An Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland/Abbreviations

by Jakob Jakobsen

Abbreviations of names of Shetlandic localities.

N.I. = the Northern Isles, which embrace: 1) U. = Unst, 2) Y. = Yell, 3) Fe. = Fetlar.

M. = Mainland (the main island).

The following parishes in Mainland (mentioned consecutively from north to south) are quoted in abbreviated form:

⁠	Nm. = Northmavine; N.Roe = North Roe (pronounced rø̄; the northern part of Northmavine and northern part of Nmn. — see below); Esh. = Eshaness on the west side of Northmavine (Nmw.).

	De. = Delting.
	L., Lunn. = Lunnasting.
	N. = Nesting.
	Ti. = Tingwall.
	Wd. = Weisdale.
$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	Ai. = Aithsting	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	collectively: “Wests.” = the Westside.
	St. = Sandsting
$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	Sa. = Sandness
	W. = Walls (pronounc. wāz)
	C., Conn. = Conningsburgh	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	collectively: S.Sh. (S.Shetl.) = South Shetland.
	Sw., Sandw. = Sandwick
	Du. = Dunrossness
	Easts. = the Eastside of Shetland.

 

The following are names of small isles:

⁠	Sk. = Skerries (Out Skerries)	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	East of Mainland (north to south).
	Wh. = Whalsay
	Br. = Bressay
	M.Roe = Muckle Roe (West Delting: Dew.).
	P. (Papa) St. = Papa Stour (pronounc. stūr)		$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	west of Mainland, included under “Westside” (see above).
	Fo. = Foula (pronounc. fula)
	W.Burra = West Burra Isle (Mw.-s.).
	F.I. = Fair Isle.

 

The ^{“n, s, w, e”} (half above the line) added to these abbreviated place-names mean: north, south, west, east. Uⁿ., Yⁿ. thus = the northern part of Unst and Yell respectively. Nm^{s., n}. = the southern and northern part of Northmavine. Du^w. = the western part of Dunrossness, etc.

U^b. = Burrafirth in Unst^[1]. U^c. = Colvidale in Unst (U^e). U^m. or U^balt. = the middle part of Unst (the district of Baltasound). U^mo = Mooness (Muness) in Unst (U^s.-e.). Y^b. = the neighbourhood of Bastavoe in Yell^[2]. Y^m. = Mid Yell. Y^h. — the neighbourhood of “de Herra” in Yell. Fe^h. = the neighbourhood of “de Herra” in Fetlar. Fe^f. = Funzie in Fetlar (Fe^e.). Nm^g. = Gunnister in the western part of Northmavine. M^l. = the district of Lerwick in Mainland (M^e.). M^m. = the middle of Mainland. Du^m. = the village Maywick in the parish of Sandwick in the north-western part of Dunrossness.

U^w. = the western part of Unst. U^wg. = the village of Westing in Unst. Y^w. = the western part of Yell. Y^wy. = the village of West-Yell.

Bard. = the village of Bardister in the southern part of Northmavine (the district of Sulem). Ennisf. = the village of Ennisfirth, Nm^w. Flad. or Fladab. = the village of Fladabister in the northern part of Conningsburgh. Irel. = the district of Ireland in the north-western part of Dunrossness. Lw. = Lerwick in Mainland. W.Burr. = the village West Burrafirth in Aithsting. W.Burra = West Burra Isle. W.Sw. = the village West Sandwick in Yell (Y^w.).

 

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Other abbreviations.

Aa. = Ivar Aasen, Norsk Ordbog. Christiania 1873.

Ant. (G. G., Ant.) = Gilbert Goudie, The Celtic and Scandinavian Antiquities of Shetland. Edinburgh and London 1904.

B. H. = Bjørn Haldorsen, Islandsk Lexicon. Copenhagen 1814.

Balf., Balfour = the Glossary to David Balfour’s “Oppressions of the Sixteenth Century in the Islands of Orkney and Zetland”, Edinburgh 1859 (Maitland Club), and also his Glossary to “Odal Rights and Feudal Wrongs, a Memorial for Orkney”, Edinburgh 1860 (Maitland Club).

Barcl., Barclay = MS. Supplement by Principal Barclay of Glasgow University, to Thomas Edmondston’s Shetl. and Ork; Glossary (see below: Edm.). The Suppl. contains special Shetl. words. A copy of Edmondston’s Glossary which belonged to Barclay, interleaved with white pages upon which the Suppl. is written, is preserved in the library of the Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh.

DN, D.N. = Diplomatarium Norvegium. Christiania 1849 ff.

Denn., Dennison = Walter Traill Dennison, The Orcadian Sketchbook. Kirkwall 1880.

Dict. Scott. Lang.: see below “Jam.”.

E. J. = Eirik Jonsson, Oldnordisk Ordbog. Copenhagen 1863.

EDD. = Joseph Wright, The English Dialect Dictionary. London 1898—1905.

Edm. = Thomas Edmondston, Glossary of the Shetland and Orkney Dialect (Transactions of the Philological Society of London 1866).

Eg. — Sveinbjørn Egilsson, Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis. Hafniæ 1860.

F.A., Fær. Anth. II = The Glossary to V. U. Hammershaimb, Færøsk Anthologi, Copenhagen 1891 (published for “Samfund til udgivelse af gammel nordisk litteratur”).

Fejlb. = H. F. Fejlberg, Ordbog over jyske almuesmål. Copenhagen 1886 ff.

Fld. = Fornaldar sögur Norðrlanda. Copenhagen 1829, 1830.

Fr. = Johan Fritzner. Ordbog over det gamle norske Sprog. Christiania 1886—96.

