hljóð

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse hljóð, from Proto-Germanic *hleuþą. Cognate with Faroese ljóð, Norwegian lyd, Danish lyd, Swedish ljud, German Laut, Scots luid, Dutch luid, and obsolete English loude.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l̥jouːð/
• Rhymes: -ouːð

Noun

hljóð n (genitive singular hljóðs, nominative plural hljóð)

1. (countable and uncountable) sound
2. a cry
3. silence

Synonyms

• (cry): óp, hróp
• (silence): þögn

Derived terms

• heyra í e-m hljóðið
• hljóðhimna
• hljóðlátur
• hljóðmengun
• hljóðver
• í hálfum hljóðum
• í hljóði
• kveða sér hljóðs
• tvíhljóð
• þegja þunnu hljóði

 

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Old Norse

FWOTD – 24 January 2014

Alternative forms

• hliod (Codex Regius)
• hlioð (Hauksbók)

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hleuþą (“sound”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew-to-, derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱlew- (“hear”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌸 (hliuþ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈl̥joːð/

Noun

hljóð n (genitive hljóðs, plural hljóð)

1. silence, hearing
   • Vǫluspá, verse 1, lines 1-2, in 1860, T. Möbius, Edda Sæmundar hins fróða: mit einem Anhang zum Theil bisher ungedruckter Gedichte. Leipzig, page 1:

     Hljóðs bið ek allar / helgar kindir, […]

     For silence I ask / all holy kindreds […]

2. a sound, cry
   • Saga Hákonar, Guttorms ok Inga 12, in 1835, F. Magnússon, C. C. Rafn, Fornmanna sögur, Volume IX. Copenhagen, page 30:

     Þorfinnr kom aungu hljóði í lúðrinn, […]

     Thorfinn couldn't blow a sound from the trumpet, […]

3. a musical sound, tune, music
   • Guðmundar saga 28, in 1858, J. Sigurðsson, G. Vigfússon, Biskupa sögur, Volume I. Copenhagen, page 454:

     […] þangat mantu heyra söng fagran ok hljóð mikit ok dýrðlikt, […]

     […] thither you will hear songs beautiful and music great and glorious, […]

Declension

  Declension of hljóð (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	hljóð	hljóðit	hljóð	hljóðin
accusative	hljóð	hljóðit	hljóð	hljóðin
dative	hljóði	hljóðinu	hljóðum	hljóðunum
genitive	hljóðs	hljóðsins	hljóða	hljóðanna

Derived terms

• hljóða (“to sound”)
• hljóðan (“sound”)
• hljóðbjalla (“tinkling bell”)
• hljóðfall (“consonancy”)
• hljóðfegrð (“euphony”)
• hljóðfæri (“musical instrument”)
• hljóðgreipr (“mouth”)
• hljóðgóðr (“well-tuned”)
• hljóðkyrr (“quiet”)
• hljóðlauss (“soundless”)
• hljóðleiki (“silence”)
• hljóðliga (“silently”)
• hljóðligr (“silent”)
• hljóðlyndr (“taciturn”)
• hljóðlátr (“still”)
• hljóðlæti (“silence”)
• hljóðlítill (“faintly sounding”)
• hljóðmikill (“shrill-sounding”)
• hljóðmæli (“secrecy”)
• hljóðna (“to become silent”)
• hljóðr (“silent”)
• hljóðsamliga (“silently”)
• hljóðsamligr (“silent”)
• hljóðsamr (“silent”)
• hljóðsgrein (“a kind of sound”)
• hljóðskraf (“whispering”)
• hljóðstafr (“vowel”)

 

Descendants

• Icelandic: hljóð n
• Faroese: ljóð n
• Norwegian Nynorsk: ljod m or n, (dialectal) ljø, ly
• Old Swedish: liuþ
  • Swedish: ljud c
• Old Danish: liud
  • Danish: lyd c
    • Norwegian Bokmål: lyd m
      • → Norwegian Nynorsk: lyd m
• → Scots: luid

References

• hljóð in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, R. Cleasby and G. Vigfússon, Clarendon Press, 1874, at Internet Archive.
• hljóð in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, G. T. Zoëga, Clarendon Press, 1910, at Internet Archive.