hár

See also: Appendix:Variations of "har"

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse hár, from Proto-Germanic *hērą, from Proto-Indo-European *keres- (“rough hair, bristle”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɔaːɹ/
• Rhymes: -ɔaːɹ

Noun

hár n (genitive singular hárs, plural hár)

1. hair

Declension

n3	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	hár	hárið	hár	hárini
accusative	hár	hárið	hár	hárini
dative	hári	hárinum	hárum	hárunum
genitive	hárs	hársins	hára	háranna

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hauːr/
• Rhymes: -auːr

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Norse hár, hór, from Proto-Germanic *hauhaz.

Adjective

hár (comparative hærri, superlative hæstur)

1. high

   Múrinn er hár.

   The wall is high.

2. tall

   Guð minn almáttugur! Þú ert orðinn svo hár!

   My God almighty! You've gotten so tall!

3. loud

Declension

Positive forms of hár (umlauted-comp)

strong declension (indefinite)	singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	hár	há	hátt
	accusative	háan, hávan1	háa, háva1
	dative	háum, hávum1	hárri	háu, hávu1
	genitive	hás	hárrar	hás
	plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	háir, hávir1	háar, hávar1	há
	accusative	háa, háva1
	dative	háum, hávum1
	genitive	hárra
weak declension (definite)	singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	hái, hávi1	háa, háva1	háa, háva1
	acc/dat/gen	háa, háva1	háu, hávu1
	plural (all-case)	háu, hávu1

¹Archaic/obsolete.

Comparative forms of hár (umlauted-comp)

weak declension (definite)		masculine	feminine	neuter
	singular (all-case)	hærri	hærri	hærra
	plural (all-case)	hærri

Superlative forms of hár (umlauted-comp)

strong declension (indefinite)	singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	hæstur	hæst	hæst
	accusative	hæstan	hæsta
	dative	hæstum	hæstri	hæstu
	genitive	hæsts	hæstrar	hæsts
	plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	hæstir	hæstar	hæst
	accusative	hæsta
	dative	hæstum
	genitive	hæstra
weak declension (definite)	singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	hæsti	hæsta	hæsta
	acc/dat/gen	hæsta	hæstu
	plural (all-case)	hæstu

Derived terms

• há-

References

• Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989), Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, →ISBN (Available at Málið.is under the “Eldri orðabækur” tab.)
• Kristín Bjarnadóttir, editor (2002–2025), “hár”, in Beygingarlýsing íslensks nútímamáls [The Database of Modern Icelandic Inflection] (in Icelandic), Reykjavík: The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies
• Mörður Árnason (2019), Íslensk orðabók, 5th edition, Reykjavík: Forlagið
• “hár” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)
• “hár”, in Ritmálssafn Orðabókar Háskólans [The Written Collection of the Lexicological Institute] (in Icelandic), Reykjavík: The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, (Can we date this quote?)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Norse hár, from Proto-Germanic *hērą.

Noun

hár n (genitive singular hárs, nominative plural hár)

2. hair

   Þú hefur fallegt hár.

   You have pretty hair.

Declension

Declension of hár (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	hár	hárið	hár	hárin
accusative	hár	hárið	hár	hárin
dative	hári	hárinu	hárum	hárunum
genitive	hárs	hársins	hára	háranna

Derived terms

• hárgreiðsla
• hárþurrka
• í húð og hár
• skapahár
• skírnarhár

Related terms

• hæra

Etymology 3

Cognate with the Faroese háur, hávur, Norwegian Bokmål hai and Swedish haj.

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

Noun

hár m (genitive singular hás, nominative plural hávar)

1. (archaic) a dogfish

   Synonyms: háfiskur, háfur

Declension

Declension of hár (masculine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	hár	hárinn	hávar	hávarnir
accusative	há	háinn	háva	hávana
dative	há	hánum	hávum	hávunum
genitive	hás	hásins	háva	hávanna

Related terms

• há-

Etymology 4

Inherited from Old Norse hár (“thole”).

