greiða

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse greiða (“to arrange; fit out; comb”), from Proto-Germanic *garaidijaną.

Verb

greiða (third person singular past indicative greiddi, third person plural past indicative greiddu, supine greitt)

1. to straighten out, to order, to arrange, to unknot
2. to comb
3. to answer, to resolve
4. to prepare
5. to commit, to deliver, to give over
6. greiða frá: to tell, to report, to recount, to explain

   Hann dugir væl at greiða frá.

   He can explain things well.

Conjugation

Conjugation of greiða (group v-3)

infinitive	greiða
supine	greitt
	present	past
first singular	greiði	greiddi
second singular	greiðir	greiddi
third singular	greiðir	greiddi
plural	greiða	greiddu
participle (a18)1	greiðandi	greiddur
	imperative
singular	greið!
plural	greiðið!

¹Only the past participle being declined.

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkreiːða/

  Rhymes: -eiːða

Etymology 1

Nominalization of the verbal sense in Etymology 2.

Noun

greiða f (genitive singular greiðu, nominative plural greiður)

1. comb

   Synonym: kambur

Declension

Declension of greiða (feminine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	greiða	greiðan	greiður	greiðurnar
accusative	greiðu	greiðuna	greiður	greiðurnar
dative	greiðu	greiðunni	greiðum	greiðunum
genitive	greiðu	greiðunnar	greiða, greiðna	greiðanna, greiðnanna

Etymology 2

From Old Norse greiða (“to arrange; fit out; comb”), from Proto-Germanic *garaidijaną.

Verb

greiða (weak verb, third-person singular past indicative greiddi, supine greitt)

1. to comb

   Synonym: kemba

   Þú ættir að greiða hárið á þér. Það er orðið svo úfið.

   You should comb your hair. It’s become really ruffled.

2. to pay, to discharge (a debt)

   Synonym: borga

   Ég greiddi 1206 krónur fyrir matinn.

   I paid 1206 krónur for the food.

Conjugation

greiða – active voice (germynd)

infinitive nafnháttur		að greiða
supine sagnbót		greitt
present participle lýsingarháttur nútíðar		greiðandi
		indicative framsöguháttur			subjunctive viðtengingarháttur
		present nútíð	past þátíð		present nútíð	past þátíð
singular	ég	greiði	greiddi		greiði	greiddi
	þú	greiðir	greiddir		greiðir	greiddir
	hann, hún, það	greiðir	greiddi		greiði	greiddi
plural	við	greiðum	greiddum		greiðum	greiddum
	þið	greiðið	greidduð		greiðið	greidduð
	þeir, þær, þau	greiða	greiddu		greiði	greiddu
		imperative boðháttur
singular	þú	greið (þú), greiddu
plural	þið	greiðið (þið), greiðiði1

¹ Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

greiðast – mediopassive voice (miðmynd)

infinitive nafnháttur		að greiðast
supine sagnbót		greiðst
present participle lýsingarháttur nútíðar		greiðandist (rare; see appendix)
		indicative framsöguháttur			subjunctive viðtengingarháttur
		present nútíð	past þátíð		present nútíð	past þátíð
singular	ég	greiðist	greiddist		greiðist	greiddist
	þú	greiðist	greiddist		greiðist	greiddist
	hann, hún, það	greiðist	greiddist		greiðist	greiddist
plural	við	greiðumst	greiddumst		greiðumst	greiddumst
	þið	greiðist	greiddust		greiðist	greiddust
	þeir, þær, þau	greiðast	greiddust		greiðist	greiddust
		imperative boðháttur
singular	þú	greiðst (þú), greiðstu
plural	þið	greiðist (þið), greiðisti1

¹ Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

greiddur — past participle (lýsingarháttur þátíðar)

strong declension (sterk beyging)	singular (eintala)			plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	greiddur	greidd	greitt	greiddir	greiddar	greidd
accusative (þolfall)	greiddan	greidda	greitt	greidda	greiddar	greidd
dative (þágufall)	greiddum	greiddri	greiddu	greiddum	greiddum	greiddum
genitive (eignarfall)	greidds	greiddrar	greidds	greiddra	greiddra	greiddra
weak declension (veik beyging)	singular (eintala)			plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	greiddi	greidda	greidda	greiddu	greiddu	greiddu
accusative (þolfall)	greidda	greiddu	greidda	greiddu	greiddu	greiddu
dative (þágufall)	greidda	greiddu	greidda	greiddu	greiddu	greiddu
genitive (eignarfall)	greidda	greiddu	greidda	greiddu	greiddu	greiddu

Derived terms

• endurgreiða
• greiðsla

Further reading

• Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989) “greiða”, in Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, →ISBN (Available at Málið.is under the “Eldri orðabækur” tab.)

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *garaidijaną (“to arrange, set in order”).

Verb

greiða (singular past indicative greiddi, plural past indicative greiddu, past participle greiddr)

1. to unravel, disentangle, arrange
2. (with hár) to comb or dress the hair
3. to make or get ready

   Greiða til vað ― To get ready a fishing line

   Greiða til um vápn ― To get the weapons ready

4. to speed, to further
   1. (reflexive) to be successful, get on

      Greiddist honum vel ― He got on well (literally, “It sped well with him”)

5. to pay
   1. (with fram) to pay out
6. to discharge, perform
   1. (with skírsl) to perform the ordeal
   2. (with vörður) to keep watch
   3. (with róðr) to pull at the oars
   4. (with atróðr, atlaga) to attack (in a sea-fight)
   5. (with mál) to settle a case

Conjugation

Conjugation of greiða — active (weak class 1)

infinitive	greiða
present participle	greiðandi
past participle	greiddr
	indicative			subjunctive
	present	past		present	past
1st person singular	greiði	greidda		greiða	greidda
2nd person singular	greiðir	greiddir		greiðir	greiddir
3rd person singular	greiðir	greiddi		greiði	greiddi
1st person plural	greiðum	greiddum		greiðim	greiddim
2nd person plural	greiðið	greidduð		greiðið	greiddið
3rd person plural	greiða	greiddu		greiði	greiddi
imperative	present
2nd person singular	greið, greiði
1st person plural	greiðum
2nd person plural	greiðið

Conjugation of greiða — mediopassive (weak class 1)

infinitive	greiðask
present participle	greiðandisk
past participle	greiðzk
	indicative			subjunctive
	present	past		present	past
1st person singular	greiðumk	greiddumk		greiðumk	greiddumk
2nd person singular	greiðisk	greiddisk		greiðisk	greiddisk
3rd person singular	greiðisk	greiddisk		greiðisk	greiddisk
1st person plural	greiðumsk	greiddumsk		greiðimsk	greiddimsk
2nd person plural	greiðizk	greidduzk		greiðizk	greiddizk
3rd person plural	greiðask	greiddusk		greiðisk	greiddisk
imperative	present
2nd person singular	greiðsk, greiðisk
1st person plural	greiðumsk
2nd person plural	greiðizk

Descendants

• Icelandic: greiða
• Faroese: greiða
• Norwegian: (dialectal) greia, greide
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: greia, greida
  • Norwegian Bokmål: greie
  • → Danish: greje
  • → Swedish: greja
• Swedish: gre, greda
• Danish: grede
  • Norwegian Bokmål: gre
• → Middle English: graithen, greithen
  • English: graith
  • Scots: graith
• → Old French: greer, greier
  • French: gréer

Further reading

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