ljúfr

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Norse ᛚᛖᚢᛒᚨᛉ (leubaʀ), from Proto-Germanic *leubaz, from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“to like; love”). Related to modern English love.

Adjective

ljúfr (comparative ljúfari, superlative ljúfastr)

1. dear, beloved
2. mild, gentle

Declension

Strong declension of ljúfr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ljúfr	ljúf	ljúft
accusative	ljúfan	ljúfa	ljúft
dative	ljúfum	ljúfri	ljúfu
genitive	ljúfs	ljúfrar	ljúfs
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ljúfir	ljúfar	ljúf
accusative	ljúfa	ljúfar	ljúf
dative	ljúfum	ljúfum	ljúfum
genitive	ljúfra	ljúfra	ljúfra

Weak declension of ljúfr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ljúfi	ljúfa	ljúfa
accusative	ljúfa	ljúfu	ljúfa
dative	ljúfa	ljúfu	ljúfa
genitive	ljúfa	ljúfu	ljúfa
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ljúfu	ljúfu	ljúfu
accusative	ljúfu	ljúfu	ljúfu
dative	ljúfum	ljúfum	ljúfum
genitive	ljúfu	ljúfu	ljúfu

Declension of comparative of ljúfr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ljúfari	ljúfari	ljúfara
accusative	ljúfara	ljúfari	ljúfara
dative	ljúfara	ljúfari	ljúfara
genitive	ljúfara	ljúfari	ljúfara
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ljúfari	ljúfari	ljúfari
accusative	ljúfari	ljúfari	ljúfari
dative	ljúfurum	ljúfurum	ljúfurum
genitive	ljúfari	ljúfari	ljúfari

Strong declension of superlative of ljúfr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ljúfastr	ljúfust	ljúfast
accusative	ljúfastan	ljúfasta	ljúfast
dative	ljúfustum	ljúfastri	ljúfustu
genitive	ljúfasts	ljúfastrar	ljúfasts
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ljúfastir	ljúfastar	ljúfust
accusative	ljúfasta	ljúfastar	ljúfust
dative	ljúfustum	ljúfustum	ljúfustum
genitive	ljúfastra	ljúfastra	ljúfastra

Weak declension of superlative of ljúfr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ljúfasti	ljúfasta	ljúfasta
accusative	ljúfasta	ljúfustu	ljúfasta
dative	ljúfasta	ljúfustu	ljúfasta
genitive	ljúfasta	ljúfustu	ljúfasta
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	ljúfustu	ljúfustu	ljúfustu
accusative	ljúfustu	ljúfustu	ljúfustu
dative	ljúfustum	ljúfustum	ljúfustum
genitive	ljúfustu	ljúfustu	ljúfustu

Derived terms

• ljúft ok leitt (“weal and woe”)

Related terms

• lof (“praise”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: ljúfur
• Faroese: ljúvur
• Norwegian Nynorsk: ljuv
• Old Swedish: liūver, liufwer
  • Swedish: ljuv, ljuf (pre-1906 spelling)
• Old Danish: ljuv

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “ljúfr”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 277; also available at the Internet Archive