# An Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland/E

E.
eart’-fast [æ‘rt··fast·], adj., fixed in the earth, of a stone: e.-f. sten, = O.N. jarðfastr, j. steinn. See jardfast, vb.
ebb [ɛb, æb], sb., not only = Eng. ebb, but denotes also foreshore, that part of the shore overflowed at flood-tide and left dry at ebb. to geng to de e., to go to the shore (the rocks) to gather limpets, patella, for bait. In O.N., fjara, f., is partly a) ebb, partly b) foreshore, dry at ebb.
ebbmidder [ɛb··mıd·ər, æb··-], sb., 1) a very heavy wave, running farther up the shore than the rest. Nm$^w$. 2) a very heavy current or eddy, caused by the ebb; Nm.; Y. Esp. used of the heavy current (eddy) in Yell Sound, between Yell and Northmavine. 3) a large stone on the sea-shore (see ebb-sten, sb.). U$^n$. — Prob. an anglicised form from an old Norn word *fjǫru-móðir. For “ebb” = foreshore, beach, see prec.; “midder” [Shetl. form of L.Sc. mither, mother] is frequently used of something unusually large, and in like manner No. “moder” is sometimes used, see further “midder”, sb. For ebbmidder 1 cf. No. grunnmoder, f., in sense of: the largest of a series of billows.
ebb-pikker [ɛb··pık·ər, æb··-], sb., purple sandpiper, sea-fowl, = No. fjørepist, fjøretit, m. (No. fjøra, f., ebb, foreshore), and rurpikka, f. See ruderpikker, sb.
ebb-sleeper, sb., a species of sea-fowl, occas. = ebb-pikker (see prec.) and “ebb-snippek b (c?)” (see below), occas., acc. to Edm., = Eng. “plover-page”, “dunlin”. Cf. ruderpikker, sb.
ebb-snippek [ɛb··snıp·ək, æb··-], sb., reported as a name for the foll. wading-birds, sea-fowl: a) turnstone; b) dunlin; c) sandpiper, “purple sandpiper”. Nm$^w$. *(fjǫru-) snípa. See snippek, sb.
ebb-sten [ɛb··sten·, æb·-], sb., a stone on the sea-shore, — O.N. fjǫru-steinn (from fjara b; see ebb, sb.). Sometimes the pl., “ebb-stens”, is used in sense of sea-shore (Y$^h$.).
*ed [ēd], sb., an isthmus; neck of land; narrow strip of land between two seas (firths), O.N. eið, n. As a place-name (name of a village) ed is found in several places (Ai., C., Br., Wh., Fe.). eð [ēð]: Du. The word is still partly remembered in S.Sh. in its orig. meaning, but is elsewhere quite obs. As the first part of a compd. in place-names, pronounced “ē, ɛ”, e.g. E(d)seter [ēstər] (C.): *eið-setr; E(d)snes [ēsnes] (C.): *eiðsnes; E(d)sting [ēsten, ēstən], name of a parish (M$^w$.): *eiðs-þing; Efirt, Effirt [ɛfert] (St.): *eið-fjǫrdr (really name of a firth, now name of a village). More rarely used as the second part of a compd., and then in the form “e (ē)” or quite dropped (after a vowel); thus: Bre [brē], older Bre-e [brē-ē, brē-e] (De$^n$.), now name of a village, from *breið-eið, “the broad neck of land”, opposite to the ​neighbouring Meves grind [mēves grɩnd] from *mæfeiðs grind, which marks the boundary between Nm. and De.; *mæf-eið, "the narrow neck of land” (O.N. mær, mæf-, parallel form to mjór, mjár, adj., slender). Through Meve(s) the older forms “Mæfeid, Mæveid, Mawed” are found; hence the name of the parish “Northmavine” [nå‘rt·mē·vən], older: firer nordhan Mæfeid, for nordan Mawed, Norden Mæveid [*fyrir norðan mæfeið]. See Sh. Stedn. pp. 88-89. — Besides *ed (eð) a form, not yet obs., is found in N.Sh. (N.I., esp. in Y.; Nm$^w$.), je or jæ [jē, jɛ̄, jǣ] in a somewhat diff. sense, viz.: shoal; extensive bank in the sea, forming a way of communication at low-water; see je, sb.
eder$^1$ [ēdər, ē$^ə$dər; edər], sb., 1) venom; poison; fig., in several senses, such as: sharp, acrid fluid; cancer; bitter cold, a e. o’ cauld [‘cold’]; evil speech, to spit e.; Y. More comm.: jeder and eter, q.v. eter as the first part in various compds. 2) a bubble of foam like a clot of spittle, containing an insect; to be seen in the grass in the outfields, esp. in autumn, and said to be poisonous and harmful to cattle; Y$^h$.: [ēdər, ē$^ə$dər]; also eder-spittle (Y$^h$.) and eterfrod (U.), q.v.; in Mainland comm.: bro, see bro$^2$, sb. — O.N. eitr, n., venom; poison, also inter alia: bitter cold; enmity.
