mál

See also: Appendix:Variations of "mal"

Faroese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɔɑːl/
• Rhymes: -ɔaːl

Etymology 1

From Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic *maþlą.

Noun

mál n (genitive singular máls, plural mál)

1. language
2. speech
3. talk
4. matter
5. (law) cause

Declension

n3	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mál	málið	mál	málini
accusative	mál	málið	mál	málini
dative	máli	málinum	málum	málunum
genitive	máls	málsins	mála	málanna

Derived terms

• endamál
• vandamál
• loyndarmál
• fiskivinnumál
• fíggjarmál
• skattamál
• rættarmál
• bergmál
• tungumál
• talumál
• skriftmál
• bundið mál
• óbundið mál
• málsgrein
• mállæra
• málnevnd

Etymology 2

From Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic *mēlą, whence also English meal. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European root *meh₁- (“to measure”).

Noun

mál n (genitive singular máls, plural mál)

1. measurement, size

Declension

n3	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mál	málið	mál	málini
accusative	mál	málið	mál	málini
dative	máli	málinum	málum	málunum
genitive	máls	málsins	mála	málanna

Derived terms

• ummál

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mauːl/

  Rhymes: -auːl

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic *maþlą.

Noun

mál n (genitive singular máls, nominative plural mál)

1. language

   Synonyms: tunga, tungumál, (chiefly archaic) sprok

2. speech

   Synonyms: málfar, tungutak, mæli

3. matter, affair
4. (law) cause
5. (informal) a big deal

Declension

Declension of mál (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mál	málið	mál	málin
accusative	mál	málið	mál	málin
dative	máli	málinu	málum	málunum
genitive	máls	málsins	mála	málanna

Derived terms

• barnamál
• ekkert mál

  ekkert mál fyrir Jón Pál

• gælumál
• áhugamál
• forritunarmál
• ritmál
• smalamál
• tungumál
• fara ekki á milli mála

Related terms

• mæla

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic *mēlą, whence also English meal. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European root *meh₁- (“to measure”).

Noun

mál n (genitive singular máls, nominative plural mál)

1. measurements, size, dimensions

   Synonym: mæling

2. a system of measurement

   Synonym: mælikerfi

3. the appropriate time for something

   Er ekki mál að fara?

   Isn't it time to go?

4. a meal, mealtime

   Synonym: máltíð

Declension

Declension of mál (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mál	málið	mál	málin
accusative	mál	málið	mál	málin
dative	máli	málinu	málum	málunum
genitive	máls	málsins	mála	málanna

Derived terms

• taka mál, taka mál af
• mál til komið
• vera mál
• milli mála
• flatarmál

Related terms

• mæla

Old Norse

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *maþlą, whence also Old Saxon mahal, Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌸𐌻 (maþl).

Noun

mál n

1. language
2. speech
3. matter, affair
4. (poetry) syntactic unit, sentence
5. (law) cause

Declension

  Declension of mál (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mál	málit	mǫ́l	mǫ́lin
accusative	mál	málit	mǫ́l	mǫ́lin
dative	máli	málinu	mǫ́lum	mǫ́lunum
genitive	máls	málsins	mála	málanna

Derived terms

• bragarmál (“contraction of unstressed words”, literally “poetic speech”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: mál
• Faroese: mál
• Norwegian Bokmål: mål
• Old Swedish: māl
  • Swedish: mål
• Danish: mål
• → Old English: māl (“speech, contract, agreement”)
  • Middle English: mal, male
    • English: mail
    • Scots: mail

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *mēlą (“measure, time, occasion”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European root *meh₁- (“to measure”). Cognate with Old English mǣl, Old Frisian mēl, Old Saxon māl, Old High German māl, Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌻 (mēl, “time, hour”).

Noun

mál n (genitive máls, plural mál)

1. measurement, size
2. season; a quarter of a year
   • c. 1180, Rímbegla:

     í misseri eru mál tvau, í máli eru mánuðr þrír

     in a half-year there are two seasons, in a seasons there are three months

3. time

   mál es at eta

   it is time to eat

4. (Low German influence) meal, mealtime

Declension

  Declension of mál (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mál	málit	mǫ́l	mǫ́lin
accusative	mál	málit	mǫ́l	mǫ́lin
dative	máli	málinu	mǫ́lum	mǫ́lunum
genitive	máls	málsins	mála	málanna

Descendants

• Icelandic: mál n
• Faroese: mál n
• Norwegian Nynorsk: mål n
• Swedish: mål n
• Danish: mål n
  • Norwegian Bokmål: mål n

Etymology 3

From the same Germanic source as Old Saxon māl and Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌻 (mēl), probably Proto-Germanic *mēlijaną, used by Ulfilas to translate Ancient Greek γραφή (graphḗ) and γράμμα (grámma). Related to Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (mēljan) (translating Ancient Greek γράφω (gráphō, “draw, write”)) and German malen (“to paint”).

Noun

mál n

1. a work of art inlaid in metal, especially on weapons