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	past þátíð		present nútíð	past þátíð
singular	ég	nefni	nefndi		nefni	nefndi
	þú	nefnir	nefndir		nefnir	nefndir
	hann, hún, það	nefnir	nefndi		nefni	nefndi
plural	við	nefnum	nefndum		nefnum	nefndum
	þið	nefnið	nefnduð		nefnið	nefnduð
	þeir, þær, þau	nefna	nefndu		nefni	nefndu
		imperative boðháttur
singular	þú	nefn (þú), nefndu
plural	þið	nefnið (þið), nefniði1

¹ 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 (rare; see appendix)
		indicative framsöguháttur			subjunctive viðtengingarháttur
		present nútíð	past þátíð		present nútíð	past þátíð
singular	ég	nefnist	nefndist		nefnist	nefndist
	þú	nefnist	nefndist		nefnist	nefndist
	hann, hún, það	nefnist	nefndist		nefnist	nefndist
plural	við	nefnumst	nefndumst		nefnumst	nefndumst
	þið	nefnist	nefndust		nefnist	nefndust
	þeir, þær, þau	nefnast	nefndust		nefnist	nefndust
		imperative boðháttur
singular	þú	nefnst (þú), nefnstu
plural	þið	nefnist (þið), nefnisti1

¹ 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