eder$^2$ [ēdər], sb., denotes certain, partly mythical fish. Appears really (esp. acc. to a description from Nm$^w$. of the rows of scales on the fish) to mean weaver-fish, trachinus (thus Wests. occas., esp. Fo., and Nm$^w$. occas.), and is, in that case, doubtless an abbr. of an old *eitr-fiskr (venomous fish, poisonous fish); No. eit(e)rfisk, m., weaver-fish, trachinus draco (said to have poisonous R.). Nowadays eder most often means a kind of mythical fish, feared by fishermen, as it is said to be able to perforate their boats when at sea (thus e.g. in the N.I.). The phrase “to fly like a(n) eder”, to make rapid headway, is used in several places, e.g. on Wests. and in the N.I. From Esh., Nm$^w$., “de eder” is reported as a name for the sea-serpent, and in U$^n$. eder is occas. used (by elderly fishermen) as a name for the lamprey. In the two latter cases, the Shetl. word appears to be a (L.Sc.?) form of Eng. adder in the expr. “sea-adder”, used of the fish, the fifteen-spined stickleback. Cf. also Eng. dial. adder-pike = trachinus vipera.
edjek (idjek) [edᶎək], sb., an eddy, branch from a main current; esp. at the turn of the tide: a smaller current, running before the proper tide sets in. Norwick, U$^n$. O.N. iða, f., an eddy, backward-running current, separating from the main current in a watercourse. Cf. idi, sb.
*ednin, sb., see ern, sb.
ee [i̇̄], sb., is L.Sc. ee, eye, but is used in Shetl. in various meanings orig. from the old joga, jog, hjog, eye, and diff. somewhat from Eng. (L.Sc.), thus: 1) a small, roundish hollow; pool of water; O.N. auga, n., a) an eye; b) a hole; hollow; small swamp, etc.; No. auga, n., a) an eye; b) a pool of waler (in place-names), Fær. eyga, n., a) an eye; b) a small hollow; peat-pit. *joga (eye) is found in Fo. as a place-name in the sense of a puddle: de Pøls o’ de Jogins. 2) two braided lengths of straw in a plaited straw-basket, = hjog$^2$; de “een” o’ de kessi = de hjogs o’ de kessi. — “ee” is comm. used in sense of the central part of anything, e.g. de ee o’ de set or skor (set, skor = fishing-ground).
efald, adj., see enfald, adj.
efter [æfter], prep., after, O.N. eptir, L.Sc. efter, eftir, as well as “after”. ​to lay ane’s mind e. a ting; see lay, vb. to wait e. ane, to wait for somebody, = Icel. bíða eptir einhverjum, Fær. bíða ettir einun; in Eng., however, to wait for somebody. — Sometimes used adverbially in a sense orig. from the Norn and diff. from Eng. and L.Sc., esp. in the sense of towards; along; in a certain direction, = No. etter, Fær. ettir; thus: nort’ e., in a northerly direction; sooth e., in a southerly direction; ower e., towards that side, in that direction over there; in e., inwards, farther in; ut e., a) with stress on “ut”: outward, in an outward direction; b) with stress on efter: all the time after, right through, from beginning to end; he was de same ut e.; when onyting [‘something’] is right or wrang done, it will be right or wrang a’ [‘all’] ut e. (Sa.); in the same sense Fær. “út ettir”. — “Lat dem red it op, as dey’re able or sibb efter”, let them arrange or settle it as they are able to, or as they are related (acc. to their family relations or intimacy) (Fe.).
efter [æftər]-boat, sb., a boat which cannot keep up with the others, fig. of a person less important than or inferior to another. O.N. eptirbátr, m., a) a boat towed after a vessel; b) a person inferior to another; Icel. eptirbátur, Fær. ettirbátur, m., a person inferior to another.
efterhank [æf··tərha‘ŋk·], sb., the place where the side-planks of a boat are mortised together with the stern; the stern-compartment ofa boat. See hank, sb.
efterkast [æf··tərkast·], sb., afterclap, = No. etterkast, n., L.Sc. aftercast. Also comm. “efterklaps”, sb. (pl.), id.
efter [æftər]-makin’, sb., 1) forgery; imitation; counterfeit work. 2) discovering of stolen goods by witchcraft. In the same senses No. ettergjerd, Fær. ettirgerð, f. See mak’, m. efter, vb.
efterman [æf··tərman·], sb., a follower; successor. No. ettermann.
