Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland Part I.pdf/221

down as the only word in Norn left from the lost grace before meat. Fladab., Conn. O.N. þǫkk (þakk-), f., thanks. For the change þ > d in Shetl. see Introd. V (also N.Spr. VII), § 36.

dal [dāl], sb., 1*) valley, direction of a valley; depression in the landscape. 2) trough of the sea between two waves, a d. atween twa waves (Uⁿ.). 3) a break in the weather; lull; abatement: a) calming of rough sea; he is a d. i’ de sea, the sea has gone down somewhat (Du.); b) short break between showers or squalls (Wests.); he’s just a d. for de maament [‘moment’] (Sa.); c) break in a storm or rough weather (N.Roe), a d. i’ de wadder [‘weather’], dali [dāli], a dali i’ de wadder: α) in N.Roe = dal 3 c; β) a fall in strong wind (Conn.; Du.), he’s makin’ a dal or dali, there is a break in the rough weather (in the storm), the gale abates. Cf. dol, sb. 4) a sound; firth; inlet (Fo.); mainly as a place-name; the inlet to the village “Ham” in Foula is thus called “de Dal”. — In sense 1, dal is now scarcely found except in place-names, mostly as a suffix in names of dales where, however, it is often pronounced del [dɛl, unstressed dɛl, del, dəl], influenced by Eng. “dale”, a word which is used colloquially in Shetl., side by side with “valley”. In Unst the form -dal is now, however, mostly used. See Shetl. Stedn. pp. 86—87. — O.N. dalr, m., dale. For dal (dali) 3, cf. No. dala av, vb., of storm-charged clouds: to glide away from the sky. — Shetl. dal [dāl] is also found in sense of a strip of level land; a flat, fertile patch of arable land, thus: a d. o’ grund, a bere-d., small patch of arable land for the sowing of barley (Ai.), “every tun (farm) has its dals”

(Conn.); but in this case, dal comes from Celt. (Gael.) dail, sb., a patch of field, which often is found as the first part of Scottish place-names, denoting field; flat land. The two words are merged in Shetlandic. — See the compds. dala-mist, dala-mjork, dal(a)-reek, dalslag.

dal¹ [dāl], vb., prop. to descend; sink, now doubtless only in fig. sense: to diminish; cease; calm; a) of a short break in rough weather (between showers, squalls): to break; to calm; he’s dalin, there is a lull, = he’s a dal (Wests.); also of the subsiding of strong wind (S.Sh.); b) of rough sea: to assuage, go down, become calmer, noted down in Du. in the form dali [dāli]; he’s dalid a little. — O.N. dala, vb., to descend; sink; No. dala av, of storm-charged clouds: to glide from the sky (R.). See dal, sb. 3.

dal² [dāl] and dali [dāli], vb., to idle about; to come sauntering behind, to geng dal(i)in aboot, to come dal(i)in ahint or behint [‘behind’]. dali is now the usual form. Sw. dial. dala, dalla, vb., to go slowly; to dawdle; No. dalla, vb., to fidget; bustle, indicates quicker movements, -i in Shetl. “dali” probably originates from Eng. “dally”.

dalamist, dala-mist, sb., see under dalamjork.

dalamjork [dā··lamjȯ‘rk·] and dalamork [dā··lamȯ‘rk·], sb., mist lying in the dales while the heights are clear. Y^h. *dala-mjǫrkvi (myrkvi), “dale-mist”. O.N. mjǫrkvi, myrkvi, m., dense fog; Fær. mjörki, m., mist (summer-mist), is often used of low-lying mist or fog while the upper atmosphere is clear; Fær. pollamjörki corresponds to Shetl. dalamjork. In U. is used dalamist [dā··lamɩst·], dalamist = dalamjork; mist is here either O.N. mistr, m., mist, or Eng. “mist”. In