feigr

Old Norse

FWOTD – 9 September 2013

Alternative forms

  • fæigʀ — Old East Norse
  • ᚠᛆᛁᚴᛁᚭᚿ (faikiąn) — Rök runestone (strong masculine accusative singular)

Etymology

    From Proto-Germanic *faigijaz, whence also Old English fæġe (English fey)), Old High German feigi (“cowardly”).

    Pronunciation

    • (12th century Icelandic) IPA(key): /ˈfɛiɣr̩/

    Adjective

    feigr

    1. fey, doomed to die

    Declension

    The original paradigm inherited from Proto-Germanic was a ja-stem, but already by classic written Old Norwegian-Icelandic it had shifted to a regular a-stem, thus with accusative feigan. However, on the 9th century Swedish Rök runestone we find the form faikiąn (normalized spelling fęigjan), with the ja-stem declension still intact.

    Strong declension of feigr
    singular masculine feminine neuter
    nominative feigr feig feigt
    accusative feigan feiga feigt
    dative feigum feigri feigu
    genitive feigs feigrar feigs
    plural masculine feminine neuter
    nominative feigir feigar feig
    accusative feiga feigar feig
    dative feigum feigum feigum
    genitive feigra feigra feigra
    Weak declension of feigr
    singular masculine feminine neuter
    nominative feigi feiga feiga
    accusative feiga feigu feiga
    dative feiga feigu feiga
    genitive feiga feigu feiga
    plural masculine feminine neuter
    nominative feigu feigu feigu
    accusative feigu feigu feigu
    dative feigum feigum feigum
    genitive feigu feigu feigu
    Declension of comparative of feigr
    singular masculine feminine neuter
    nominative feigari feigari feigara
    accusative feigara feigari feigara
    dative feigara feigari feigara
    genitive feigara feigari feigara
    plural masculine feminine neuter
    nominative feigari feigari feigari
    accusative feigari feigari feigari
    dative feigurum feigurum feigurum
    genitive feigari feigari feigari
    Strong declension of superlative of feigr
    singular masculine feminine neuter
    nominative feigastr feigust feigast
    accusative feigastan feigasta feigast
    dative feigustum feigastri feigustu
    genitive feigasts feigastrar feigasts
    plural masculine feminine neuter
    nominative feigastir feigastar feigust
    accusative feigasta feigastar feigust
    dative feigustum feigustum feigustum
    genitive feigastra feigastra feigastra
    Weak declension of superlative of feigr
    singular masculine feminine neuter
    nominative feigasti feigasta feigasta
    accusative feigasta feigustu feigasta
    dative feigasta feigustu feigasta
    genitive feigasta feigustu feigasta
    plural masculine feminine neuter
    nominative feigustu feigustu feigustu
    accusative feigustu feigustu feigustu
    dative feigustum feigustum feigustum
    genitive feigustu feigustu feigustu

    Descendants

    • Icelandic: feigur
    • Faroese: feigur
    • Norwegian: feig; (dialectal) feig’u, feig’e, feg
    • Old Swedish: fēgher
    • Old Danish: fegh
      • Danish: fej, fejg
        • Norwegian Bokmål: feig

    Further reading

    • Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “feigr”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive
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