Mikill

Old Norse Dictionary - mikill

Meaning of Old Norse word "mikill"

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

Old Norse word mikill can mean:mikill

mikill
or mykill, adj., mikill, mikil, mikit; gen. mikils, mikillar, mikils; dat. miklum, mikilli, miklu; acc. mikinn, mikla, mikit: plur. miklir, miklar, mikil; gen. mikilla; dat. miklum; acc. mikla, miklar, mikil: with a suff. neg. miklo-gi, Grág. i. 209, Ísl. ii. 360 (Heiðarv. S.), see -gi (C). The spelling also varies between i and y; the latter form is represented by the Swed. mycka and mycket; Ivar Aasen mykjen and mygje; A. S. mycel; Old Engl., Scot., and North. E. have both muckle and mickle; Engl. much; early Dan. mögel. Some Icel. MSS., e. g. the Flatey-book (first hand), make a difference by spelling i in the uncontractcd forms, but y in the contracted, e. g. mikill, but myklir, myklar, myklum; this however was prob. a Norwegianism, for the poets in their rhymes use i throughout, sik miklu, sikling miklum, Hallfred, agreeably with the mod. pronunciation: compar. meiri, superl. mestr, see meiri: [Ulf. mikils; A. S. mycel; Hel. mikil; O. H. G. mihil; Scot. mickle; Dan. megen; Lat. magnus; Gr. μέγας.]
mikill
B. Great, tall, of stature; maðr m. ok sterkr, Nj. 2, Eg. 1; sveinn m. ok fríðr, FmS. i. 14; m. vexti, vi. 102.
mikill
2. great, large, in bulk or size; mikil ey ok góð, Eg. 25; m. nauts-húð, FmS. vi. 183; miklar hendr ok fætr, 429; jammikit, Grág. ii. 264; vatn vel mikit at vexti, SkS. 90; áin var mikil, swoln, Nj. 253; mikit hár, 2; höllina miklu, FmS. vii. 122; mikit ríki, vi. 148; mikil borg, id.
mikill
3. of quantity, great, much; mikil drykkjuföng, Sturl. iii. 289; mikill viðr, Nj. 45; mikit fé annat, Ld. 84; hafði mikit á græðsk, Nj. 10; mikit hunang, Rb. 572; mikið skal til mikils vinna, Vídal. ii. 64.
mikill
II. metaph. great; skörungr mikill, Ld. 120; málafylgju-maðr mikill, Nj. i; svá m. atgörvi-maðr ok skörungr, Ld. 84; m. drykkju-maðr, FmS. vii. 175: eigi mikill þegn, Ísl. ii. 344; miklir eptirmáls-menn, Ld. 64; miklir atgörvi-menn, FmS. i. 17; göra e-n mikinn mann, Eg. 28; þá görði él mikit ok íllviðri, FmS. i. 175; vinds gnýr mikill, Ld. 326: vetr mikill, a hard winter, Rb. 572, Ld. 120; mikit ár, a good season, Hom. 68; mikla rausn, Sturl. iii. 289; um Dofra-fjall var mikil fór ór Þrándheimi, FmS. vii. 122; svá mikit metorð, x. 398; frost eru þá mikil, Edda 40; mikit úgagn, mikit mein, 41; með mikilli snild, Ld. 84; með mikilli vínáttu, id.; mikla virðing, id.; mikil tíðindi, 326; mikinn trúnað, 204; mikit tilkall, Eg. 266; mikit vald, Nj. 10; mikill fagna-fundr, Ld. 330; mikit (imposing) er þitt yfirbragð, FmS. ii. 161; mikit mannfall, Rb. 572.
mikill
2. acc. mikinn used as adv.; hann ríðr mikinn, Nj. 55, 125, Gullþ. 64, Grett. 29 new Ed.; þeir fóru mikinn. FmS. ix. 511; mikinn tekr þú nú af, vi. 206; hann tók mikinn af því at þat væri eigi, x. 148.
mikill
III. neut. as subst., much; skipta miklu, to be of great importance, Ld. 308; hversu mikit, how much, id.; vera til mikils ferr, 655 xi. 3; mikils verðr, Ísl. ii. 327, Njarð. 372; e-m er mikit í skapi, of emotion, anger, Nj. 38; þykkja e-t mikit, to think much of it, be sorry, angry for, or the like, Eg. 539.
mikill
2. dat. miklu with a compar. much, by far, cp. Lat. multo; muni vera miklu fleiri ván skipa, Ld. 78; miklu betr, 84; miklu hærra, SkS. 653; miklu meiri maðr en áðr, FmS. vii. 233; miklu meira háttar, i. 295.
mikill
β. with superl., in poets; miklu mest, much the greatest; þá er unni mér miklu mest manna, Kormak, Hkv. 1. 49; miklu beztan, Ó. H. (in a verse); miklu maklegast, Nj. (in a verse); miklu daprastr, FaS. ii. 56 (in a verse); miklu lengst, Ó. H. (in a verse); miklu fegrst, Fm. 40.
mikill
γ. in prose; miklu hollastir, Glúm. 340; miklu mest allra þeirra, FmS. ix. 54; miklu mest hyrndir, xi. 6; sú borg var miklu mest, vi. 154; jarl var miklu blíðastr þann dag til konungs, ix. 282; miklu beztr, Þiðr. 183; miklu harðast ok hættuligast, 200.
mikill
IV. neut. as adv., mikit = much, greatly; hón unni honum mikit. Nj. 27; sá maðr eykr mikit (greatly) efni til skipsins Naglfars, Edda 41; honum fannsk mikit um, FmS. vii. 232; unnusk þeir mikit, Nj. 149; gékk þá skipit mikit (= mikinn), Eg. 390; en þeir sigldu mikit, FmS. vii. 214; samðisk þá mikit með þeim feðgum. Ísl. ii. 210; þessi rembisk mikit, 219.
mikill
V. pr. names; Mikla Gildi. the Great Guild, FmS. vi. 440; Mikla-Stofa, etc.: as a nickname, inn Mikli en Mikla, the big; Hrolleifr enn Mikli, FS.: in old writers always of the body, in mod. usage = great as Alexander Mikli, (where formerly Ríki was used.)
mikill
2. in local names, [cp. Dan. mögel-, magle-]: Mikli-garðr, m. ‘Mickle-garth’ = Constantinople, FmS. passim; Mikla-garðs-konungr, -keisari, the king of M., passim.
mikill
C. COMPDS: mikilbrjóstaðr, mikilfengliga, mikilfengligr, mikilgjarn, mikilgæfr, mikilhugaðr, mikilhæfr, mikillátr, mikilleikr, mikilleitr, mikilliga, mikilligr, mikillætask, mikillæti, mikilmagnaðr, mikilmannliga, mikilmannligr, mikilmenni, mikilmennska, mikilmæli, mikilráðr, mikilræði, mikilúðligr, mikilvegligr, mikilvirkr, mikilvænligr, mikilþæGr.

