konungr

Old Norse

Alternative forms

• kongr — later form

Runic

• ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛁ (kunuki) — dative singular
• ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛋ (kunuks) — genitive singular
• ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛅᛦ (kunukaʀ), ᚴᚢᚿᚢᚴᛆᛧ (kunukaʀ) — nominative plural

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *kuningaz (“king”). Cognate with Old English cyning, Old Frisian kening, kining, Old Saxon cuning, Old Dutch kuning, Old High German kuning.

Pronunciation

• (9th century West Norse) IPA^(key): /ˈkonunɡɹ̝/, [ˈkʰõ.n̺ʊ̃ŋɡ̊ɹ̻̊˔]
• (12th century Icelandic) IPA^(key): /ˈkonunɡr/

Noun

konungr m (genitive konungs, plural konungar)

1. a king
   • Heimskringla, in 1829, J. F. W. Schlegel, Hin forna lögbok islendinga sem nefnist Gragas, Volume II. Copenhagen, page 345:

     Egill konungr spurði þetta, ok fór at leita þeira með liði sínu […]

     King Egil heard of this and began to seek them with his men […]

Declension

Declension of konungr (strong a-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	konungr	konungrinn	konungar	konungarnir
accusative	konung	konunginn	konunga	konungana
dative	konungi	konunginum	konungum	konungunum
genitive	konungs	konungsins	konunga	konunganna

Derived terms

• konunga (“to address as a king”)
• konungakyn (“royal kin”)
• konungamaðr (“royal person”)
• konungaskipti (“succession”)
• konungastefna (“meeting of kings”)
• konungasætt (“peace between kings”)
• konungatal (“series of kings”)
• konungríki (“kingdom”)
• konungsatsetr (“royal residence”)
• konungsbréf (“royal writ, warrant”)
• konungsbú (“royal estate”)
• konungsefni (“future king”)
• konungseigur (“royal property”)
• konungseyrendi (“royal errand”)
• konungsfundr (“audience given by a king”)
• konungsgarðr (“royal palace”)
• konungshǫfn (“royal haven”)
• konungskveðja (“address to a king”)
• konungsleyfi (“king's leave”)
• konungslykill (“axe”)
• konungslægi (“royal berth”)
• konungsnafn (“royal title”)
• konungsnautr (“royal gift”)
• konungsníðingr (“traitor to a king”)
• konungsríki (“kingdom”)
• konungssetr (“royal residence”)
• konungsskrúði (“king's apparel”)
• konungssteði (“the mint”)
• konungssveit (“king's retinue”)
• konungssæti (“royal seat, residence”)
• konungssýsla (“royal office”)
• konungstekja (“election of a king”)
• konungstign (“royal dignity”)
• konungsvígsla (“coronation”)
• konungsæll (“blessed with good kings”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: konungur, kóngur
• Faroese: kongur, konungur
• Norn: konung
• Norwegian Nynorsk: konge, kong, konung; (dialectal) kung, kunge, kunnje, kång
• Jamtish: kung
• Elfdalian: kunungg
• Old Swedish: konunger, kununger, kunger
  • Swedish: konung, kung, kong
• Old Danish: kung, konung
  • Scanian: káng
  • Danish: konge, kong, konning
    • Norwegian Bokmål: konge
    • → Greenlandic: kunngi
• Old Gutnish: kunungr
  • Gutnish: kuningg, kungg

Further reading

• Richard Cleasby; Guðbrandur Vigfússon (1874), “konungr”, in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, 1st edition, Oxford: Oxford Clarendon Press, page 350
• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “konungr”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 247; also available at the Internet Archive