efter [æftər] -peat, sb., an outside peat in a peat-bank, = skjumpek. Y$^h$.
efterskuttel [æf··tərskot·əl], sb., bottom board or floor in the stern of a boat. Sa. See skuttel, skottel$^1$, sb.
efterstander [æf··tərstān·dər], sb., something left standing, esp.: a) a small cabbage-plant, not yet fit for taking up from the so-called “planti-krobb or -krø” (small enclosure for young cabbage-plants) to be planted in the vegetable garden; Y.; Fe.; b) wet peat, not sufficiently dried to be taken home from the hill at the usual time when the peats are brought home; Y. *eptir-standari.
eg or egg [ɛg], sb., chastisement; correction, in such exprs. as: a) to get ane’s e., to get one’s deserved punishment, du’s [‘you have’] gotten dy e.; b) to gi’e ane his e.; I’ll gi’e dee dy e., I will give you your deserts. Ti. Either O.N. agi, m., in sense of awe; chastisement (cf. Shetl. agisom, adj., agos, sb.), or to be classed with egg, vb., to egg; urge.
ega, sb., see aga, sb.
egg$^1$ [ɛg, æg], sb., an egg; bird’s egg, O.N. egg, n.
*egg$^2$ [ɛg, æg], sb., an edge; ridge, sharp-crested hill, now only in place-names; see Sh. Stedn., p. 88. O.N. egg, f., an edge; sharp ridge.
egg [ɛg(g), æg(g)] and ägg [äg(g)], vb., to egg; drive; incite; stir up, = O.N. eggja. Esp. to egg someone to do harm; to e. twa togedder, to set two together (quarrelling or fighting). egg: comm. ägg: Wests. (Fo.).
ei [æi], interj., eh! ha! esp. as an expr. of surprise, = hei. Fo. O.N. ei, interj., eh! ha!
eident, adj., see idint.
*ek [ek], pron., I, O.N. ek; only ​in an old Norn fragment, the verse: Skjere, skjere skulma! ek ska(l) skjera (I shall cut) — see Introd. In the Foula-ballad (Hildina-ballad), by assimilation, “yach” and “yagh” (cf. Sw. jag). — Acc. sing., mog [mɔg, mȯg], me, O.N. mik, is preserved in the verse about the crow and the crab; cf. “moch” in the Foula-ballad. mier and mir, me, in dat. sing., O.N. mér, are found in the Foula-ballad. nom. pl.: *vi (Lord’s Prayer), we, O.N. vér, pl., and vit, dual; vi is most prob. developed from “vit”, like *di (see du, pron.) from “þit”. *vus and *wus (Lord’s Prayer), acc. dat. pl., us, O.N. oss. — Cf. min (mine), poss. pron.
eken [ækən], adj., thin; meagre; a puir [‘poor’] e. body. U$^n$. Poss. for *heken, and cognate either with No. hik, hek, m., a small corner; a thin, insignificant person, of which “hekel”, a small corner; a tall, thin man, is a derivative, or with No. hekkja, f., a long shelf; tall, thin woman. eken almost assimilates in pronunc. to “achin’ [-ɩn]”, from Eng. ache, vb.
eker [ɛkər, ækər], sb., 1*) corn (field), in the phrase “e [ɛkər] and hø”, corn and hay; Du. 2) crushed mass of corn, trampled or blown down on the field; in a wider sense: decomposed or crushed mass; decomposed (crushed) state; to lie in e.; to lay in e. (to crush; destroy). See aker, sb.
ekra, sb., see ekrabung, sb.
ekrabung [æk··raboŋ·] and ekerbung [æk··raboŋ·], sb., denotes diff. sorts of grass, esp. weeds in the field: barley-grass, oat-grass or brome-grass, rye-grass, couch-grass. Also long, dry grass; the aftermath, fog-grass (U$^{wg}$.: ekrabung). In the N.I. as a parallel form to okrabung; q.v. From Y$^n$. is reported an abbr. form ekra [ækra] in the sense of weeds. — O.N. ekra, f., land ploughed up; cultivated land; field (deriv. of “akr”, m.); No. ækra, f., Sw. dial. ekra, äkra, f., a fallow field; meadow, formerly field. — For the last part see bung$^2$, sb.
eksben [æks··ben·], sb., the rump-piece of a cow, given as payment to one who slaughters a cow. U.
eksis-girs [æk··sɩsgɩ‘rs·, -gə‘rs·], sb., a plant, occas.: a) dandelion, taraxacum, also called “bitter-aks” and “bitter-flooer”; occas.: b) devil’s-bit, scabiosa succisa. The first part, eksi, is prob. an older *exi from O.N. ax, n., ear of corn, raceme; No. ekse, n., = ear of corn. Cf. “bitter-aks” as a name for the dandelion.
