Vaska

Old Norse Dictionary - vaska

Meaning of Old Norse word "vaska"

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

Old Norse word vaska can mean:vaska

vaska
að, [A. S. wascan; Engl. wash; Germ. waschen; Dan. vaske]:—to wash, but rare or at least hardly used in Icel., having been superseded by þvá, q. v.; in Dan. and Swed. it is freq.; in the Sagas only of washing the head with a kind of soap, see lauðr; vaska sér, to wash one’s head,gl. 30 (cp. the verse l. c.); vaska honum betr, Ísl. ii. 334, Bjarn. 68; þveginn ok vaskaðr, SkS. 362; vaskaði dasi, er ek dró þessa ár at borði, the laggard had his head washed, i. e. sat snug at home, whilst I pulled this oar, FS. (in a verse); in all these instances of the head: metaph., vaska e-n í orðum, to wash one in words, MS. 4, 6.
vaska
2. to wash, as a naut. term of the waves; brim vaskar, Edda (in a verse), so too in Dan. det vasker over.

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

Abbreviations used:

A. S.
Anglo-Saxon.
cp.
compare.
Dan.
Danish.
Engl.
English.
freq.
frequent, frequently.
Germ.
German.
gl.
glossary.
Icel.
Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
i. e.
id est.
l.
line.
l. c.
loco citato.
m.
masculine.
metaph.
metaphorical, metaphorically.
n.
neuter.
q. v.
quod vide.
S.
Saga.
Swed.
Swedish.
v.
vide.
naut.
nautical.

Works & Authors cited:

Bjarn.
Bjarnar Saga. (D. II.)
Fs.
Forn-sögur. (D. II.)
Sks.
Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)
Vígl.
Víglundar Saga. (D. V.)
Edda
Edda. (C. I.)
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

Back