himinn

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse himinn, from Proto-Germanic *himinaz (“cloud cover, sky”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɪːmɪnː/

Noun

himinn m (genitive singular himins, nominative plural himnar)

1. sky, the heavens

   Synonyms: (obsolete) andlangur, élhöll

   Við lágum undir berum himni.

   We lay under the open sky.

2. (in the plural) heaven, paradise

   Synonym: himnaríki

Declension

Declension of himinn (masculine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	himinn	himinninn	himnar	himnarnir
accusative	himin	himininn	himna	himnana
dative	himni	himninum	himnum	himnunum
genitive	himins	himinsins	himna	himnanna

See also

• í sjöunda himni

Old Norse

Alternative forms

• hifinn

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *himinaz (“cloud cover, sky”). Cognate with Old English heofon, Old Saxon hevan, Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌼𐌹𐌽𐍃 (himins). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱemen-, *ḱemer- (“stone, cloud, sky”).

Pronunciation

• (12th century Icelandic) IPA^(key): /ˈhĩmĩnː/

Noun

himinn m (genitive himins, plural himnar)

1. the heavens, sky
   • Jóns saga 33, in 1858, J. Sigurðsson, G. Vigfússon, Biskupa sögur, Volume I. Copenhagen, page 245:

     […] var svá skirt veðr ok hreint, at hvergi sá ský á himni […]

     […] the weather was so clear and bright that there were no clouds in the sky […]

2. (Christianity, especially in the plural) heaven, paradise
   • Þorláks saga 6, in 1858, J. Sigurðsson, G. Vigfússon, Biskupa sögur, Volume I. Copenhagen, page 95:

     […] dýrki þér föður yðarn, þann er á himnum er.

     […] worshipped thy Father, who is in heaven.

Declension

Declension of himinn (strong a-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	himinn	himinninn	himnar	himnarnir
accusative	himin	himininn	himna	himnana
dative	himni	himninum	himnum	himnunum
genitive	himins	himinsins	himna	himnanna

Derived terms

• brúnahiminn (“forehead”)
• himinbaugr (“'ring' of heaven”)
• himinblámi (“blue sky”)
• himinblár (“sky-blue”)
• himinblær (“whiff of air”)
• himinbogi (“vault of heaven”)
• himinborinn (“heaven-born”)
• himinbrjótr (“ox”)
• himinbúi (“angel”)
• himinfastr (“fixed in heaven (of stars)”)
• himingeimr (“the void”)
• himingeisli (“heavenly beam”)
• himinhringr (“'ring' of heaven”)
• himinhvolf (“vault of heaven”)
• himinjǫðurr (“rim of heaven”)
• himinknǫttr (“heavenly globe”)
• himinkraptar (“pillars of heaven”)
• himinljómi (“heanly light”)
• himinlopt (“vault of heaven”)
• himinraufar (“windows of heaven”)
• himinroði (“redness of the sky”)
• himinríki (“kingdom of heaven”)
• himinrǫðull (“the sun in heaven”)
• himinskaut (“quarter of heaven”)
• himinskin (“heavenly shining”)
• himinstjóri (“God”)
• himinstjǫrnur (“the sun”)
• himinstýrir (“God”)
• himinsól (“the sun in heaven”)
• himintarga (“the sun”)
• himintjald (“canopy”)
• himintungl (“heavenly body”)
• himinvangr (“field of heaven”)
• himnabrauð (“manna”)
• himnadróttinn (“king of heaven”)
• himnafagnaðr (“heavenly joy”)
• himnamjǫl (“manna”)
• himnaríki (“kingdom of heaven”)
• himnavald (“heavenly power”)
• himnavist (“abode in heaven”)
• himneskr (“heavenly”)
• sængrhiminn (“bed canopy”)
• undir berum himni (“in the open air”)
• upphiminn (“ether; heavens above”)
• álhiminn (“ice”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: himinn, hifinn
• Faroese: himin
• Old Swedish: himin
• Old Danish: himæn
• Old Gutnish: himin

Further reading

• Richard Cleasby, Guðbrandur Vigfússon (1874) “himinn”, in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, 1st edition, Oxford: Oxford Clarendon Press, page 262
• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “himinn”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 198; also available at the Internet Archive