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

Abbreviations used:

acc.
accusative.
adj.
adjective.
A. S.
Anglo-Saxon.
compar.
comparative.
Dan.
Danish.
dat.
dative.
e. g.
exempli gratia.
Engl.
English.
f.
feminine.
gen.
genitive.
gl.
glossary.
Gr.
Greek.
Hel.
Heliand.
Icel.
Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
l.
line.
Lat.
Latin.
mod.
modern.
n.
neuter.
neg.
negative.
North. E.
Northern English.
O. H. G.
Old High German.
plur.
plural.
prob.
probably.
S.
Saga.
Scot.
Scottish.
uff.
suffix.
superl.
superlative.
Swed.
Swedish.
Ulf.
Ulfilas.
v.
vide.
m.
masculine.
id.
idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation
metaph.
metaphorical, metaphorically.
adv.
adverb.
þ.
þáttr.
neut.
neuter.
subst.
substantive.
cp.
compare.
etc.
et cetera.
pr.
proper, properly.

Works & Authors cited:

Grág.
Grágás. (B. I.)
Heiðarv. S.
Heiðarvíga Saga. (D. II.)
Ivar Aasen
Ivar Aasen’s Dictionary, 1850.
Eg.
Egils Saga. (D. II.)
Fms.
Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Nj.
Njála. (D. II.)
Sks.
Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)
Ld.
Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)
Rb.
Rímbegla. (H. III.)
Sturl.
Sturlunga Saga. (D. I.)
Vídal.
Vídalíns-Postilla.
Edda
Edda. (C. I.)
Hom.
Homiliu-bók. (F. II.)
Grett.
Grettis Saga. (D. II.)
Gullþ.
Gull-Þóris Saga. (D. II.)
Njarð.
Njarðvíkinga Saga. (D. II.)
Fas.
Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)
Fm.
Fafnis-mál. (A. II.)
Hkv.
Helga-kviða Hundingsbana. (A. II.)
Ó. H.
Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)
Glúm.
Víga-Glúms Saga. (D. II.)
Þiðr.
Þiðreks Saga. (G. I.)
Fs.
Forn-sögur. (D. II.)
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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