*eld [ɛld, eld], sb., fire, a) noted down as belonging to the Unst fishermen’s tabu-lang. at sea (U$^n$.); b) handed down in an old rigmarole from Unst, preserved in Nm.: De vare (vera) gue ti . . . . . . hann kann ca’ e. [eld] fire . . . . . (see Introd.). Other forms (from Wests.) are: ilder, ildin (hildin); q.v. O.N. eldr, m., fire.
†elderin [æl··dərɩn], adj., elderly, up in years, a e. man. N.I. Also O.Eng. and L.Sc. (eldern, eldren, elderin). Da. aldrende, No. eldande (R.); O.N. aldrænn, aldraðr, aldinn, adj., old.
elf(s)wind [æ‘lf(s)wɩnd], sb., nettlerash; a sort of rash with small, red spots and pimples, prop. elf-wind, as the complaint was supposed to be caused by the breath of the elves; “du’s gotten e.-w. upo dee”. Anglicised form of an old *alf-blástr or *alf-gustr, -vindr (O.N. alfr, m., elf; O.N. blástr, gustr, m., wind, breath of wind); cf. No. alvblaaster, elveblaast, alvgust, Sw. dial. elvblåst, m., rash, nettlerash. The old Shetl. form of O.N. “alfr”, occurring in the Shetl. place-names (esp. hill-names), is wolv (wol) from *olv (Icel. álfr, Fær. álvur), e.g. Wolvhul [wȯlvol, -vəl, -wȯl], O.N. *alf-hóll; Wolvhul ​[wȯlvol] in Clumlie, Du., also called “Bokis’ brae” (Shetl. boki, sb., hill-man or hill-lady); see Sh. Stedn., pp. 59 and 112. L.Sc. and Shetl. elf-shot, sb. and adj. Da. elverskud, sb., elleskudt, adj., No. alvskot, sb., denote diff. diseases considered to be caused by the elves.
*elin [ɛlɩn], sb., a shower; dark cloud (in frosty weather), O.N. él and *élingr — see jelin, sb., which is now the current form.
elis, eles? [ēlɩs, ɛ̄$^ə$ləs], a strong current of air; strong draught, a e. o’ wind. Du. compd.? el- is doubtless O.N. él, n., a shower, No. eling, m., a) a shower; b) jerk; attack, Sw. il, m. (in dialect also n.), a violent gust of wind. elis, eles is poss. only a gen. form “éls” or “*élings” with the second part of the compd. dropped.
ell, sb., a stripe. See il, sb.
*elsk, vb., to love, acc. to Edm. O.N. elska, vb., to love. Cf. the foll. word.
*elsket$^1$ [æ‘lskət], an exclamation; saying, used by an old woman in Fedeland (N.Roe), in the phrase “e. I! wearied I!” From O.N. elska, vb., to love?
elsket$^2$, adj., see ilsket, adj.
elt [æ‘lt], sb., 1) a kneaded mass, No. and Fær. elta, f. 2) mud; mire, Fær. elta, f. 3) fig. a jumble; bungled work; to mak’ a e. o’ onyting (N.Roe). See elt$^1$, vb.
elt$^1$ [æ‘lt], vb., 1) to squeeze; handle too roughly; pull about; du’s eltin dat creature (ketlin, kitten, or whelp) to death, boy! (Sa.). 2) to knead (prop. and esp. dough; butter), to e. dough, butter; in a fig. sense: to be very long about doing something, to e. on a ting (U$^n$.). 3) to dig and rake up the ground for something; to rake in dirt, to lie eltin; (Conn.); dey’re eltin at de taatis [‘potatoes’], they are eagerly occupied in taking up the potatoes (Conn.); de hands is eltet [æ‘ltət] wi’ dirt, your hands are soiled with dirt (Y.; Fe.). 4) to chase; pursue eagerly, to e. efter a sheep (Conn.). 5) to keep close at another person’s heels, to geng eltin efter ane (Sa.). O.N. elta, vb., a) to squeeze; press; knead; b) to drive; chase; Fær. elta, vb., a) to knead; b) to keep close at the heels of someone, elta ein.
elt$^2$ [æ‘lt], vb., to spew; vomit. Conn. Connected with the preceding elt$^1$, vb.?
em [ē$^ə$m], vb., of meat and esp. of fish: to swarm with small, crawling maggots; de fish (flesh) is emin, the fish (meat) is full of small, moving maggots. Also æm [ǣ$^ə$m]. Y., Fe. Prob. to be classed with No. eima, ema, æma, vb., to steam; reek; smoulder, and with ima, vb. (cognate with eima), to show a slight indication of something; to gleam; ripple; move; smoulder; warm; stream. Cf. orm, vb.
