Holt
Old Norse Dictionary - holt
Meaning of Old Norse word "holt"
As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:
Old Norse word holt can mean:holt
- holt
- n. [A. S. holt = sylva; Germ. holz = lignum; in E. Engl. and North. Engl. holt means copsewood, and the word often occurs in local names]
- holt
- 1. prop. wood, copsewood, a coppice; but this sense is almost obsolete, though it remains in the saying, opt er í holti heyrandi nær, in a holt a hearer is nigh, answering to the Engl. leaves have ears, in Germ. die blätter haben ohren, Grett. 133: as also in old poems, holt ok hrár viðr, Skm. 32; ösp í holti, Hðm. 4; Hoddmímis holt, Vþm.; fara ór holti, to go from the woods, Vkv. 15: whence holt-skriði, a, m. ‘holt-creeper,’ poët. for a snake, Edda: holta-þór, m. reynard the fox: in laws, yrkja holt né haga, Gþl. 315; h. eða haga eða veiði-staði, 362; but otherwise rare in common prose, holt eðr skógar, Eg.; smákjörr ok holt, FmS. vi. 334: in local names, Holtsetar (Holsetar), m. pl. ‘holt-sitters,’ the men of Holsten; Holtseta-land, n. the land of the Holtsetar (Holstenland), whence the mod. Germ. Holstein. In barren Icel., Holt, Holtar are freq. local names, as also in compds, e. g. Lang-holt, Skála-holt, Geldinga-holt, Villinga-holt, Reykja-holt, Holta-vað, see Landn.; in olden times; all these places were no doubt covered with copse (of dwarf birch).
- holt
- 2. in common Icel. usage holt means any rough stony hill or ridge, opp. to a marsh or lea, FmS. v. 70, 97, Ld. 96, Eg. 713, FS. 19, 22, 67, passim, as also in mod. usage.
- holt
- COMPDS: holtarót, holtasóley, holtbarð, holtsgata, holtshnjúkr, holtsmúli.
Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᚼᚢᛚᛏ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements
Abbreviations used:
- A. S.
- Anglo-Saxon.
- Engl.
- English.
- Germ.
- German.
- gl.
- glossary.
- l.
- line.
- m.
- masculine.
- n.
- neuter.
- S.
- Saga.
- e. g.
- exempli gratia.
- freq.
- frequent, frequently.
- Icel.
- Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
- mod.
- modern.
- pl.
- plural.
- poët.
- poetically.
- prop.
- proper, properly.
- v.
- vide.
- opp.
- opposed.
- s. v.
- sub voce.
Works & Authors cited:
- Edda
- Edda. (C. I.)
- Eg.
- Egils Saga. (D. II.)
- Fms.
- Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
- Grett.
- Grettis Saga. (D. II.)
- Gþl.
- Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)
- Hðm.
- Hamðis-mál. (A. II.)
- Landn.
- Landnáma. (D. I.)
- Skm.
- Skírnis-mál. (A. I.)
- Vkv.
- Völundar-kviða. (A. II.)
- Vþm.
- Vafþrúðnis-mál. (A. I.)
- Fs.
- Forn-sögur. (D. II.)
- Ld.
- Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)