heiðr

Old Norse

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *haiduz. Originally a u-stem, but reanalyzed into an a-stem.

Noun

heiðr m (genitive heiðrs)

1. honour, worth

Declension

  Declension of heiðr (strong a-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	heiðr	heiðrinn	heiðrar	heiðrarnir
accusative	heiðr	heiðrinn	heiðra	heiðrana
dative	heiðri	heiðrinum	heiðrum	heiðrunum
genitive	heiðrs	heiðrsins	heiðra	heiðranna

Derived terms

• heiðra (“to honour”)
• heiðran (“worship, honouring”)
• heiðumhár (“high with honours”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: heiður
• Faroese: heiður
• Norwegian Nynorsk: heider
• Danish: hæder
  • Norwegian Bokmål: heder
• Swedish: heder

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *haiþī.

Noun

heiðr f (genitive heiðar, plural heiðar)

1. heath, moor

Declension

  Declension of heiðr (strong ijō-stem)

feminine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	heiðr	heiðrin	heiðar	heiðarnar
accusative	heiði	heiðina	heiðar	heiðarnar
dative	heiði	heiðinni	heiðum	heiðunum
genitive	heiðar	heiðarinnar	heiða	heiðanna

Descendants

• Icelandic: heiði
• Faroese: heiði
• Norwegian Nynorsk: hei, heid
• Norwegian Bokmål: hei
• Old Swedish: hēþ
  • Swedish: hed
• Danish: hede
  • Norwegian Bokmål: hede
    • → Norwegian Nynorsk: hede

Etymology 3

Inherited from Proto-Norse ᚺᚼᛁᛞᛉ, ᚺᛁᛞᛖᛉ (hideʀ), from Proto-Germanic *haidraz, *haidaz, from Proto-Indo-European *keyt- (“to shine, glow”).

Cognate with Old High German heitar (German heiter) and Sanskrit चित्र (citra, “bright, wonderful, multicolored”).

Adjective

heiðr (comparative heiðari, superlative heiðastr)

2. bright, clear, cloudless
   • c. 900, anonymous author, Vǫluspá:

     Sól tér sortna, · sígr fold í mar,
     hverfa af himni · heiðar stjǫrnur;

     Sun begins to darken, Earth sinks into the sea,
     the bright stars fall down from the sky.

Declension

    Strong declension of heiðr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	heiðr	heið	heitt
accusative	heiðan	heiða	heitt
dative	heiðum	heiðri	heiðu
genitive	heiðs	heiðrar	heiðs
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	heiðir	heiðar	heið
accusative	heiða	heiðar	heið
dative	heiðum	heiðum	heiðum
genitive	heiðra	heiðra	heiðra

    Weak declension of heiðr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	heiði	heiða	heiða
accusative	heiða	heiðu	heiða
dative	heiða	heiðu	heiða
genitive	heiða	heiðu	heiða
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	heiðu	heiðu	heiðu
accusative	heiðu	heiðu	heiðu
dative	heiðum	heiðum	heiðum
genitive	heiðu	heiðu	heiðu

    Declension of comparative of heiðr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	heiðari	heiðari	heiðara
accusative	heiðara	heiðari	heiðara
dative	heiðara	heiðari	heiðara
genitive	heiðara	heiðari	heiðara
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	heiðari	heiðari	heiðari
accusative	heiðari	heiðari	heiðari
dative	heiðurum	heiðurum	heiðurum
genitive	heiðari	heiðari	heiðari

    Strong declension of superlative of heiðr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	heiðastr	heiðust	heiðast
accusative	heiðastan	heiðasta	heiðast
dative	heiðustum	heiðastri	heiðustu
genitive	heiðasts	heiðastrar	heiðasts
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	heiðastir	heiðastar	heiðust
accusative	heiðasta	heiðastar	heiðust
dative	heiðustum	heiðustum	heiðustum
genitive	heiðastra	heiðastra	heiðastra

    Weak declension of superlative of heiðr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	heiðasti	heiðasta	heiðasta
accusative	heiðasta	heiðustu	heiðasta
dative	heiðasta	heiðustu	heiðasta
genitive	heiðasta	heiðustu	heiðasta
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	heiðustu	heiðustu	heiðustu
accusative	heiðustu	heiðustu	heiðustu
dative	heiðustum	heiðustum	heiðustum
genitive	heiðustu	heiðustu	heiðustu

Related terms

• heið n (“brightness of the sky (beyond the clouds)”)
• heiða (“to brighten, dispel the clouds”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: heiður
• Faroese: heiður
• Norwegian Nynorsk: hei
  • → English: hey