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

Noun

hár m (genitive singular hás, nominative plural háir)

1. (archaic) oarlock, thole

Declension

Declension of hár (masculine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	hár	hárinn	háir	háirnir
accusative	há	háinn	hái	háina
dative	há	hánum	háum	háunum
genitive	hás	hásins	háa	háanna

Anagrams

• hrá

Irish

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /hɑːɾˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /hæːɾˠ/

Noun

hár

1. h-prothesized form of ár

Old Norse

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *hauhaz (“high”). Cognate with Old English hēah, Old Frisian hāch, Old Saxon hōh, Old High German hōh, Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍃 (hauhs).

Alternative forms

• hór
• *haugʀ — Old East Norse
• hæri

Adjective

hár (comparative hærri, superlative hæstr)

1. high, tall
   • Vǫluspá, verse 19, lines 1-4, in 1867, S. Bugge, Norrœn fornkvæði: Sæmundar Edda hins fróða. Christiania, page 4:

     Ask veit ek standa / heitir Yggdrasill
     hár baðmr, ausinn / hvíta auri; […]

     I know an ash stands / named Yggdrasill
     a high tree, washed / with white mud; […]

Declension

Strong declension of hár

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	hár	há	hátt
accusative	hávan	háva	hátt
dative	hávum	hárri	hávu
genitive	hás	hárrar	hás
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	hávir	hávar	há
accusative	háva	hávar	há
dative	hávum	hávum	hávum
genitive	hárra	hárra	hárra

Weak declension of hár

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	hávi	háva	háva
accusative	háva	hávu	háva
dative	háva	hávu	háva
genitive	háva	hávu	háva
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	hávu	hávu	hávu
accusative	hávu	hávu	hávu
dative	hávum	hávum	hávum
genitive	hávu	hávu	hávu

Declension of comparative of hár

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	hærri	hærri	hærra
accusative	hærra	hærri	hærra
dative	hærra	hærri	hærra
genitive	hærra	hærri	hærra
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	hærri	hærri	hærri
accusative	hærri	hærri	hærri
dative	hærrum	hærrum	hærrum
genitive	hærri	hærri	hærri

Strong declension of superlative of hár

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	hæstr	hæst	hæst
accusative	hæstan	hæsta	hæst
dative	hæstum	hæstri	hæstu
genitive	hæsts	hæstrar	hæsts
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	hæstir	hæstar	hæst
accusative	hæsta	hæstar	hæst
dative	hæstum	hæstum	hæstum
genitive	hæstra	hæstra	hæstra

Weak declension of superlative of hár

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	hæsti	hæsta	hæsta
accusative	hæsta	hæstu	hæsta
dative	hæsta	hæstu	hæsta
genitive	hæsta	hæstu	hæsta
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	hæstu	hæstu	hæstu
accusative	hæstu	hæstu	hæstu
dative	hæstum	hæstum	hæstum
genitive	hæstu	hæstu	hæstu

