lussinatt

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

lussinatt f or m (definite singular lussinatta or lussinatten, indefinite plural lussinetter, definite plural lussinettene)

1. (nonstandard) alternative spelling of lucinatt

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Lussi +‎ natt (“night”). The first part was a norwegianized form of the Latin name Lucia (“Lucy”), after the 4th century Sicilian martyr Saint Lucy. However, in Norwegian folklore, Lussi came to refer to a wight, who would wreak havoc on the night of the winter solstice, as in the Julian calendar which was used at the time, winter solstice fell on Saint Lucy's. Due to her oft malignant nature, some have proposed a connection to Lucifer as an etymological influence.

Either name is related to lux (“light”), ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *lewk-.

Noun

lussinatt f (definite singular lussinatta, indefinite plural lussinetter, definite plural lussinettene)

1. (Christianity, folklore) eve of, night before the Day of Saint Lucy, December 13th, in folklore thought to be the longest night of the year

Related terms

• lussekatt m
• lussimess f

See also

• lucienatt, lucinatt (Bokmål)

References

• “lussinatt” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Further reading

• Saint Lucy's Day on Wikipedia.Wikipedia