Öx
Old Norse Dictionary - öx
Meaning of Old Norse word "öx" (or ǫx)
As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:
Old Norse word öx can mean:öx
- öx (ǫx)
- i. e. øx, f., gen. öxar, dat. and acc. öxi, pl. öxar, preserving the ö throughout; declined like heiðr, öx standing for öx-r; also spelt eyx and ex: in mod. usage declined like höfn, nom. öxi, gen. axar, dat. and acc. öx or öxi, pl. axir: [Goth. aqwisi; a word common to all Indo-European languages]:—an axe. Am. 39, Nj. 19, 70, Sturl. i. 63, Eg. 180, 183, Ld. 112, K. Þ. K. 170, and passim: öxar-egg, f., -skapt, n. the edge, haft of an axe, Sturl. ii. 91, Fms. vi. 212, Fær. 111: öxar-hamarr, m. the back of an axe, Nj. 253, Grág. ii. 14, Fær. 221: öxarhamars-högg, n. a blow with the back of an axe, Fms. ix. 469, Gþl. 177, Orkn., Lv. 86: öxar-hyrna, u, f. the hooked beak of an axe, such as a bill, halberd, or Lochaber-axe, Fær, 111, Fms. ii. 82, Lv. 82: öxar-stafr, m. a nickname, Lv. 86: öxar-talga, u, f. masonry, Stj.: öxa-tré, n., Sturl. i. 158: öxar-þæri, n., Grág., see þæri. The axe, rather than the sword, was the favourite national weapon of the old Norsemen and Danes, cp. the Nj.; Hel was the axe of king Magnus, and for various names of axes, see Edda (Gl.); breið-öx, bol-öx, hand-öx, tapar-öx, skegg-öx, tálg-öx, skar-öx; the ‘öx snaghyrnd’ or snaga (see p. 573) is prob. the same as the Scottish Lochaber-axe, see Sir Walter Scott, Waveriey, i. ch. 17, used for climbing walls, and compare the feat related in Fær. l. c., Eb. 310.
- öx (ǫx)
- II. in local names, Öxar-á, f. the Axe water, in Icel., the origin of the name is told in Sturl. i. 202: Öxar-fjörðr, m. Axefirth, Landn.: Öxfirðingar, m. pl. the men from Axefirth, Nj. 219, 223: Öxarár-þing, n. the assembly at Öxará = alþingi, Jb.
Orthography: The Cleasby & Vigfusson book used letter ö to represent the original Old Norse vowel ǫ. Therefore, öx may be more accurately written as ǫx.
Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᚢᛋ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements
Abbreviations used:
- acc.
- accusative.
- ch.
- chapter.
- cp.
- compare.
- dat.
- dative.
- f.
- feminine.
- gen.
- genitive.
- Goth.
- Gothic.
- i. e.
- id est.
- l.
- line.
- l. c.
- loco citato.
- m.
- masculine.
- mod.
- modern.
- n.
- neuter.
- nom.
- nominative.
- pl.
- plural.
- prob.
- probably.
- v.
- vide.
- Icel.
- Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
Works & Authors cited:
- Am.
- Atla-mál. (A. II.)
- Eb.
- Eyrbyggja Saga. (D. II.)
- Edda
- Edda. (C. I.)
- Eg.
- Egils Saga. (D. II.)
- Fms.
- Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
- Fær.
- Færeyinga Saga. (E. II.)
- Grág.
- Grágás. (B. I.)
- Gþl.
- Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)
- K. Þ. K.
- Kristinn-réttr Þorláks ok Ketils = Kristinna-laga-þáttr. (B. I.)
- Ld.
- Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)
- Lv.
- Ljósvetninga Saga. (D. II.)
- Nj.
- Njála. (D. II.)
- Orkn.
- Orkneyinga Saga. (E. II.)
- Stj.
- Stjórn. (F. I.)
- Sturl.
- Sturlunga Saga. (D. I.)
- Jb.
- Jóns-bók. (B. III.)
- Landn.
- Landnáma. (D. I.)