afl

See also: afl. and AFL

Icelandic

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /apl/
  • Rhymes: -apl

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Norse afl.

Noun

afl n (genitive singular afls, nominative plural öfl)

  1. might, power, strength
    Synonym: þróttur
  2. force
    Synonym: kraftur
    Öfl náttúrunnar.
    The forces of nature.
  3. energy
    Synonym: orka
  4. violence, force
    Synonym: ofbeldi
Declension
Declension of afl (neuter)
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative afl aflið öfl öflin
accusative afl aflið öfl öflin
dative afli aflinu öflum öflunum
genitive afls aflsins afla aflanna
Derived terms
  • af öllu afli (with all one's might)
  • þyngdarafl (gravity)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Norse afl.

Noun

afl m (genitive singular afls, nominative plural aflar)

  1. (archaic) hearth in a forge
Declension
Declension of afl (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative afl aflinn aflar aflarnir
accusative afl aflinn afla aflana
dative afli aflinum öflum öflunum
genitive afls aflsins afla aflanna

Old Norse

FWOTD – 29 May 2015

Etymology 1

Probably from Proto-Germanic *abalaz or *aflaz (hearth).

Pronunciation

  • (12th century Icelandic) IPA(key): /ˈɑvl̩/

Noun

afl m (genitive afls, plural aflar)

  1. a hearth (especially of a forge)
    • Stjórn 108, in 1862, C. R. Unger, Stjórn: gammelnorsk Bibelhistorie: fra Verdens Skabelse til det babyloniske Fangenskab. Christiania, page 312:
      Enn er gull tok at brenna i aflinum.
      And the gold began to burn in the hearth.
Declension
Declension of afl (strong a-stem)
masculine singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative afl aflinn aflar aflarnir
accusative afl aflinn afla aflana
dative afli aflinum ǫflum ǫflunum
genitive afls aflsins afla aflanna
Descendants
  • Faroese: alv n
  • Icelandic: afl m
  • Norwegian: avl m

Further reading

  • Richard Cleasby, Guðbrandur Vigfússon (1874) “afl”, in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, 1st edition, Oxford: Oxford Clarendon Press, page 7
  • Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “afl”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 3; also available at the Internet Archive

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *aflą.

Noun

afl n

  1. physical strength
  2. force, violence
  3. plurality of votes, majority
  4. virtue, inherent power
Declension
Declension of afl (strong a-stem)
neuter singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative afl aflit ǫfl ǫflin
accusative afl aflit ǫfl ǫflin
dative afli aflinu ǫflum ǫflunum
genitive afls aflsins afla aflanna
Descendants
  • Icelandic: afl; afli; (efla)
  • Faroese: alv
  • Norwegian: avl (dialectal)
  • Old Swedish: afl
    • Swedish: avel, afvel (pre-1906 spelling)
  • Danish: avl

Further reading

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