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vittra

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Swedish

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from German wittern (“to scent”), verwittern (“to erode”), both from Middle High German weter (“weather”). Compare Danish forvitre and Norwegian Nynorsk forvitra.

Verb

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vittra (present vittrar, preterite vittrade, supine vittrat, imperative vittra)

  2. (sometimes with bort (“away”) or other particles) to break down into small particles (often of mountains and the like, through natural processes), to weather
    Synonym: (completely) förvittra
  4. to pick up a scent; to smell (also figuratively)
    Han såg att hunden vittrade något
    He could tell the dog was picking up some scent
    Laget vittrade blod när motståndarlagets bästa spelare utvisades
    The team smelt blood when the best player in the opposing team was sent off
Usage notes
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  • Sometimes used figuratively similar to how wither would be used in English in (sense 1), though vissna is closer to the literal meaning.
  • See vittring to get a sense of how (sense 2) might be used.
Conjugation
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Conjugation of vittra (weak)
active passive
infinitive vittra vittras
supine vittrat vittrats
imperative vittra —
imper. plural1 vittren —
present past present past
indicative vittrar vittrade vittras vittrades
ind. plural1 vittra vittrade vittras vittrades
subjunctive2 vittre vittrade vittres vittrades
present participle vittrande
past participle vittrad

1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

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See also
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Etymology 2

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Doublet of vätte.

Alternative forms

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Noun

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vittra c

  1. (folklore) a mythological, underground-dwelling creature from Scandinavian folklore
    • 1887, Per August Lindholm, Från sagoverlden [From the fairy world], Stockholm: Oscar L. Lamm, pages 155–156:
      »Mitt slägte är ej okändt för dina anförvandter, alla känna de oss, men de hafva gifvit oss olika namn. Bergnymfer, skogsjungfrur, sjöfrun, vitra äro bland andra de namn, under hvilka du hört mina anhöriga omtalas. Jag är en vitra och mitt namn är Dorinda.»
      "My race is not unknown to your kinsfolk; they all know us, but they have given us different names. Mountain nymphs, wood maidens, the sea lady, vitra are among others the names under which you have heard my kind spoken of. I am a vitra and my name is Dorinda."
    • 1926, Erik Modin, Sagoväsenden i ångermanländsk folktro [Fairy Beings in Ångermanland Folklore], Örnsköldsvik: Ågrens boktryckeri, page 62:
      En morgon, då flickan satt och mjölkade, kom en vittra och sade till henne, att hon mjölkade så tidigt, att kräken deras, gårdsfolkets och vittrornas, slogos och stångades.
      One morning, as the girl sat and milked, a vittra came and said to her that she milked so early that the cattle, theirs, the farm-folk’s and the vittras’, fell to fighting and butting.
Declension
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Declension of vittra
nominative genitive
singular indefinite vittra vittras
definite vittran vittrans
plural indefinite vittror vittrors
definite vittrorna vittrornas
See also
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References

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