mikill

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse mikill, from Proto-Germanic *mikilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *meǵh₂-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɪːcɪtɬ]

  Rhymes: -ɪːcɪtɬ

Adjective

mikill (comparative meiri or (when functioning as a noun) meiru, superlative mestur)

1. large in quantity or number
2. much
3. great

   Alexander mikli.

   Alexander the Great.

Declension

positive forms of mikill

strong declension (indefinite)	singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	mikill	mikil	mikið
	accusative	mikinn	mikla
	dative	miklum	mikilli	miklu
	genitive	mikils	mikillar	mikils
	plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	miklir	miklar	mikil
	accusative	mikla
	dative	miklum
	genitive	mikilla
weak declension (definite)	singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	mikli	mikla	mikla
	acc/dat/gen	mikla	miklu
	plural (all-case)	miklu

comparative forms of mikill

weak declension (definite)		masculine	feminine	neuter
	singular (all-case)	meiri, meiru1	meiri, meiru1	meira, meiru1
	plural (all-case)	meiri

¹When functioning as a noun.

superlative forms of mikill

strong declension (indefinite)	singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	mestur	mest	mest
	accusative	mestan	mesta
	dative	mestum	mestri	mestu
	genitive	mests	mestrar	mests
	plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	mestir	mestar	mest
	accusative	mesta
	dative	mestum
	genitive	mestra
weak declension (definite)	singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	mesti	mesta	mesta
	acc/dat/gen	mesta	mestu
	plural (all-case)	mestu

Derived terms

• aðsópsmikill
• afkastamikill
• áhrifamikill
• fyrirferðarmikill
• gemsmikill
• hávaðamikill
• kjarkmikill
• mikilla
• mikillar
• mikilleikr
• mikilli
• mismikill
• of mikill
• safamikill
• tilkomumikill
• umfangsmikill
• viðamikill
• víðáttumikill
• vöðvamikill
• yfirgripsmikill
• ysmikill

Old Norse

Alternative forms

• mykill

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *mikilaz (“great, many”), from Proto-Indo-European *meǵh₂- (“big, great”). Cognate with Old English miċel, Old Saxon mikil, Old Dutch mikil, Old High German mihhil, Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌺𐌹𐌻𐍃 (mikils).

Adjective

mikill (comparative meiri, superlative mestr)

1. great, tall of stature
2. great, large, in bulk or size

   áin var mikil ― the river was swollen

3. (of quantity) much
4. prominent

Inflection

This word seems to have a suppletive inflection, using another root in the comparative and superlative forms, than in the positive form (albeit one inherited from earlier Proto-Germanic). Note also the otherwise irregular nn-ending in the accusative singular masculine form (mikinn), as well as the t-ending in the nominative and accusative singular neuter forms (mikit).

    Strong declension of mikill

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	mikill	mikil	mikit
accusative	mikinn	mikla	mikit
dative	miklum	mikilli	miklu
genitive	mikils	mikillar	mikils
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	miklir	miklar	mikil
accusative	mikla	miklar	mikil
dative	miklum	miklum	miklum
genitive	mikilla	mikilla	mikilla

    Weak declension of mikill

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	mikli	mikla	mikla
accusative	mikla	miklu	mikla
dative	mikla	miklu	mikla
genitive	mikla	miklu	mikla
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	miklu	miklu	miklu
accusative	miklu	miklu	miklu
dative	miklum	miklum	miklum
genitive	miklu	miklu	miklu

    Declension of comparative of mikill

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	meiri	meiri	meira
accusative	meira	meiri	meira
dative	meira	meiri	meira
genitive	meira	meiri	meira
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	meiri	meiri	meiri
accusative	meiri	meiri	meiri
dative	meirum	meirum	meirum
genitive	meiri	meiri	meiri

    Strong declension of superlative of mikill

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	mestr	mest	mest
accusative	mestan	mesta	mest
dative	mestum	mestri	mestu
genitive	mests	mestrar	mests
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	mestir	mestar	mest
accusative	mesta	mestar	mest
dative	mestum	mestum	mestum
genitive	mestra	mestra	mestra

    Weak declension of superlative of mikill

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	mesti	mesta	mesta
accusative	mesta	mestu	mesta
dative	mesta	mestu	mesta
genitive	mesta	mestu	mesta
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	mestu	mestu	mestu
accusative	mestu	mestu	mestu
dative	mestum	mestum	mestum
genitive	mestu	mestu	mestu

Descendants

• Icelandic: mikill
• Faroese: mikil
• Norn: mikkel, mukkel
• Norwegian Nynorsk: mykjen, myken (-n from acc. mikinn)
• Elfdalian: mitjin
• Old Swedish: mykil, mykin
  • Swedish: mycken (archaic)
• Old Danish: mikin
  • Danish: megen
    • Norwegian Bokmål: megen
• ⇒ Old Norse: mikit n
  • Icelandic: mikið
  • Faroese: mikið
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: mykje, myket; (dialectal) mykji, mikje
  • Norwegian Bokmål: mye
  • Old Swedish: mykit
    • Swedish: mycket n
  • Old Danish: mikit n
    • Danish: meget
      • Norwegian Bokmål: meget

Further reading

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