konungr

Old Norse

Alternative forms

kongr — later form

Runic

ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛁ (kunuki) — dative singular
ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛋ (kunuks) — genitive singular
ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛅᛦ (kunukaʀ), ᚴᚢᚿᚢᚴᛆᛧ (kunukaʀ) — nominative plural

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *kuningaz (“king”). Cognate with Old English cyning, Old Frisian kening, kining, Old Saxon cuning, Old Dutch kuning, Old High German kuning.

Pronunciation

(9th century West Norse) IPA^(key): /ˈkonunɡɹ̝/, [ˈkʰõ.n̺ʊ̃ŋɡ̊ɹ̻̊˔]
(12th century Icelandic) IPA^(key): /ˈkonunɡr/

Noun

konungr m (genitive konungs, plural konungar)

a king
- Heimskringla, in 1829, J. F. W. Schlegel, Hin forna lögbok islendinga sem nefnist Gragas, Volume II. Copenhagen, page 345:
  Egill konungr spurði þetta, ok fór at leita þeira með liði sínu […]
  
  King Egil heard of this and began to seek them with his men […]

Declension

Declension of *konungr* (strong a-stem)
masculine	singular		plural
masculine	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	konungr	konungrinn	konungar	konungarnir
accusative	konung	konunginn	konunga	konungana
dative	konungi	konunginum	konungum	konungunum
genitive	konungs	konungsins	konunga	konunganna

Derived terms

konunga (“to address as a king”)
konungakyn (“royal kin”)
konungamaðr (“royal person”)
konungaskipti (“succession”)
konungastefna (“meeting of kings”)
konungasætt (“peace between kings”)
konungatal (“series of kings”)
konungríki (“kingdom”)
konungsatsetr (“royal residence”)
konungsbréf (“royal writ, warrant”)
konungsbú (“royal estate”)
konungsefni (“future king”)
konungseigur (“royal property”)
konungseyrendi (“royal errand”)
konungsfundr (“audience given by a king”)
konungsgarðr (“royal palace”)
konungshǫfn (“royal haven”)
konungskveðja (“address to a king”)
konungsleyfi (“king's leave”)
konungslykill (“axe”)
konungslægi (“royal berth”)
konungsnafn (“royal title”)
konungsnautr (“royal gift”)
konungsníðingr (“traitor to a king”)
konungsríki (“kingdom”)
konungssetr (“royal residence”)
konungsskrúði (“king's apparel”)
konungssteði (“the mint”)
konungssveit (“king's retinue”)
konungssæti (“royal seat, residence”)
konungssýsla (“royal office”)
konungstekja (“election of a king”)
konungstign (“royal dignity”)
konungsvígsla (“coronation”)
konungsæll (“blessed with good kings”)

Descendants

Icelandic: konungur, kóngur
Faroese: kongur, konungur
Norn: konung
Norwegian Nynorsk: konge, kong, konung; (dialectal) kung, kunge, kunnje, kång
Jamtish: kung
Elfdalian: kunungg
Old Swedish: konunger, kununger, kunger
- Swedish: konung, kung, kong
Old Danish: kung, konung
- Scanian: káng
- Danish: konge, kong, konning
  - Norwegian Bokmål: konge
  - → Greenlandic: kunngi
Old Gutnish: kunungr
- Gutnish: kuningg, kungg

Further reading

Richard Cleasby, Guðbrandur Vigfússon (1874) “konungr”, in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, 1st edition, Oxford: Oxford Clarendon Press, page 350
Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “konungr”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 247; also available at the Internet Archive