Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland Part I.pdf/225

ver is also comm. used in the sense of a) to walk aimlessly, blindly, to geng daverin; b) to speak incoherently and vaguely, to speak daverin; c) to fall into a slumber, to d. ower (Ai.), but is in the three last given senses L.Sc. dauer, daiver, vb., to become or to be benumbed, or stupid. Cf. dover, vb.

davet [dāvot], adj., in the phrases “d. kirn, d. milk” = dava, sb.; q.v. Wests. Y. (Y^h.).

däi [däi], sb., 1) commotion in the sea; heave; swell, esp. as harbinger of storm; der’r a d. i’ de sea; Fe. 2) wave; Y^h.; Fe. — Sometimes = moderdäi, a shoreward drift, current under the surface of the sea, by which the fishermen (before the compass was in general use) steered their boats to the shore, e.g. in fog; to finn de land by de d. (Burra). Prob. to be classed with O.N. dýja, vb., to shake; Icel. dýja, vb., to move; draw to and fro (B.H.). For the development of sound í, ý > äi in Shetl. see Introd. V (also N.Spr. VII), §§ 6, 12, — and cf. däib, vb.

däib [däib], sb., prop. dipping, or one who dips (see däib, vb.), comm. in fig. sense: a person keenly and constantly occupied with some business, esp. with trifles; generally an elderly person: a auld [‘old’] d. o’ a creature. Noted down in Unst in the foll. senses: one who strives and toils, esp. of an aged, decrepit person; an old, worn-out animal; a jade (Uⁿ.); a worn-out person or animal (horse), a auld d. o’ a mare (Uⁿ.); a person who is very slow at work (U^wg.); a person who roams too much about and comes home late (U^wg.), — For the etym. relation, see the foll. däib, vb.

däib [däib], vb., 1) to dip, esp. of sea-fowl: to dip the beak into the water, to d. i’ de water; also dip, in general. 2) fig.: a) to be con-

stantly at sea, occupied with fishing; he’s däibin i’ de sea for ever (Fe^w.); b) usually: to plod, to work assiduously, esp. to be very much occupied with trifles; comm.; as vb. n. and vb. a.: he’s däibin, or däibin him [‘himself’]; c) to strive and toil; to slave, esp. of an aged, somewhat worn-out person; an old jade; to d. on (Uⁿ.); d) constantly to soil oneself, to d. intill [‘into’] gutter (dirt); Conn.; e) to engage or indulge in gossip, to d. intill clash or gossip; Conn.; f) to stay out long, away from home (U^wg.); de kye [‘cows’] lie däibin ut till de head o’ dimm (dimm = midnight in summer). — *dýpa, vb., to dip, from O.N. djúp, n., deep; cf. L.G. djupen, O.N. dúfa, deyfa and deypa, vb., to dip. The development í, ý > äi is rather freq. in Shetl. Norn (through infl. of Eng.); cf. däi, sb., and däi(e)n under dien¹, sb.

däin and däien, sb., see dien¹, sb.

de [de, də], pron. neut. sing., it, O.N. þat, prop. dem., but only used impersonally and indefinitely in the expr. “de wer’”, it was; de [de] wer’ ae [ē] day, that…, it was a day, that…; assimilates in pronunc. to “de’ wer’” for “der’ wer’”, there were (was). The form de, it, appears in the first line of an old Norn verse from Unst: De vare (vera) gue ti [də vārə, vɛra, gūə ti̇̄], etc., it was at an opportune time, etc.; see the Introd. Cf. the use of dat, pron.

†deffi [dæf(f)i], sb., a species of web-footed bird, sanderling. Wh. Poss. referable to L.Sc. daff, vb., to be foolish; make sport; toy.

*defna-jora [dæf··najō·ra], sb., “deaf-ear", in sarcastic address to a deaf person; also *defna-jorna [dæf··najor·na]. Fo. *dauf-øyra (No. dauv-øyra, Da. døvøre). The first part of the compd. is anglicised, the ending -na is prob. due to influence of Eng.

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