emek [emək], sb., sea-term, tabu-name in fishermen’s lang. for fire. Nm$^n$. O.N. eimr, m., steam, in poetry also fire (Eg.). — For other tabu-names in Shetl. for fire, see birtek, brenner (brenna), fona, *furin, ilder (ildin) and eld.
emers [ēmərs], sb. pl., and em(m)er [ɛmər, æmər], sb. sing., embers; red-hot ashes. N.Roe. The form emmers [ɛmərs, æmərs] is more widespread. The long e.-sound in emers indicates that the word arises from O.N. eimyrja, f., embers, with addition of plural -s from Eng. embers, L.Sc. ameris, emmers. From “eimyrja” arises also the sing. form em(m)er (N.I.?). The Norse, Eng. and L.Sc. forms are merged together in emmers, pl.
emerswakk [em··ərswak·], sb., = amerswakk, sb.
emikin [em··ɩkɩn·], sb., commonly ​in the pl.: emikins, a collection or heap of tiny objects, e.g. small potatoes; a lock [‘lot’] o’ emikins. Disparaging expr. Fe. Prob. derived in a jocular way from O.N. ím, n., dust; a layer of dust. Cf. Sw. dial. im, n., fish fry (Ri.). See umikin, sb.
eml, emmel [æməl], sb., bungle; bungled work; badly prepared food or drink; to mak’ a e. o’ a ting. Du. Parallel form to aml, ammel$^1$ (ambel), sb., q.v.
eml, emmel [æməl], vb., to bungle; to carry out work badly, esp. in the expr. “e. efter”, to copy; imitate (defectively, poorly); to try to e. efter somet’in’ (Esh., Nm$^w$.). Parallel form to aml, ammel (ambel), vb.
emmer, sb., see emers, sb. pl.
emp, sb., see hemp, sb.
emsket [e‘mskət], adj., of colour: dusky gray or bluish, mixed and indefinite. Ai. See under imet, imsket, adj.
en [ē$^ə$n, en], numeral, one, assimilates to L.Sc. “ane”, but has arisen from O.N. “einn”. The neut. form *et [et] is preserved in an old rigmarole from Fe. (the riddle about the cow); see Introd.
end [ænd, æᶇd], sb., breath; respiration; to draw de e., to draw one’s breath; “he drew his e.”, in a special sense: he drew a deep breath; he recovered his breath, of a person out of breath (Sa.). Diff. in the expr.: to swallow de e., to swallow phlegm in one’s throat so as to be able to breathe more easily (Br.); I could no [‘not’] get my e. swallowed. From O.N. andi, m., breath, under infl. of L.Sc. “aynd, end, eind”, sb., breath. Cf. and, sb., which is used in a somewhat diff. sense.
*ende [ɛndə], adv., yet; still; even now, = *ante. In an old rigmarole. Fo. *enn þá; Icel. ennþá (Fær. enntá), adv., yet; still; even now.
endlang [ɛnd··laŋ·, ænd··-], adj., at full length, from end to end, = O.N. end(i)langr, adj. Also L.Sc.
endmark [ɛnd··ma‘rk, ænd··-], sb., the farthest boundary, = No. endemerke; O.N. endamark and endamerki, n., end; boundary.
en [æn]-draught and en-draw, sb., see i(n)-draught, in-draw, sb.
enfald [en··fāld·] and more comm.: efald [ē··fāld·], adj., single (consisting of a single part, not folded), in contrast to “twafald”, double. O.N. einfaldr, adj., single. The form efald is L.Sc. “afald, aefauld”, which in Jam. is only mentioned in fig. sense (honest, without duplicity).
*eng [ɛŋ(g), æŋ(g)], sb., meadow. Now only in place-names as the final, or more freq. as the first, part of a compd. (gen.: enga-, enger-). Examples: de Ørarengs [ør··arɛŋs·] (U$^c$.), pl., pasture near the sea-shore: *øyrar-engjar. With a double pl. ending (Norn -er and Eng. -s): de Engers [eŋgərs] (Ti.): *engjar. Engamor [æŋ··amȯr·, -mər·] (W. Burr., Ai.): *engjar-mýrr, and Engamosdelds [eŋ··əmȯsdɛlds·] (Bakka, De.): *engjarmós-deildir; Engermorvatn [æŋ·gərmȯrvatn·] (Sandw., Du.): *engjarmýrar-vatn. de Engatus [ɛŋ··gatūs·] (Y): *engjar-þúfur. — O.N. eng, f., a meadow; whence N.Eng. ing, id.
