢᚴᚴᚢᛅ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements
Abbreviations used:
- A. S.
- Anglo-Saxon.
- Dan.
- Danish.
- Engl.
- English.
- f.
- feminine.
- freq.
- frequent, frequently.
- Germ.
- German.
- gl.
- glossary.
- Hel.
- Heliand.
- 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.
- i. e.
- id est.
- spec.
- specially.
- s. v.
- sub voce.
- v.
- vide.
- absol.
- absolute, absolutely.
- id.
- idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation
- L.
- Linnæus.
- metaph.
- metaphorical, metaphorically.
- reflex.
- retlexive.
- pr.
- proper, properly.
- recipr.
- reciprocally.
- v. l.
- varia lectio.
Works & Authors cited:
- D. N.
- Diplomatarium Norvagicum. (J. II.)
- Kb.
- Konungs-bók. (B. I, C. I, etc.)
- Sæm.
- Sæmundar Edda. (A, C. I.)
- Al.
- Alexanders Saga. (G. I.)
- Eg.
- Egils Saga. (D. II.)
- Fms.
- Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
- Grág.
- Grágás. (B. I.)
- Gs.
- Grótta-söngr. (A. II.)
- Nj.
- Njála. (D. II.)
- Ó. H.
- Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)
- Fb.
- Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)
- Landn.
- Landnáma. (D. I.)
- Dipl.
- Diplomatarium. (J. I.)
- Jm.
- Jóns-máldagi. (J. I.)
- N. G. L.
- Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)
- Edda
- Edda. (C. I.)
- Gþl.
- Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)
- Mag.
- Magus Saga. (G. II.)
- Bs.
- Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
- Greg.
- Gregory. (F. II.)
- K. Þ. K.
- Kristinn-réttr Þorláks ok Ketils = Kristinna-laga-þáttr. (B. I.)
- Ld.
- Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)
- Orkn.
- Orkneyinga Saga. (E. II.)
- Sks.
- Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)
- Dropl.
- Droplaugar-sona Saga. (D. II.)
- Bret.
- Breta Sögur. (G. I.)
- Háv.
- Hávarðar Saga. (D. II.)
- Grett.
- Grettis Saga. (D. II.)
- Skálda
- Skálda. (H. I.)