víðir

See also: vidir and Víðir

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse víðir, from Proto-Germanic *wīþijō, from Proto-Indo-European *wéh₁itis (that which twines or bends, branch, switch). Cognate to Dutch wijde (willow), Swedish vide.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈviːðɪr/
  • Rhymes: -iːðɪr
  • Homophone: Víðir

Noun

víðir m (genitive singular víðis, no plural)

  1. willow

Declension

Declension of víðir (sg-only masculine)
singular
indefinite definite
nominative víðir víðirinn
accusative víði víðinn
dative víði víðinum
genitive víðis víðisins

Synonyms

  • (willow): pílviður (rare), píll (archaic)

Derived terms

Old Norse

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *wīþijaz (willow), from Proto-Indo-European *wéh₁itis (that which twines or bends, branch, switch), to a root sense of braid, intertwine etc, also found in Old Norse veggr (wall), and potentially dialectal Scandinavian vina, Icelandic vínast (to mate among birds). Compare also wire and wind. See related Proto-Germanic *wiþiz, *wiþjǭ (cord, rope), from Proto-Indo-European *wéh₁itis (that which twines), from *weyt- (that which winds or bends, branch, switch), from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (to turn, wind, bend).

Cognate to Middle Low German wīde; Middle Dutch wide, Dutch wijde; Old High German wīda, Middle High German wīde, German weide; also Old English wíþig, English withy, Old English wiþþe, English withe; Old Frisian withthe; Latin vitis (grape vine, grape stock); Ancient Greek ἰτέα (itéa, willow); Old Church Slavonic větvь (větvĭ), Russian ветвь (vetvʹ, branch, bough, limb); Old Prussian witwan (willow); Latvian vītols (willow); Lithuanian vyti̇̀s (willow twig); Old Irish féith (fiber, sinue); Avestan vaēiti- (willow).

Noun

víðir m (genitive víðis)

  1. willow
Declension
Declension of víðir (strong ija-stem, singular only)
masculine singular
indefinite definite
nominative víðir víðirinn
accusative víði víðinn
dative víði víðinum
genitive víðis víðisins
Descendants
  • Icelandic: víðir
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vier
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: vidje, vier
  • Old Swedish: viþir
  • Old Danish: wyde
  • Old Swedish: vidhe

Further reading

  • Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “víðir”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 498; also available at the Internet Archive

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

víðir

  1. positive degree strong masculine nominative plural of víðr

Verb

víðir

  1. inflection of víða:
    1. second/third-person singular present indicative active
    2. second-person singular present subjunctive active