*en(g)skipta [enskɩp·ta, ɩn-], sb., a meadow-lot; allotted piece of meadow; now only as a place-name, e.g. de E. o’ Hul, de E. o’ Isbister. N.Roe. The meaning of the word (the name) is still partly understood, though the first syllable is comm. regarded as Eng. “in”. — O.N. engjaskipti, n., division of meadow-lots.
enk (ink) [e‘ŋk, ə‘ŋk, ʌ‘ŋk] and jenk (jink) [je‘ŋk (jɩ‘ŋk), jə‘ŋk, jꜵ̈‘ŋk, jʌ‘ŋk], sb., 1) prop. possession, but nowadays only in a very restricted application, esp. = sweetheart, a person to whom one is engaged; shø ​[‘she’] never had a jenk (U$^n$.); he is still a jenk, he is certainly not worth much, but still so much that one may put up with him as a sweetheart (lit., is still a possession): U$^n$.; if it was a little wort’ sweetheart, hit [‘it’] was still a jenk (Fe.); sicc a ane [‘such a one’] didno [‘-not’] wort’ ha’e a jenk (so-and-so had no one whom he or she might call sweetheart): Fe. 2) dedication; transfer: a) transfer of something of slight importance; to gi’e a body (person) a jenk o’ onyting, to transfer something (a little thing, a trifle) to one: U$^n$.; b) more comm.: dedication or transfer to someone (mostly a little child), not as a real property, but so as to give it the name of possession, esp. to call a young domestic animal its own; to gi’e ane (a bairn) de enk (jenk) o’ a lamb, o’ a chicken; to get de enk (jenk) o’ a lamb or chicken; I ga’e him (her) de enk o’ it. N.Sh. Meaning 2 b is the most common, and in this sense, the word is noted down both with and without prefixed j; meaning 1 is reported only with prefixed j (N.I.); cf. jenk, sb. — The diff. main forms are distributed thus: a) enk (ink): Fe. (meaning 2 b), Nm., De. (De$^n$.); b) jenk (jink): U., Y. and (in meaning 1) Fe. — The diff. forms of the pronunc. of enk are distributed thus: Fe. [ə‘ŋk]; Nm$^n$. (N.Roe) [e‘ŋk, ə‘ŋk]; Esh., Nm$^w$. [ʌ‘ŋk]; De$^n$. [ə‘ŋk]; the diff. forms of pronunc. of jenk: U$^n$. [jʌ‘ŋk]; U$^{wg}$. [je‘ŋk (jɩ‘ŋk), jə‘ŋk]; Y$^n$. [je‘ŋk (jɩ‘ŋk)]; Fe. [jə‘ŋk, jꜵ̈‘ŋk]. — enk, jenk prob. through *eng, *jeng from *egn, *jegn by change of g and n, and the consequent hardening of g to k (cf. “honk” and “lunk$^2$”, vb.). — In old Shetl. deeds (in L.Sc. dial., partly mixed with Norn) the word is found written eing, aing (ayng), more rarely eyne, in sense of possession, esp. in the expr. “eing and owthell”: O.N. eign ok óðal (Deeds rel. to Orkn. and Zetl. 1433—1581; see also G.Q., Ant. p. 139 ff.). A form ayning is found in Balfour. — O.N. eign, f., possession.
enk (ink) [e‘ŋk (ɩ‘nk), ə‘ŋk, ʌ‘ŋk] and jenk (jink) [je‘ŋk (jɩ‘ŋk), (jə‘ŋk), jʌ‘ŋk], vb., 1) to dedicate or transfer something to one (only nominally), to allow a child to call something, esp. a young domestic animal, its property without real ownership; a) with prep. “till”: to enk (ink) a chicken till so-and-so (Esh., Nm$^w$.); I enked de lamb till her (Fe.); I jenked (jinked) de lamb till [‘to’] Jamie (Y$^n$.); b) with addition “upon ane’s name”: to enk a [‘an’] animal upon a body’s (some bairn’s) name (De$^n$.); we sould [‘should’] jenk (jink) it (de lamb) upo dy name (Wests.). 2) of children: to be allowed to call something, esp. a young domestic animal, one’s own, and let it go by one’s name; I’m [I have’] enket a chicken (N.Roe). — enk: Fe. [ə‘ŋk]; Nm$^n$. (N.Roe) [e‘ŋk, ə‘ŋk]; Esh., Nm$^w$. [ʌ‘ŋk]; De$^n$. [ə‘ŋk]; jenk: U. [jʌ‘ŋk: U$^n$.]; Y. [je‘ŋk (jɩ‘ŋk): Y$^n$.]; Wests. [je‘ŋk]. enk, jenk prob. through *eng, *jeng from *egn, *jegn; see under enk, sb. — O.N. eigna, vb. to transfer something to someone; eignask (eigna sér), to appropriate, to get possession of. Cf. jenk, vb.
