hver

From Old Norse hverr (“who, each”), from Proto-Germanic *hwarjaz (“which”), *hwarjazuh (“each”), cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk kven (“who”), kvar (“each”), Swedish vars (“whose”), varje (“each”) Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐍂𐌾𐌹𐍃 (ƕarjis, “which”), 𐍈𐌰𐍂𐌾𐌹𐌶𐌿𐌷 (ƕarjizuh, “each”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɛːˀr/, [ˈʋɛˀɐ̯], [ˈʋɛɐ̯ˀ], [ʋɛɐ̯]
• Homophones: vejr, vær, værd

hver (neuter hvert)

1. (determiner) every, each
2. (pronoun) everyone

• enhver
• hverdag
• i hvert fald
• hver sin

• “hver” in Den Danske Ordbog

From Old Norse hverr (from Proto-Germanic *hwarjaz) and *hver (from Proto-Germanic *hwaz), which were conflated in late Old Norse. Most of the inflected forms of *hwaz have since become obsolete, and what remains in form is essentially the descendant of *hwarjaz, but with an extra form for the neuter nominative and accusative singular: hvað from Old Norse hvat.

• hvör, hvor (archaic, obsolete)
• hvur (dated, literary, eye dialect)

• IPA^(key): /kʰvɛːr/, (dated) /kʰvʏːr/
• IPA^(key): /xʷɛːr/ (regional), /xvʏːr/, /xʏːr/ (regional, dated or literary)
• IPA^(key): /kʰvœːr/ (archaic, obsolete)

hver (feminine hver, neuter (used with a noun) hvert or (used alone) hvað)

1. (interrogative) who, what

   Hver er ég?

   Who am I?

   Hver stal kökunni úr krúsinni í gær?

   Who stole the cookie from the jar last night?

2. (interrogative) which (referring to one or several of more than two things or persons) [with genitive noun phrase or af ‘of’]

   Hver þeirra finnst þér bestur, hvíti, græni eða appelsínuguli bíllinn?

   Which of these do you like best, the white, the green, or the orange car?

3. (interrogative, neuter singular) what, which part (referring to part of a mass or group of things or people considered collectively) [with af (+ dative) ‘of’]

   Við verðum að ákveða hvað af landinu við viljum vernda fyrir snjóflóð.

   We have to decide which part of the land we want to protect from avalanches.

4. (relative) whichever (of more than two things or persons) [with genitive noun (optionally) phrase or af ‘of’, along with relative clause]

   Hver sem ég talaði við í dag var í góðu skapi.

   Whoever I talked to today was in a good mood.

5. (relative, neuter singular) whatever [with genitive noun (optionally) phrase or af ‘of’, along with relative clause]

   Hvað sem ég reyndi, það tókst ekki.

   Whatever I tried, it didn't work.

6. (relative, chiefly archaic) who, which, that (used in the forming of relative clauses)
7. (indefinite) each, every

   Besta rúgbrauðið kemur frá Hveragerði. Það veit hver íslendingur.

   The best ‘rye bread’ is from Hveragerði. Every Icelander knows that.

   • Article 1, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Icelandic, English)

     Hver maður er borinn frjáls og jafn öðrum að virðingu og réttindum. Menn eru gæddir vitsmunum og samvizku, og ber þeim að breyta bróðurlega hverjum við annan.

     All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

The neuter form hvað is used with senses 1, 3, and 5, hvert with the others. Compare also hvor, hvort (“which (of two)”).

• Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989) Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, →ISBN (Available at Málið.is under the “Eldri orðabækur” tab.)
• Kristín Bjarnadóttir, editor (2002–2025), “hver”, in Beygingarlýsing íslensks nútímamáls [The Database of Modern Icelandic Inflection] (in Icelandic), Reykjavík: The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies
• Mörður Árnason (2019) Íslensk orðabók, 5th edition, Reykjavík: Forlagið
• “hver” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)

From Old Norse hverr, from Proto-Germanic *hweraz.

• IPA^(key): /kʰvɛːr/
• IPA^(key): /xʷɛːr/

  Rhymes: -ɛːr

hver m (genitive singular hvers, nominative plural hverir or (archaic) hverar)

1. hot spring

   Synonyms: laug, heit laug

• goshver

• lind
• heitur pottur
• pottur

From Danish hver.

• IPA^(key): /ʋæːr/
• Homophone: vær
• Rhymes: -æːr

hver (neuter form hvert)

1. each

   Hvert barn fikk et stykke sjokolade.

   Each child got a piece of chocolate.

2. every

   Vi drar dit hver uke.

   We go there every week.

• annenhver
• hverdag

• kvar (Nynorsk)

• “hver” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

hver

1. accusative singular of hverr

hver

1. inflection of hverr:
   1. feminine nominative singular
   2. neuter nominative/accusative plural