F.F.S. = (The Glossary to) J. Jakobsen, Færøske folkesagn og æventyr.

G.V. (Vigf.) = Gudbrand Vigfusson (Cleasby and Vigfusson. Icelandic-English Dictionary. Oxford 1874).

Jam. = John Jamieson’s Dictionary of the Scottish Language, abridged by John Johnstone, revised and enlarged by Longmuir. London and Edinburgh 1877.

J. Th. = Jón Thorkelsson, Supplement til islandske Ordbøger. Reykjavik—Copenhagen 1890—99.

K. G. (Gísl.). = Konrad Gíslason, Dansk-Islandsk Ordbog. Copenhagen 1851.

Molb. = C. Molbech, Dansk Dialect-Lexicon. Copenhagen 1841.

NG., N.G. = Oluf Rygh, Norske Gaardnavne. Christiania 1897 ff.

N.Spr. = J. Jakobsen, Det norrøne sprog på Shetland. Copenhagen 1897.

No. Elvn. — Oluf Rygh, Norske Elvenavne. Christiania 1904.

Proc. SSA. = Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

R. = Hans Ross, Norsk Ordbog (Suppl. to Aasen). Christiania 1895. Also New Suppl. Christiania 1902.

Ri. = Johan Ernst Rietz, Svenskt Dialekt-Lexicon. Malmø 1867.

S.E. = Snorre’s Edda (the list of words and names).

Sh. Stedn. (Sh. St.), Shetl. Stedn. = J. Jakobsen, Shetlandsøernes Stednavne (in Aarbøger for nordisk Oldkyndighed og Historie, Copenhagen 1901).

 

A.W.J. = A W Johnston (London).

G.G. = Gilbert Goudie (Edinburgh).

J.I. = John Irvine (Lerwick).

K.I. = Katherine Irvine (in EDD.).

L.W. = Laurence Williamson (Mid-Yell).

R.C. = Robert Cogle (Conningsburgh).

S.B. = Sophus Bugge.

V.Th. = Vilhelm Thomsen (Copenhagen).

W.R. = William Ratter (Lerwick).

 

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A.S. = Anglo-Saxon.

(in) acc. (with) = (in) accordance (with).

acc. (to) = according (to).

accus. = accusative.

adj. = adjective.

adv. = adverb.

appl. = applied.

art. = article.

c. = common gender.

Celt. = Celtic.

cf. = confer (compare).

coll. = collocation.

collect. = collective, -ly.

colloq. = colloquial, -ly.

comb. = combination.

comm. = common, -ly.

compar. = comparative.

compd. = compound.

conj. = conjunction.

conn. = connection.

Cymr. = Cymric.

Da. = Danish.

dat. = dative.

def. = definite.

dem. = demonstrative.

deriv. = derivative.

dial. = dialect.

dict. = dictionary.

diff. = different.

dim. = diminutive.

Dut. = Dutch (vernacular).

e.g. = exempli gratia (for example).

Eng. = English.

esp. = especially.

etym. = etymology.

expr. = expression.

f., fem. = feminine.

Fær. = Færoese.

fig. = figurative, -ly.

foll. = following.

Fr. = French.

freq. = frequent, -ly.

Fris. = Frisian.

Gael. = Gaelic.

gen. = genitive.

Germ. = German.

Goth. = Gothic.

Gothl. = Gothland.

gram. = grammar.

H.G. = High German.

Icel. = Iceland, -ic.

id = idem (the same).

i.e. = id est (that is).

imp. = imperative.

impers. = impersonal.

impf. = imperfect.

infl. = influence.

interj. = interjection.

introd. = introduction.

Jut. = Jutlandic.

L.G. = Low German.

L.Sc. = Lowland Scottish.

lang. = language.

Lap. = Lapland.

Lat. = Latin.

lit. = literal, -ly.

m., masc. = masculine.

M.Eng. = Middle English.

M.H.G. = Middle High German.

M.L.G. = Middle Low German.

metaph. = metaphorical, -ly.

Mod.Eng. (etc.) = Modern English (etc.).

Ndl. = Nederlandish (standard Dutch).

neut. = neuter.

No. (occas.: Norw.) = Norwegian.

nom. = nominative.

N.Eng. (etc.) = North English (etc.).

N.Hl. = North Hordeland.

N.Sh. = North Shetland.

num. = numeral.

obs. = obsolete.

occas. = occasionally.

O.Da. (etc.) = Old Danish (etc.).

O.N. = Old Northern.

O.Sax. = Old Saxon.

opp. = opposite.

orig. = original, -ly.

Ork. = Orkneyan.

perf. part. = perfect participle.

pers. = person, personal, -ly.

phr. = phrase.

pl. = plural.

poet. = poetic.

poss. = possible, -ly.

prec. = preceding.

prep. = preposition.

pres. part. = present participle.

prob. = probable, -ly.

pron. = pronoun.

pronunc. = pronunciation.

prop. = proper, -ly.

q.v. = quod vide (which see).

rad. = radical.

ref. = reference.

refl. = reflexive.

reg. = regarding.

sb. = substantive.

Sc. = Scottish.

Shetl. = Shetland, -ic.

sing. = singular.

S.Sh. = South Shetland.

sup. = superlative.

Sw. = Swedish.

syn. = synonym, -ous.

vb. = verb.

vb. a. = verb, active voice.

vb. n. = verb neuter or intransitive.

 

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1. Part of Uⁿ., embracing: a) the villages Haroldswick (U^h.), Norwick and Skaw, b) Burrafirth.
2. Southern part of Yⁿ.