m., spelt hors, Stj. 178: [A. S. hors; Engl. horse; O. H. G. hros; Germ. ross]:—a horse, Hm. 70, Grág. i. 194, 432, 433, 599, Nj. 69, Sturl. iii. 227, Gþl. 190, Eb. 106, Fb. ii. 184, 313; stóð-h., a stud-horse, steed; mer-h., a mare; áburðar-h., a hackney.

2. spec. a mare, opp. to hestr, a stallion; litföróttr hestr með ljósum hrossum, Gullþ. 14, Hrafn. 6; hestr eða h., N. G. L. ii. 68; ef maðr á hest (a stallion), þá skal hann annathvárt kaupa hross (a mare) til, eða fá at láni, 125.

COMPDS:

I. hrossa-bein, n. horse bone, horse flesh, Sturl. i. 184. hrossa-beit, f. bite or grazing for horses, Jm. 20, Pm. 38. hrossa-brestr, m. a rattle. hrossa-fellir, m. loss of horses, from hunger or disease, Ann. 1313. hrossa-fúlga, u, f. fodder or pay given to keep a horse, Grág. i. 432. hrossa-fætr, m. pl. horses’ hoofs, Rb. 348; troðin undir hrossa fótum, Fas. i. 227. hrossa-gaukr, see gaukr. hrossa-geymsla, u, f. horse keeping, Grett. 91. hrossa-hús, n. a stable, Fms. i. 108, xi. 407, Grett. 91, Orkn. 218, Bs. i. 285. hrossa-höfn, f. horse-keep, horse pasture, Íb. 6. hrossa-kjöt, n. horse flesh, horse meat, Fms. i. 36. hrossa-kyn, n. horse flesh, Fas. iii. 132. hrossa-letr, n. ‘horse-letters,’ a large coarse hand-writing. hrossa-maðr, m. a groom, Þorst. Stang. 48; Kjartan kvaðsk engi vera h. ok vildi eigi þiggja, Ld. 194. hrossa-móða, u, f. the dirt and loose hairs which come off the coat of an ungroomed horse. hrossa-móðugr, adj. covered with h. hrossa-reið, f. a horse-race, horse-riding, Grág. i. 432, 438. hrossa-skella, u, f. = hrossabrestr. hrossa-slátr, n. horse meat, Nj. 164, Hkr. i. 143, Fms. x. 300. hrossa-sótt, f. horse fever, a kind of horse’s disease. hrossa-stuldr, m. horse stealing, Fms. iii. 147. hrossa-taka, u, f. id., Eb. 56. hrossa-vöndr, m. a horse-whip, Art. hrossa-þjófr, m. a horse-stealer, Hbl. 8. hrossa-þöngull, m. a kind of seaweed, fucus digitatus. hross-bak, n. horse-back, Sturl. i. 146, ii. 219, Jb. 262. hross-bein, n. a horse’s bone, Sturl. i. 184. hross-eigandi, a, m. part. a horse owner, Grág. i. 437. hross-fellir, n. = hrossafellir. hross-fjöldi, a, m. a drove of horses, Glúm. 316. hross-fóðr, m. horse-fodder, N. G. L. i. 240. hross-gjöf, f. the gift of a horse, Sturl. i. 155. hross-görsemi, f. a ‘treasure of a horse,’ a valuable horse, Bs. i. 633. hross-hali, a, m. a horse’s tail, Fms. ix. 18. hross-hauss, m. a horse’s head, Fas. ii. 300: as a term of abuse, afgamall h. hross-hár, n. horse-hair. Hrosshárs-grani, a, m. one of the names of Odin, prob. from wearing a frock or hekla of horse-hair, hross-hófr, m. a horse’s hoof, Al. 156. hross-hvalr, m. [A. S. horshwæl = horse-whale; the Germ. form being wall-ross; Engl. wal-rus], a walrus, Edda (Gl.), Sks. 30 new Ed., Korm. 164, K. Þ. K. 138: ropes of walrus skin (svörðr) were used of old for rigging ships, see king Alfred’s Orosius. hross-höfuð, n. = hrosshauss, Eg. 389. hross-íss, m. (= hrossheldr íss), horse-ice, i. e. ice safe to ride on, Sturl. iii. 21. hross-klyf, f. a horse pack, Karl. 382. hross-lifr, f. a horse’s liver, Hkr. i. 144. hross-nautn, f. using a horse, Grág. i. 432, 441. hross-reið, f. horse-riding, a horse-race, Grág. i. 432, 433, 442. hross-rófa, u, f. a horse’s tail, Fas. iii. 473. hross-síða, u, f. a horse’s side, Orkn. 12. hross-spell, n. the damaging a horse, N. G. L. i. 176. hross-tagl, n. a horse’s tail, Art. hross-tönn, f. a horse’s tooth. hross-verð, n. the worth of a horse, Grág. i. 434, Jb. 273. hross-þjófr, m. a horse-stealer: name of a giant, Hdl. hross-æta, u, f. an eater of horse flesh, which by the old eccl. law might not be eaten.

II. in pr. names, Hross-kell, Hross-björn, Landn.: local name, Hross-ey, in the Orkneys.