nefna

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse nefna, nemna, from Proto-Germanic *namnijaną. Cognate with Swedish nämna and English neven.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɛpna/

  Rhymes: -ɛpna

Verb

nefna (weak verb, third-person singular past indicative nefndi, supine nefnt)

1. to name (give a name to) [with accusative]
   • Genesis 5:3 (Icelandic, English)

     Adam lifði hundrað og þrjátíu ár. Þá gat hann son í líking sinni, eftir sinni mynd, og nefndi hann Set.

     When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.

2. to call (by name) [with accusative]
3. to mention [with accusative]

   Synonym: geta

4. to appoint, name [with accusative]

   Synonyms: útnefna, tilnefna

Conjugation

nefna — active voice (germynd)

infinitive (nafnháttur)		að nefna
supine (sagnbót)		nefnt
present participle (lýsingarháttur nútíðar)		nefnandi
	indicative (framsöguháttur)			subjunctive (viðtengingarháttur)
present (nútíð)	ég nefni	við nefnum	present (nútíð)	ég nefni	við nefnum
	þú nefnir	þið nefnið		þú nefnir	þið nefnið
	hann, hún, það nefnir	þeir, þær, þau nefna		hann, hún, það nefni	þeir, þær, þau nefni
past (þátíð)	ég nefndi	við nefndum	past (þátíð)	ég nefndi	við nefndum
	þú nefndir	þið nefnduð		þú nefndir	þið nefnduð
	hann, hún, það nefndi	þeir, þær, þau nefndu		hann, hún, það nefndi	þeir, þær, þau nefndu
imperative (boðháttur)	nefn (þú)	nefnið (þið)
	Forms with appended personal pronoun
	nefndu	nefniði *
* Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

nefnast — mediopassive voice (miðmynd)

infinitive (nafnháttur)		að nefnast
supine (sagnbót)		nefnst
present participle (lýsingarháttur nútíðar)		nefnandist ** ** the mediopassive present participle is extremely rare and normally not used; it is never used attributively or predicatively, only for explicatory subclauses
	indicative (framsöguháttur)			subjunctive (viðtengingarháttur)
present (nútíð)	ég nefnist	við nefnumst	present (nútíð)	ég nefnist	við nefnumst
	þú nefnist	þið nefnist		þú nefnist	þið nefnist
	hann, hún, það nefnist	þeir, þær, þau nefnast		hann, hún, það nefnist	þeir, þær, þau nefnist
past (þátíð)	ég nefndist	við nefndumst	past (þátíð)	ég nefndist	við nefndumst
	þú nefndist	þið nefndust		þú nefndist	þið nefndust
	hann, hún, það nefndist	þeir, þær, þau nefndust		hann, hún, það nefndist	þeir, þær, þau nefndust
imperative (boðháttur)	nefnst (þú)	nefnist (þið)
	Forms with appended personal pronoun
	nefnstu	nefnisti *
* Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

nefndur — past participle (lýsingarháttur þátíðar)

strong declension (sterk beyging)	singular (eintala)				plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)		masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	nefndur	nefnd	nefnt		nefndir	nefndar	nefnd
accusative (þolfall)	nefndan	nefnda	nefnt		nefnda	nefndar	nefnd
dative (þágufall)	nefndum	nefndri	nefndu		nefndum	nefndum	nefndum
genitive (eignarfall)	nefnds	nefndrar	nefnds		nefndra	nefndra	nefndra
weak declension (veik beyging)	singular (eintala)				plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)		masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	nefndi	nefnda	nefnda		nefndu	nefndu	nefndu
accusative (þolfall)	nefnda	nefndu	nefnda		nefndu	nefndu	nefndu
dative (þágufall)	nefnda	nefndu	nefnda		nefndu	nefndu	nefndu
genitive (eignarfall)	nefnda	nefndu	nefnda		nefndu	nefndu	nefndu

Derived terms

• nafna á nafn
• nefna til
• nefna við
• nefnast
• nefndur
• nefnifall

See also

• skíra

Old Norse

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *namnijaną.

Alternative forms

• nemna

Verb

nefna (singular past indicative nefndi, plural past indicative nefndu, past participle nefndr)

1. (transitive) to name
   • Sigrdrífumál stanza 6:

     Sigrúnar þú skalt kunna,
     ef þú vilt sigr hafa,
     ok rísta á hialti hiǫrs,
     sumar á véttrimum,
     sumar á valbǫstum,
     ok nefna tysvar Tý.

     Victory runes you must know
     if you will have victory,
     and carve them on the sword's hilt,
     some on the grasp
     and some on the inlay,
     and name Tyr twice.

2. (transitive) to mention
3. (transitive) to appoint
4. (reflexive) to be called

Conjugation

Conjugation of nefna — active (weak class 1)

infinitive	nefna
present participle	nefnandi
past participle	nefndr
	indicative			subjunctive
	present	past		present	past
1st person singular	nefni	nefnda		nefna	nefnda
2nd person singular	nefnir	nefndir		nefnir	nefndir
3rd person singular	nefnir	nefndi		nefni	nefndi
1st person plural	nefnum	nefndum		nefnim	nefndim
2nd person plural	nefnið	nefnduð		nefnið	nefndið
3rd person plural	nefna	nefndu		nefni	nefndi
imperative	present
2nd person singular	nefn, nefni
1st person plural	nefnum
2nd person plural	nefnið

Conjugation of nefna — mediopassive (weak class 1)

infinitive	nefnask
present participle	nefnandisk
past participle	nefnzk
	indicative			subjunctive
	present	past		present	past
1st person singular	nefnumk	nefndumk		nefnumk	nefndumk
2nd person singular	nefnisk	nefndisk		nefnisk	nefndisk
3rd person singular	nefnisk	nefndisk		nefnisk	nefndisk
1st person plural	nefnumsk	nefndumsk		nefnimsk	nefndimsk
2nd person plural	nefnizk	nefnduzk		nefnizk	nefndizk
3rd person plural	nefnask	nefndusk		nefnisk	nefndisk
imperative	present
2nd person singular	nefnsk, nefnisk
1st person plural	nefnumsk
2nd person plural	nefnizk

Descendants

• Icelandic: nefna
• Faroese: nevna
• Norwegian Nynorsk: nemna, nemne
• Norwegian Bokmål: nevne
• Old Swedish: næmna
  • Swedish: nämna
• Danish: nævne

Etymology 2

Noun

nefna f (genitive nefnu)

1. a naming
2. a nomination

Declension

Declension of nefna (weak ōn-stem)

feminine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	nefna	nefnan	nefnur	nefnurnar
accusative	nefnu	nefnuna	nefnur	nefnurnar
dative	nefnu	nefnunni	nefnum	nefnunum
genitive	nefnu	nefnunnar	nefna	nefnanna

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Participle

nefna

1. strong feminine accusative singular of nefndr
2. strong masculine accusative plural of nefndr
3. weak masculine oblique singular of nefndr
4. weak feminine nominative singular of nefndr
5. weak neuter singular of nefndr

Further reading

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