jar, f. pl. jar (neut., N. G. L. i. 387; stór ben, acc. pl. n., Gísl. (in a verse), v. bani above.

I. a wound; as a law term, esp. a mortal wound (cp. bani); thus defined, skal ILLEGIBLE lýsa, en ben ef at bana verðr, Grág. ii. 18, 29, 70; benjar á hinum dauða manni, 28; svá skal nefna vátta at sárum sem at benjum, 30; and in the compds, benja-lýsing, f. a sort of coroner’s inquest upon a slain man, Grág. ii. 29; benja-váttr, m. a sort of coroner’s jury, defined in Grág. ii. 28—þeir eigu at bera, hve margar benjar eru, they have to give a verdict how many mortal wounds there are; en búakviðr (the jury) hverir sannir eru at; benja-vætti, n. the verdict of a benjaváttr, Grág. id.

II. yet commonly ‘ben’ means a small bleeding wound; þeirri blóðgri ben, er Otkell veitti mér áverka, Nj. 87, Sd. 139, Fs. 144, in the last passage, however, of a mortal wound. It is now medic. the wound produced by letting blood. In old poetry it is used in a great many compds.