skafa

See also: skäfä and şkafa

Icelandic

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈskaːva/
    Rhymes: -aːva

Etymology 1

From Old Norse skafa, from Proto-Germanic *skabaną, from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (to scratch).

Verb

skafa (strong verb, third-person singular past indicative skóf, third-person plural past indicative skófu, supine skafið) alternatively skafa (weak verb, third-person singular past indicative skafaði, supine skafað)

  1. to scrape, to scratch off [with accusative]
  2. to pare [with accusative]
  3. (impersonal, of snow) to drift
Usage notes

This verb can either be conjugated strongly or weakly. The strong conjugation is the older form, but in modern speech the weak conjugation is far more common (in particular in the meaning of "to scrape"). The weak declension is most often skafaði in the past tense but occasionally skafði.

Conjugation
Strong conjugation
skafa – active voice (germynd)
infinitive nafnháttur skafa
supine sagnbót skafið
present participle
skafandi
indicative
subjunctive
present
past
present
past
singular ég skef skóf skafi skæfi
þú skefur skófst skafir skæfir
hann, hún, það skefur skóf skafi skæfi
plural við sköfum skófum sköfum skæfum
þið skafið skófuð skafið skæfuð
þeir, þær, þau skafa skófu skafi skæfu
imperative boðháttur
singular þú skaf (þú), skafðu
plural þið skafið (þið), skafiði1
1 Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.
skafast – mediopassive voice (miðmynd)
infinitive nafnháttur að skafast
supine sagnbót skafist
present participle
skafandist (rare; see appendix)
indicative
subjunctive
present
past
present
past
singular ég skefst skófst skafist skæfist
þú skefst skófst skafist skæfist
hann, hún, það skefst skófst skafist skæfist
plural við sköfumst skófumst sköfumst skæfumst
þið skafist skófust skafist skæfust
þeir, þær, þau skafast skófust skafist skæfust
imperative boðháttur
singular þú skafst (þú), skafstu
plural þið skafist (þið), skafisti1
1 Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.
skafinn — past participle (lýsingarháttur þátíðar)
strong declension
(sterk beyging)
singular (eintala) plural (fleirtala)
masculine
(karlkyn)
feminine
(kvenkyn)
neuter
(hvorugkyn)
masculine
(karlkyn)
feminine
(kvenkyn)
neuter
(hvorugkyn)
nominative
(nefnifall)
skafinn skafin skafið skafnir skafnar skafin
accusative
(þolfall)
skafinn skafna skafið skafna skafnar skafin
dative
(þágufall)
sköfnum skafinni sköfnu sköfnum sköfnum sköfnum
genitive
(eignarfall)
skafins skafinnar skafins skafinna skafinna skafinna
weak declension
(veik beyging)
singular (eintala) plural (fleirtala)
masculine
(karlkyn)
feminine
(kvenkyn)
neuter
(hvorugkyn)
masculine
(karlkyn)
feminine
(kvenkyn)
neuter
(hvorugkyn)
nominative
(nefnifall)
skafni skafna skafna sköfnu sköfnu sköfnu
accusative
(þolfall)
skafna sköfnu skafna sköfnu sköfnu sköfnu
dative
(þágufall)
skafna sköfnu skafna sköfnu sköfnu sköfnu
genitive
(eignarfall)
skafna sköfnu skafna sköfnu sköfnu sköfnu
Weak conjugation
skafa – active voice (germynd)
infinitive nafnháttur skafa
supine sagnbót skafað
present participle
skafandi
indicative
subjunctive
present
past
present
past
singular ég skafa skafaði skafi skafaði
þú skafar skafaðir skafir skafaðir
hann, hún, það skafar skafaði skafi skafaði
plural við sköfum sköfuðum sköfum sköfuðum
þið skafið sköfuðuð skafið sköfuðuð
þeir, þær, þau skafa sköfuðu skafi sköfuðu
imperative boðháttur
singular þú skafa (þú), skafaðu
plural þið skafið (þið), skafiði1
1 Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.
skafast – mediopassive voice (miðmynd)
infinitive nafnháttur að skafast
supine sagnbót skafast
present participle
skafandist (rare; see appendix)
indicative
subjunctive
present
past
present
past
singular ég skafast skafaðist skafist skafaðist
þú skafast skafaðist skafist skafaðist
hann, hún, það skafast skafaðist skafist skafaðist
plural við sköfumst sköfuðumst sköfumst sköfuðumst
þið skafist sköfuðust skafist sköfuðust
þeir, þær, þau skafast sköfuðust skafist sköfuðust
imperative boðháttur
singular þú skafast (þú), skafastu
plural þið skafist (þið), skafisti1
1 Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.
skafaður — past participle (lýsingarháttur þátíðar)
strong declension
(sterk beyging)
singular (eintala) plural (fleirtala)
masculine
(karlkyn)
feminine
(kvenkyn)
neuter
(hvorugkyn)
masculine
(karlkyn)
feminine
(kvenkyn)
neuter
(hvorugkyn)
nominative
(nefnifall)
skafaður sköfuð skafað skafaðir skafaðar sköfuð
accusative
(þolfall)
skafaðan skafaða skafað skafaða skafaðar sköfuð
dative
(þágufall)
sköfuðum skafaðri sköfuðu sköfuðum sköfuðum sköfuðum
genitive
(eignarfall)
skafaðs skafaðrar skafaðs skafaðra skafaðra skafaðra
weak declension
(veik beyging)
singular (eintala) plural (fleirtala)
masculine
(karlkyn)
feminine
(kvenkyn)
neuter
(hvorugkyn)
masculine
(karlkyn)
feminine
(kvenkyn)
neuter
(hvorugkyn)
nominative
(nefnifall)
skafaði skafaða skafaða sköfuðu sköfuðu sköfuðu
accusative
(þolfall)
skafaða sköfuðu skafaða sköfuðu sköfuðu sköfuðu
dative
(þágufall)
skafaða sköfuðu skafaða sköfuðu sköfuðu sköfuðu
genitive
(eignarfall)
skafaða sköfuðu skafaða sköfuðu sköfuðu sköfuðu

