Ginnungagap

Old Norse

Etymology

Genitive plural of ginnungr of uncertain origin and meaning + gap (“gap, empty space”). According to some sources, the former term is related to Proto-Germanic *ginnaną, from which *biginnaną (“to begin”) descended, thus meaning "primeval", while other sources compare the term with the prefix ginn- (for instance in ginnheilagr (“most holy”), used of the supreme gods), therefore giving the meaning "mighty, vast".

Proper noun

Ginnungagap n (genitive Ginnungagaps)

(Norse mythology) Ginnungagap, primordial chaos