Derived terms

• háaltari m (“high altar”)
• hábeinn (“high-legged”)
• hábjarg n (“high rock”)
• hábogaðr (“high-curved”)
• hádegi n (“noon”)
• hádegiskeið n (“noon-tide”)
• háfjall n (“high mountain”)
• háfleygr (“high-flying”)
• háflœðr f (“full flood”)
• háfœttr (“high-legged”)
• háleikr m (“highness”)
• háleitligr (“sublime”)
• háleitr (“looking upwards”)
• hálæti n (“shouting, noise”)
• hámessa f (“high mass”)
• hámælgi f (“loud talking”)
• hámæli n (“loud-voicedness”)
• hámæltr (“loud-voiced”)
• hánefjaðr (“high-nosed”)
• hápallr m (“dais”)
• Hár m (“Hár”)
• háreysti n (“noise, clamour”)
• háreystr (“noisy”)
• hásegl n (“top sail”)
• háseti m (“oarsman”)
• hásin f (“Achilles tendon”)
• háskeptr (“long-shafted”)
• hástafir m pl
• hástaðr m (“high place”)
• hásteint (“full of high boulders”)
• hástóll m (“high seat”)
• hásumar n (“midsummer”)
• hásæti n (“high-seat”)
• hátalaðr (“high-voiced”)
• hátimbra (“to build high”)
• hátíð f (“festival”)
• hátún n (“high place”)
• hávaði m (“noise, tumult”)
• hávetr m (“midwinter”)
• hávetri n (“midwinter”)
• Jafnhár m (“Jafnhár”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: hár
• Faroese: háur
• Norn: hjog, høg
  • → Scots: hoe
• Norwegian Nynorsk: håg (< pl. hávir); (dialectal) hå
• Old Swedish: hø̄gher
  • Swedish: hög
  • → Middle Norwegian: høg (from ca. 1400)
    • Norwegian Nynorsk: høg
      • → Norwegian Bokmål: høg
• Danish: høj
  • Norwegian Bokmål: høy
  • → Faroese: høgur
• Old Gutnish: haur
  • Gutnish: haugar, haug, hau

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *hērą (“hair”). Compare Old Saxon and Old High German hār, Old English her, hǣr.

Noun

hár n

2. hair

Declension

Declension of hár (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	hár	hárit	hár	hárin
accusative	hár	hárit	hár	hárin
dative	hári	hárinu	hárum	hárunum
genitive	hárs	hársins	hára	háranna

Descendants

• Icelandic: hár
• Faroese: hár
• Norwegian Nynorsk: hår
• Norwegian Bokmål: hår
• Elfdalian: år
• Old Swedish: hār
  • Swedish: hår
• Danish: hår
• Gutnish: har, hår

Etymology 3

According to De Vries, from the same origin as the "shark" sense of Etymology 4, perhaps referring to the jagged nature of tholes and sharks.

Noun

hár m (genitive hás, plural háir)

1. thole

   Synonyms: þollr, keipr

Declension

Declension of hár (strong i-stem, s-genitive)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	hár	hárinn	háir	háirnir
accusative	há	háinn	hái	háina
dative	há	hánum	hám	hánum
genitive	hás	hásins	há	hánna

Descendants

• Norwegian Nynorsk: hå

Etymology 4

Of uncertain origin. De Vries considers the word to be derived from a earlier form related to Proto-Germanic *hōhô (“plow”), while others take the word as possibly derived from Proto-Germanic *hawwaną (“to hew, cut”), and related to Frankish *hauwan. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Noun

hár m

2. spiny dogfish
   • First Grammatical Treatise, 84 22:

     Har vex á kykvendum, en hȧr er fiskr.

     Hair grows on living things, but har is a fish.

Usage notes

The First Grammarian says that this word had a long nasalized vowel, marked with an overdot, and contrasts it with hár (“hair”), which does not.

Declension

Declension of hár (strong a-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	hár	hárinn	hár	hárnir
accusative	há	háinn	há	hána
dative	há, hái	hánum, háinum	hám	hánum
genitive	hás	hásins	há	hánna

Descendants

• Icelandic: hár
• Faroese: háur, hávur
• Norn: hå
• Norwegian Nynorsk: hå
• Norwegian Bokmål: hå
• → Middle Dutch: haeye
  • Dutch: haai m
    • Afrikaans: haai
    • → West Frisian: haai
    • → English: haye
    • → Plautdietsch: Heifesch
    • → German: Hai m
    • → Norwegian Nynorsk: hai m
    • → Norwegian Bokmål: hai m
    • → Swedish: haj c
      • → Estonian: hai
      • → Finnish: hai
    • → Danish: haj c
    • → Gutnish: haj

Etymology 5

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

hár

1. strong feminine nominative singular of hárr
2. strong neuter nominative/accusative plural of hárr

Etymology 6

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

hár f

1. indefinite genitive singular of há
2. indefinite nominative/accusative plural of há

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “hár”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 187; also available at the Internet Archive

Anagrams

• hrá