adj. [Ulf. fairnis = παλαιός; A. S. fyrn; Hel. furn; Swed. forn; lost in Engl.]:—old; forn vinátta, Eg. 729; forn fjándskapr, old enmity, Nj. 49; forn rök, Ls. 25; fornt vín, old wine, Pr. 472; en forna fold, the old earth, Hým. 24; forn timbr, the old timbers, Akv. 42: inn forni fjándi, the old fiend, Satan, 686 C. 2; forn jötunn, the old giant, Hým. 13; fornar tóptir, old abodes. Gm. 11: stores preserved from the past year are called forn, forn mjöðr, old mead, Skm. 37; fornari hey, K. Þ. K. 163.

2. with the notion of old, worn, rotten, or the like; byrðings-segl várt hið forna, Fms. iv. 259; forn mörr, Bjarn. 29 (in a verse).

3. old, in temp. sense; in the Icel. Commonwealth the old priesthoods were called forn goðorð and forn goðorðsmaðr, an old priest, opp. to the priesthoods instituted along with the Fifth Court, which were termed ‘new.’

4. time-honoured, old; forn lög, forn lands-siðr, Bs. i. 682.

5. at fornu, formerly, in times past, Eg. 767, K. Á. 152, D. I. i. 635; til forna, id., cp. Dan. til forn.

6. in old writers forn is often used of the heathen times with the old mythical lore; forn siðr, the old (heathen) rite, Fb. i. 215; fornir menn, the men of old, Eb. 132; á fornum skjöldum, on shields of old, Edda 87; fornar frásagnir, old tales, Hkr. pref.; forn-menn, forn-tíðindi, forn-sögur, the men, lore, or saws of the olden age, (forn-fræði, id.; forn-spjöll); forn átrúnaðr, forn trúa, the old creed, heathenism; forn-kveðit mál or hið forn-kveðna is a standing phrase for an ‘old saw,’ proverb, the Sagas passim, and vide below.

β. metaph. old, i. e. versed in old lore or witchcraft; hann var forn mjök (he was a great wizard) ok hafði jafnan úti setið, Orkn. 234; fróð ok forn í skapi, Ísl. ii. 332, Fb. i. 250 (forneskja).