sær
Danish
Etymology
From Old Danish sær, from Old Norse sér.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /sɛːr/, [sæɐ̯ˀ]
Adjective
sær (neuter sært, plural and definite singular attributive sære, comparative særere, superlative (predicative) særest, superlative (attributive) særeste)
Inflection
| positive | comparative | superlative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite common singular | sær | særere | særest2 |
| indefinite neuter singular | sært | særere | særest2 |
| plural | sære | særere | særest2 |
| definite attributive1 | sære | særere | særeste |
1 When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite,
the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2 The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.
Synonyms
- mærkelig
- besynderlig
See also
Faroese
Etymology
Compare Icelandic sér. From Proto-Germanic *se-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [sɛar]
Pronoun
sær
- reflexive pronoun, 3rd person dative: himself, herself, itself, themselves
Declension
References
- Höskuldur Thráinsson, Hjalmar P. Petersen, Jógvan í Lon Jacobsen, Zakaris Svabo Hansen: Faroese : An Overview and Reference Grammar. Tórshavn: Føroya Fróðskaparfelag, 2004 (p. 119 f., 325 ff.)
Verb
sær
- third-person singular present of síggja
Icelandic
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old Norse sær, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /saiːr/
- Rhymes: -aiːr
Noun
sær m (genitive singular sævar, no plural)
Declension
| singular | ||
|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | sær | særinn |
| accusative | sæ | sæinn |
| dative | sæ, sævi | sænum |
| genitive | sævar | sævarins |
Derived terms
- sæbjúga (“sea cucumber”)
References
- 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), “sær”, 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
- “sær” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)
- “sær”, in Ritmálssafn Orðabókar Háskólans [The Written Collection of the Lexicological Institute] (in Icelandic), Reykjavík: The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, (Can we date this quote?)
Middle English
Adjective
sær
- alternative form of sore
Noun
sær
- alternative form of sore
Adverb
sær
- alternative form of sore
Norwegian Nynorsk
Alternative forms
- (non-standard since 2012) ser
Etymology
From Old Norse sér, the third person reflexive pronoun in the dative, from Proto-Germanic *siz. Cognates include Icelandic sér and Faroese sær where it is still used as the dative reflexive pronoun, as well as Danish sær, which has taken on senses similar to those in modern Norwegian.
Adjective
sær (neuter sært, definite singular and plural sære, comparative særare, indefinite superlative særast, definite superlative særaste)
Usage notes
- Used as the first part in compounds, sær more often than not should be understood in the sense of "peculiar" or "special".
Derived terms
- især
- særavtale
- særbate
- særbragd
- særdeles
- særdomstol
- særdrag
- særdåm
- særeige
- særeigen
- særemne
- særfred
- særfrådrag
- særføremonn
- særgivnad
- særgruppe
- særhende
- særhøve
- særinteresse
- særkjenne
- særkjønna
- særklasse
- særkull
- særlag
- særleg
- særling
- særlov
- særmeining
- særmerke
- særnamn
- særnorsk
- særoppgåve
- særpakke
- særpreg
- særprent
- særrett
- særs
- særskild
- særskule
- særspråk
- særstandpunkt
- særstilling
- særstode
- særsvip
- særsyn
- særtrekk
- særtrykk
- særtyding
- særutval
- særvekt
- særvoren
- særvotum
References
Anagrams
Old Norse
Alternative forms
Etymology 1
From Proto-Germanic *saiwiz (“sea, ocean”). Cognate with Old English sǣ, Old Frisian sē, Old Saxon sēo, Old High German sēo, Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (saiws).
Pronunciation
- (12th century Icelandic) IPA(key): /ˈsɛːr/
- (Old Norse, Reconstructed Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈsæɾ/
Noun
sær m (genitive sævar)
- the sea, ocean
- seawater (in contrast with fresh water)
- Antonym: vatn
Declension
Irregular mix of wa- and i-stem endings.
| masculine | singular | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | sær | særinn | sævar | sævarnir |
| accusative | sæ | sæinn | sæva | sævana |
| dative | sævi, sæ | sævinum, sænum | sævum, sæum | sæunum |
| genitive | sævar | sævarins | sæva | sævanna |
Derived terms
- sæborg (“seaside town”)
- sæbrattr (“steep towards the sea”)
- sæbyggjar (“coast-dwellers”)
- sæbygð (“coast district”)
- sædauðr (“dead at sea”)
- sæfarar (“voyages”)
- sæfǫng (“stores from the sea”)
- sæfǿrr (“seaworthy”)
- sægarpr (“sea-champion”)
- sæhafa (“driven out of one's course”)
- sækarl (“raftsman”)
- sækona (“mermaid”)
- sækonungr (“sea-king”)
- sækvikendi (“sea-beast”)
- sækyrra (“sea-calm”)
- sælið (“help at sea”)
- sælægja (“mist on the sea”)
- sælægr (“lying on the sea”)
- sæsjúkr (“seasick”)
- sæskip (“sea-ship”)
- sæskrímsl (“sea-monster”)
- sætré (“ships”)
- sævarbakki (“sea-beach”)
- sævarborg (“castle on the sea”)
- sævardjúp (“the deep sea”)
- sævargangr (“swell of the sea”)
- sævarhamrar (“sea-crags”)
Descendants
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
sær
- second/third-person singular present indicative active of sá
Further reading
- Richard Cleasby, Guðbrandur Vigfússon (1874) “sær”, in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, 1st edition, Oxford: Oxford Clarendon Press, page 618
- Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “sær”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 426; also available at the Internet Archive