skessa

Icelandic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *skarsjǭ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈscɛsːa/

  Rhymes: -ɛsːa

Noun

skessa f (genitive singular skessu, nominative plural skessur)

1. troll woman, giantess
2. (derogatory) fat and ugly woman

Declension

Declension of skessa (feminine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	skessa	skessan	skessur	skessurnar
accusative	skessu	skessuna	skessur	skessurnar
dative	skessu	skessunni	skessum	skessunum
genitive	skessu	skessunnar	skessa	skessanna

Further reading

• “skessa” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)

Old Norse

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

skessa f (genitive skessu)

1. giantess, witch

Declension

Declension of skessa (weak ōn-stem)

feminine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	skessa	skessan	skessur	skessurnar
accusative	skessu	skessuna	skessur	skessurnar
dative	skessu	skessunni	skessum	skessunum
genitive	skessu	skessunnar	skessna	skessnanna

Descendants

• Icelandic: skessa
• Norwegian Nynorsk: skjesse

Further reading

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