Etymology 2

Noun

skafa f (genitive singular sköfu, nominative plural sköfur)

  1. scraper
    Synonym: skefill
Declension
Declension of skafa (feminine)
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative skafa skafan sköfur sköfurnar
accusative sköfu sköfuna sköfur sköfurnar
dative sköfu sköfunni sköfum sköfunum
genitive sköfu sköfunnar skafa skafanna

Old Norse

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *skabaną.

Verb

skafa

  1. to scrape with a blunt instrument
  2. to shave so as to make smooth
  3. to shave

Conjugation

Conjugation of skafa — active (strong class 6)
infinitive skafa
present participle skafandi
past participle skafinn
indicative subjunctive
present past present past
1st person singular skef skóf skafa skœfa
2nd person singular skefr skóft skafir skœfir
3rd person singular skefr skóf skafi skœfi
1st person plural skǫfum skófum skafim skœfim
2nd person plural skafið skófuð skafið skœfið
3rd person plural skafa skófu skafi skœfi
imperative present
2nd person singular skaf
1st person plural skǫfum
2nd person plural skafið
Conjugation of skafa — mediopassive (strong class 6)
infinitive skafask
present participle skafandisk
past participle skafizk
indicative subjunctive
present past present past
1st person singular skǫfumk skófumk skǫfumk skœfumk
2nd person singular skefsk skófzk skafisk skœfisk
3rd person singular skefsk skófsk skafisk skœfisk
1st person plural skǫfumsk skófumsk skafimsk skœfimsk
2nd person plural skafizk skófuzk skafizk skœfizk
3rd person plural skafask skófusk skafisk skœfisk
imperative present
2nd person singular skafsk
1st person plural skǫfumsk
2nd person plural skafizk

Descendants

  • Icelandic: skafa
  • Faroese: skava
  • Norwegian: skave
  • Elfdalian: skåvå
  • Old Swedish: skava
  • Old Danish: skauæ
    • Danish: skave
    • Scanian: skawa
  • Gutnish: skave
  • Scots: skave, skaave

Further reading

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