óbyggðir

Icelandic

Etymology

Plural of óbyggð (“unsettled and uncultivated area”), from ó- (“not”) +‎ byggð (“inhabited area”).

Noun

óbyggðir f pl (plural only, genitive plural óbyggða)

1. uninhabited and often barren wilderness

Usage notes

In the context of Iceland, the term refers to the barren Icelandic highlands.

The singular óbyggð (“unsettled and uncultivated area”) is sufficiently rare in modern Icelandic that this is considered a plurale tantum term.

Declension

Declension of óbyggðir (pl-only feminine)

	plural
	indefinite	definite
nominative	óbyggðir	óbyggðirnar
accusative	óbyggðir	óbyggðirnar
dative	óbyggðum	óbyggðunum
genitive	óbyggða	óbyggðanna

Synonyms

• (in Iceland) öræfi, hálendi

Related terms

• óbyggður (“uninhabited”)
• afskekktur (“remote”)