fimbul-

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse fimbul- inturn from the Proto-Germanic *fimfilaz. Compare Old English fifel ("mighty, giant, great"), German Fimmel (“an iron wedge”) (whence Czech fimol), Swedish fimmelstång (“the handle of a sledgehammer”).

Prefix

fimbul-

1. (rare, poetic) mighty, great

Usage notes

• This prefix is obsolete and was rarely used except in older poetic language.

Derived terms

Icelandic terms prefixed with fimbul-

fimbulfamb

• fimbulauðn
• fimbulbassi
• fimbulfambari
• fimbulfambi (“a mighty fool”)
• fimbulfrost
• fimbulgaddur
• fimbulharður
• fimbulhaust
• fimbulhögg
• fimbulkaldur
• fimbulkraftur
• fimbulkuldi
• fimbullist
• fimbulljóð (“mighty songs or poems”)
• fimbulmagn
• fimbulrökkur
• fimbulskjalari
• fimbulstorð
• fimbultíð
• fimbultýr (“the mighty god, a great helper”)
• fimbulvatn
• fimbulvilji
• fimbulþul (“the river's roaring”)
• fimbulþulur (“the great wise man”)

See also

• fífl-

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *fimfilaz, doublet of fífl-. Cognate with Old English fifel (“mighty, giant, great”).

Prefix

fimbul-

1. (rare, Germanic paganism) mighty, great (with a sense of finality)

Usage notes

• Only used in mythological contexts such as Fimbulvetr (“Fimbul-winter”) or Fimbulþulr (“Fimbul-thyle, Odin”).

See also

• ginn-
• jǫrmun-