ennapi [eᶇ··api·, æᶇ··api·], ennepi [eᶇ··əpi·], ennepig [ɛn··əpi̇̄g· (ɛn··i-), æn··əpi̇̄g·], sb., a tiny, fragile creature, used e.g. of lambs, chickens; often, however, also of people; more rarely of inanimate things, small objects. Other forms are: annapi [äᶇ··api·], jennapi [jɛn··api·] onnapi [oᶇ··api·] and äinapiti [äi·napit·i]. Sometimes with -bi for -pi: ennabi, ennebi [eᶇ··abi·, eᶇ··ə-] (U. occas.), or with dropped -i: annep [ä$^i$nəp, äᶇəp]: De. [ä$^i$nəp] and Wd. [äᶇəp]. — ennapi, ennepi: N.Sh. ​(esp. N.I.); ennepi: Conn.; ennepig: Du.; jennapi and ennapi, ennepi: U.; äinapiti and ennapi, [æᶇa-]: N.Roe; annapi: Fo. (occas.) and P.; onnapi: Fo. (occas.). In Fo. and P. the word is only noted down as used of something tiny; elsewhere comm. with implied sense of frailty, feebleness: sometimes this implied sense has changed and become the chief sense. In Conn. ennepi comm. denotes an impertinent child. In Edm.’s Glossary the word is found in three places, diff. spelt and defined in each place (poss. regarded as three diff. words): “eenabie: diminutive, small for one’s age”; “inyaby: a defeated cock driven away and kept at a distance by the ruler of the dunghill”; “jennapie: a dwarfish person or animal”. — The last syllable pi is prob. an abbr. of pig [pi̇̄g], denoting a small creature or thing, little cabbage-stalk, = peg, pegi. piti is No. pit, m., or pita, f., a small, slender thing (R. suppl.), pita, a tiny fish (R.). The first part of the compd. doubtless intensifies the second part, so that the root-meaning of ennapi, etc. is something diminutive and insignificant, though in a few places the diminutive idea has been forced back and that of frailty, feebleness, has come to the front: a weakling, etc., thus, esp. in Du.: ennepig. enna- (jenna-), enne-, anna-, äina- and onna- may originate from an *agn-; cf. No. agn, n., a grain; particle, in compds. such as: agneliten, diminutive, and in derivatives: egnende (ægnande) liten, ognende (øgnande) liten = agneliten (R.).— ennapinakket [eᶇ··api·-nakət], a little, obstinate fellow (U$^w$.). The last part of this word is doubtless L.Sc. nachet, nacket, sb., an insignificant person, also an obstinate fellow.
*enni [ɛni, ɛᶇɩ (ɩᶇɩ, äᶇɩ, äini)], sb., a steep projection, steep slope. edni [ædni, ædnɩ] and idni [ɩdni]: Fo. Now only in place-names, commonly preceded by the def. art. Examples: de Enni [ɛᶇɩ] (Skaw, U$^n$.), a steep, rocky stretch of coast; de Enni [ɛni] (Sandw., Du.); de Enni-knowe (Catfirth, N.), a hill, the one side of which forms a very steep slope; de Enni [äᶇɩ, äini] (South Gluss, Nm$^s$.), a steep hill-side; de Enni (Inni) [ɩᶇɩ] (de Nort’ Nips, Y$^n$.), projecting, steep coast, promontory. de Ennins, pl. [ɛᶇɩns] (Sulem, Nm$^s$.), and de Innins, pl. [ɩᶇɩns] (Futabrough, W.), steep plots of arable land, “de Edni” and “de Idni” (Tun o’ Ham, Fo.), a steep stretch of cultivated land. — O.N. enni, n., forehead; Fær. enni, n., a) forehead; b) a brow-shaped mountain-formation (F.A. II, suppl.). Ennins, Innins, is O.N. def. pl. “enni-n” with the added Eng. pl. -s.
enni [eᶇɩ], vb., of sheep: to yean. Conn. Sw. dial. önna, öna, åina.
enniste, sb., see annaset, annister, sb.
ensper, sb., see ansperr.
ent [æ‘nt], vb., to heed; care for something, to e. onyting; he never ented it; also to obey; fairly comm. Other forms are ant and ans, vb.; q.v. O.N. enta, vb., to heed; care for.
entible [æ‘n··tɩb·əl], adj., obedient, a e. dog. Nm$^w$. Deriv. of ent, vb. Cf. ansible, adj.
er$^1$ [ēr, ē$^ə$r], sb., a small particle or morsel of something, a (piri) er o’ onyting, = ar. comm. In the expr. “a er o’ wind” = “a ar o’ wind”, er (ar) is merged into Eng. “air”. Cf. Ork. erc, sb., a small particle; morsel. See ar, sb.
