mellufær
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Icelandic
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From mella (“whore”) + fær (“capable”), probably originally in the meaning of "to speak a language well enough to be able to request the services of prostitutes" rather than "to be as capable as a whore". Today the word however only means "minimally capable" and usually does not evoke imagery of prostitution to listeners.
Pronunciation
[edit]Adjective
[edit]mellufær (not comparable)
- (informal) to have some minimum necessary amount of knowledge in a foreign language to be able to communicate effectively
- Æ, ég er svona mellufær í þýsku. ― Well, I can communicate in German.
- (informal, by extension of the above) to have some minimum necessary amount of skill to be able to do something effectively
- Hann er mellufær á trommur. ― He can play the drums, but he's not exactly an advanced player.
Inflection
[edit] positive (strong declension)
| singular | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | mellufær | mellufær | mellufært |
| accusative | mellufæran | mellufæra | mellufært |
| dative | mellufærum | mellufærri | mellufæru |
| genitive | mellufærs | mellufærrar | mellufærs |
| plural | masculine | feminine | neuter |
| nominative | mellufærir | mellufærar | mellufær |
| accusative | mellufæra | mellufærar | mellufær |
| dative | mellufærum | mellufærum | mellufærum |
| genitive | mellufærra | mellufærra | mellufærra |
positive (weak declension)
| singular | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | mellufæri | mellufæra | mellufæra |
| accusative | mellufæra | mellufæru | mellufæra |
| dative | mellufæra | mellufæru | mellufæra |
| genitive | mellufæra | mellufæru | mellufæra |
| plural | masculine | feminine | neuter |
| nominative | mellufæru | mellufæru | mellufæru |
| accusative | mellufæru | mellufæru | mellufæru |
| dative | mellufæru | mellufæru | mellufæru |
| genitive | mellufæru | mellufæru | mellufæru |