ær

See also: -ær, ær-, and Appendix:Variations of "aer"

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse ær, from Proto-Germanic *awiz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ówis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛaːɹ/

Noun

ær f (genitive singular ær, plural ær)

1. ewe

   ofta eigur svørt ær hvítt lamb.

   Black ewes often give birth to white lambs.

Declension

Declension of ær
f20	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ær	ærin	ær	ærnar
accusative	ær	ærina	ær	ærnar
dative	ær	ærini	óm	ónum
genitive	ær	ærinnar	áa	áanna

Derived terms

• áseyður
• ærkjøt

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aiːr/
• Rhymes: -aiːr

Etymology 1

From Old Norse ær, from Proto-Germanic *awiz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ówis.

Noun

ær f (genitive singular ær, nominative plural ær)

1. ewe

Declension

declension of ær

f-s3	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ær	ærin	ær	ærnar
accusative	á	ána	ær	ærnar
dative	á	ánni	ám	ánum
genitive	ær	ærinnar	áa	ánna

Etymology 2

From Old Norse ǿrr, from Proto-Germanic *wōrijaz. Cognate to Old English wērig (modern weary).

Adjective

ær (comparative ærari, superlative ærastur)

1. mad

Inflection

    positive (strong declension)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ær	ær	ært
accusative	æran	æra	ært
dative	ærum	ærri	æru
genitive	ærs	ærrar	ærs
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ærir	ærar	ær
accusative	æra	ærar	ær
dative	ærum	ærum	ærum
genitive	ærra	ærra	ærra

    positive (weak declension)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	æri	æra	æra
accusative	æra	æru	æra
dative	æra	æru	æra
genitive	æra	æru	æra
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	æru	æru	æru
accusative	æru	æru	æru
dative	æru	æru	æru
genitive	æru	æru	æru

    comparative

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ærari	ærari	ærara
accusative	ærari	ærari	ærara
dative	ærari	ærari	ærara
genitive	ærari	ærari	ærara
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ærari	ærari	ærari
accusative	ærari	ærari	ærari
dative	ærari	ærari	ærari
genitive	ærari	ærari	ærari

    superlative (strong declension)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ærastur	ærust	ærast
accusative	ærastan	ærasta	ærast
dative	ærustum	ærastri	ærustu
genitive	ærasts	ærastrar	ærasts
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ærastir	ærastar	ærust
accusative	ærasta	ærastar	ærust
dative	ærustum	ærustum	ærustum
genitive	ærastra	ærastra	ærastra

    superlative (weak declension)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ærasti	ærasta	ærasta
accusative	ærasta	ærustu	ærasta
dative	ærasta	ærustu	ærasta
genitive	ærasta	ærustu	ærasta
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ærustu	ærustu	ærustu
accusative	ærustu	ærustu	ærustu
dative	ærustu	ærustu	ærustu
genitive	ærustu	ærustu	ærustu

References

• Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon — Íslensk orðsifjabók, (1989). Reykjavík, Orðabók Háskólans. (Available on Málið.is under the “Eldra mál” tab.)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse æðr (“eider”).

Noun

ær f or m (definite singular æra or æren, indefinite plural ærer, definite plural ærene)

1. eider

Synonyms

• ærfugl

Derived terms

• ederdun
• ederdunsdyne

Etymology 2

Verb

ær

1. imperative of ære

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse æðr.

Noun

ær f (definite singular æra, indefinite plural ærer, definite plural ærene)

1. eider

Usage notes

• The compound ærfugl is more commonly used.

Etymology 2

Verb

ær

1. imperative of æra

Etymology 3

Noun

ær n (definite singular æret, indefinite plural ær, definite plural æra)

1. (pre-2012) alternative form of arr

Etymology 4

From Old Norse yðr.

Alternative forms

• ør, øder

Pronoun

ær (possessive ærs)

1. (obsolete or dialectal) objective case of i

References

• “ær” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
• Ivar Aasen (1850), “i”, in Ordbog over det norske Folkesprog, Oslo: Samlaget, published 2000

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *airiz, originally a comparative form (=‘earlier’).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æːr/

Adjective

ǣr (comparative ǣrra, superlative ǣrest)

1. early, previous, former

Declension

Declension of ǣr — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ǣr	ǣr	ǣr
Accusative	ǣrne	ǣre	ǣr
Genitive	ǣres	ǣrre	ǣres
Dative	ǣrum	ǣrre	ǣrum
Instrumental	ǣre	ǣrre	ǣre
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ǣre	ǣra, ǣre	ǣr
Accusative	ǣre	ǣra, ǣre	ǣr
Genitive	ǣrra	ǣrra	ǣrra
Dative	ǣrum	ǣrum	ǣrum
Instrumental	ǣrum	ǣrum	ǣrum

Declension of ǣr — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ǣra	ǣre	ǣre
Accusative	ǣran	ǣran	ǣre
Genitive	ǣran	ǣran	ǣran
Dative	ǣran	ǣran	ǣran
Instrumental	ǣran	ǣran	ǣran
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ǣran	ǣran	ǣran
Accusative	ǣran	ǣran	ǣran
Genitive	ǣrra, ǣrena	ǣrra, ǣrena	ǣrra, ǣrena
Dative	ǣrum	ǣrum	ǣrum
Instrumental	ǣrum	ǣrum	ǣrum

Preposition

ǣr

1. before, (in negative sentences) until

   Hēo becōm ānre niht ǣr mē.

   She arrived one day before me.

   Earge sweltaþ manigum sīðum ǣr heora dēaðum.

   Cowards die many times before their deaths.

Conjunction

ǣr

1. before, (in negative sentences) until

   Ne telle man nānne mann ġesǣliġne ǣr hē biþ dēad.

   No one should be considered lucky until he is dead.

   Ǣr þon þe hē hit cwæþ, nyste hē nā hwæt hē cweðan wolde.

   Until he said it, he did not know what he was going to say.

2. rather than (in preference to)

Adverb

ær

1. previously
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Purification of St. Mary"

     Uton fon nu on þæt godspel ðær we hit ǣr forlēton.

     Let us now resume the gospel where we previously left it.

2. already
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "For Palm Sunday"

     Þam folce wearð cūð þæt se Hælend arærde lytle ær Lazarum of deaðe, seðe læg stincende feower niht on byrgene: þa comon þa togeanes Criste þe geleaffulle wæron, mid þam wurðmynte, swa we ǣr cwædon.

     It was known to the people that Christ a little before had raised Lazarus from death, who had lain stinking four nights in the grave: then those, who were believing, came to meet Christ with the honours which we have already mentioned.

Descendants

• Middle English: er
  • English: ere
  • Scots: air
  • Yola: ear

Derived terms

• ǣrlīċe
• ǣrdæġ
• ǣrgōd
• ǣrra ġēola (“December”)

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *awiz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ówis.

Noun

ær f (genitive ær, plural ær)

1. ewe

Declension

  Declension of ær (strong i-stem)

feminine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ær	ærin	ær	ærnar
accusative	á	ána	ær	ærnar
dative	á	ánni	ám	ánum
genitive	ær	ærinnar	á	ánna

Descendants

• Icelandic: ær
• Faroese: ær
• Norwegian Nynorsk: ærsaud, ærsau
• Danish: ålam (Thy dialect)

Old Swedish

Verb

ær

1. first-person singular indicative present of vara
2. third-person singular indicative present of vara