grein

See also: Grein and gréin

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch grein (“a grain”), from French grain (“a grain”), from Latin grānum (“a grain”). Doublet with Dutch graan (“grain”), which descended directly from Latin grānum (“a grain”).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

grein n (plural greinen, diminutive greintje n)

1. a small something; a grain

Related terms

• grofgrein, grofgreinen

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: grein (dated), krenchi (from the diminutive)

Faroese

Etymology 1

From Old Norse grein.

Noun

grein f (genitive singular greinar, plural greinar or greinir)

1. branch
2. article (in a newspaper, dictionary, ...)
3. (law) paragraph, article

Declension

f6	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	grein	greinin	greinar	greinarnar
accusative	grein	greinina	greinar	greinarnar
dative	grein	greinini	greinum	greinunum
genitive	greinar	greinarinnar	greina	greinanna

f2	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	grein	greinin	greinir	greinirnar
accusative	grein	greinina	greinir	greinirnar
dative	grein	greinini	greinum	greinunum
genitive	greinar	greinarinnar	greina	greinanna

Related terms

• blað
• leyv
• leyvfellandi

Etymology 2

Verb

grein

1. imperative singular of greina

German

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ̯n

Verb

grein

1. singular imperative of greinen
2. (colloquial) first-person singular present of greinen

Icelandic

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *grainiz

Old Norse grein

Icelandic grein

From Old Norse grein.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kreiːn/

  Rhymes: -eiːn

Noun

grein f (genitive singular greinar, nominative plural greinar or greinir)

1. branch
2. article, piece

   Þetta er góð grein sem þú skrifaðir.

   This article you wrote is good.

3. subject, field

Declension

Declension of grein (feminine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	grein	greinin	greinar, greinir	greinarnar, greinirnar
accusative	grein	greinina	greinar, greinir	greinarnar, greinirnar
dative	grein	greininni	greinum	greinunum
genitive	greinar	greinarinnar	greina	greinanna

Derived terms

• blaðagrein
• trjágrein

Related terms

• greinir

Anagrams

• greni, negri

Middle English

Noun

grein

1. Alternative form of greyn

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse grein.

Noun

grein f or m (definite singular greina or greinen, indefinite plural greiner, definite plural greinene)

1. Alternative form of gren

Derived terms

• greine (verb)
• greinkryper

Etymology 2

Verb

grein

1. imperative of greine

References

• “grein” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡrɛɪːn/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse grein.

Noun

grein f (definite singular greina, indefinite plural greiner, definite plural greinene)

1. a branch (of a tree etc.)

Derived terms

• greine (verb)

Etymology 2

Verb

grein

1. past of grina

References

• “grein” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Norse

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *grainiz

Old Norse grein

From Proto-Germanic *grainiz (“twig, branch, limb”), of unknown origin, but compare the verb greina (“to separate into parts, divide”).

Related to Old English grǣfa, grāf (whence English grove), dialectal Norwegian greive (“ram with splayed horns”), dialectal Norwegian greivlar (“ramifications of an antler”), dialectal Norwegian grivla (“to branch”).

Noun

grein f (genitive greinar, plural greinir)

1. branch (of a tree)
2. point, head, part

   í annarri grein ― in second place

3. cause, reason

   fyrir þá grein ― for that reason

4. distinction
5. understanding, discernment

   gløggrar greinar ― sharpwitted

6. dissent, discord

   vald fyrir utan alla grein ― undisputed power

Declension

Declension of grein (strong i-stem)

feminine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	grein	greinin	greinir	greinirnar
accusative	grein	greinina	greinir	greinirnar
dative	grein	greininni	greinum	greinunum
genitive	greinar	greinarinnar	greina	greinanna

Descendants

• Icelandic: grein
• Faroese: grein
• Norwegian Bokmål: grein
• Norwegian Nynorsk: grein
• Swedish: gren
• Old Danish: gren
  • Danish: gren
    • Norwegian Bokmål: gren
• → Middle English: grayn, greyn, grayne
  • English: grain
  • Scots: grain, grane, grayne, graine

Further reading

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

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

grein

1. second-person singular imperative of greina
2. inflection of grína:
   1. first-person singular past indicative
   2. third-person singular past indicative