húnn

See also: hunn, Hunn, and Húnn

Icelandic

A basic modern doorknob.

A flagpole's knob.

Etymology

From Old Norse húnn (“knob at the top of a mast-head”), from Proto-Germanic *hūnaz, *hūna(n)- (“top of a stick”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hutn/

  Rhymes: -utn

Noun

húnn m (genitive singular húns, nominative plural húnar)

1. a door handle, a doorknob
2. a flagpole's knob

   Að draga fána að hún.

   To hoist a flag.

3. a bear cub

Declension

declension of húnn

m-s1	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	húnn	húnninn	húnar	húnarnir
accusative	hún	húninn	húna	húnana
dative	húni	húninum	húnum	húnunum
genitive	húns	húnsins	húna	húnanna

References

• Guus Kroonen, “Reflections on the o/zero-Ablaut in the Germanic Iterative Verbs”, in The Indo-European Verb: Proceedings of the Conference of the Society for Indo-European Studies, Los Angeles, 13-15 September 2010, Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag, 2012

Old Norse

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *hūnaz.

Noun

húnn m (genitive húns)

1. a bear cub
2. (poetic) urchin (clarification of this definition is needed)
3. knob atop a mast-head

Declension

  Declension of húnn (strong a-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	húnn	húnninn	húnar	húnarnir
accusative	hún	húninn	húna	húnana
dative	húni	húninum	húnum	húnunum
genitive	húns	húnsins	húna	húnanna

Descendants

• Icelandic: húnn
• Norwegian Nynorsk: hun
• → Old French: hune
  • Middle French: hune
    • French: hune

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

húnn m (genitive húns)

1. a die (clarification of this definition is needed)

Declension

  Declension of húnn (strong a-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	húnn	húnninn	húnar	húnarnir
accusative	hún	húninn	húna	húnana
dative	húni	húninum	húnum	húnunum
genitive	húns	húnsins	húna	húnanna

Descendants

• Norwegian Nynorsk: hon, hun
• Norwegian Bokmål: hon, hon

References

• húnn in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, G. T. Zoëga, Clarendon Press, 1910, at Internet Archive.