vitnir

Old Norse

Etymology

Unclear; no Germanic cognates are known. However, possibly connected to Hittite 𒄷𒄿𒋫𒅈 (ḫu-i-ta-ar /⁠ḫwitar⁠/, wild animal, game) (gen.sg. 𒄷𒀉𒈾𒀸 (ḫu-it-na-aš /⁠ḫwitnas⁠/)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weyd- (to be alive), as found also in Luwian, e.g. 𒄷𒄿𒁺𒉿𒇷𒅖 (ḫu-i-du-wa-li-iš /⁠ḫwitwalis⁠/, alive).[1]

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Noun

vitnir m (genitive vitnis, plural vitnar)

  1. (poetic, heiti) wolf
    Synonym: ulfr
  2. (poetic, heiti) sword
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:non:sverð

Declension

Declension of vitnir (strong ija-stem)
masculine singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative vitnir vitnirinn vitnar vitnarnir
accusative vitni vitninn vitna vitnana
dative vitni vitninum vitnum vitnunum
genitive vitnis vitnisins vitna vitnanna

Derived terms

References

  1. ^ Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008) “ḫuitar / ḫuitn-”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 5), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 355–356