er$^2$ [ēr, ē$^ə$r], sb., honour; glory, only noted down in the expr.: a’ [‘all’] be er to dee! may all be honour to you; glory be to you! = a’ be honour [honər] to dee! evasive answer, given in order not to spoil ​his luck, by one going out or returning from fishing, when questioned regarding his doings (where he was going or how much fish he had caught, etc.). Ai. O.N. æra, f., honour. Similar evasive answers were (are): A’ be dee je (jæ)! may all your wishes be fulfilled! a’ be du blide [‘blithe’]! etc. Cf. the use of Eng. “honour”, in Shetl. in address or exclamations such as: (guid) honour be to dee (him)! ill [‘bad’] honour be to dat creature (shame to that fellow)!
er$^3$ [ēr, ē$^ə$r], sb., “ør”, a flat sand- or gravel-bank, jutting out into the water; a sandy or gravel-covered stretch of shore, — O.N. øyrr (eyrr), f. comm. er for *ør. In place-names are found: a) uncompd. Ør [ø̄r] (Esh., Nm$^w$.) and Øri [ø̄ri] (Fe.); b) as the first part of compd. Øra-, Øri- and before a vowel: Ørar- [ø̄r- and shortened: ør-], e.g. Ørafirt’ (Nm$^w$.), Ørasund (Y$^n$.), Ørigjo (U$^n$.), Ørarengs (U$^c$.): O.N. øyrar, gen. sing. — see Sh. Stedn. p. 173; c) as the second part: -ør [(ør) ər] and -øri, -eri [əri], e.g. Litlør [lɩtlər] and Muklør [moklər] (W.): *lítla øyrr and *mikla øyrr; Hwaløri [hwāl··əri·] (Y$^n$.): *hval-øyrr; Skibøri [skɩb··əri’] (Uyeasound, U$^s$.): *skip-øyrr. — Cf. Fær. oyri, f., and Mod. Icel. eyri, f., with the form øri (eri). — Ork. er [ēr] denotes esp. a bank between two waters.
erdros [ærdrȯs, -əs], sb., on the old Shetl. wooden plough: a piece of wood nailed down in the front of the plough-beam, to which the traces are fastened. Orig. denoting the plough-beam itself. Conn. Is called orderos, orderus [ōr··dəros·, -us·] in Nm. (Nm$^s$.). *arðr-áss (O.N. arðr, m., with rad. r, a plough; O.N. áss, m., a beam).
erend-less, errand-less [ɛr··əndlɛs·, ær··əndlɛs·], adj., “errandless”, without errand, mostly used negatively in the phrase, “no [‘not’] e.-l.”; he is no e.-l., he is not without errand, i.e., he has an important errand. “Weel [‘well’], dat is a stranger; hit [‘it’] is surely no [‘not’] e.-l., at [‘that’] has sent dee here”: you have surely not come here except on an important errand (Y$^h$.). — Fær. ørindisleysur, adj., “errandless”, is used in a similar sense to the Shetl. word; O.N. erend(is)lauss, adj., is handed down in a diff. sense: fruitless, not having accomplished one’s errand.
erg [ɛrg, erg, and more comm.: ərg], adj., desirous; eager; very bent on getting something, e. upo’ somet’in’. N.I. occas. ərg: Y$^h$. Parallel form to arg, adj.; q.v.
erg [ɛrg, erg, ərg], vb., to vex; irritate; tease. No. erga, vb., = arga, to vex; irritate. Cf. arg and erg, adj.
erik [ɛrɩk (erɩk), ærɩk, -ək], sb., a yearling; used in some places of a one-year-old horse, but mostly of a one-year-old goose, a e. goose. *æringr. No. æring, m., a yearling, esp. a horse (R.); L.Sc. eirack, er(r)ack, -ock, etc., a hen of the first year.
erin [ærɩn] and herin [hærɩn], sb., a boat rowed by means of a certain number of oars. O.N. -æringr; only as the last part in some compds.: four-(h)erin, seks-(h)erin; q.v.
erli1 [erli], sb., in the expr.: “tirli (terli) e. [tərli erli]'{'}}, bunting (bird). Nm.? Reported by J.I. In No. and Da. respectively, “erla”, f., and “erle” denote a wagtail, O.N. ertla, f. The first part “tirli (terli)” may be referred either to Sw. dial. tirla, vb., to sing; trill, or to No. tirla, f., a small, thin, weak figure (cf. No. derla, f., a) a small, brisk figure; b) wagtail).
erli$^2$ [ē$^ə$rli], sb., a breath of wind, a e. o’ wind. Du. (Cl.). Uncertain form. If correct, the word must doubtless be regarded as a deriv. of er$^1$, sb.
​ern [ērn, ē$^ə$rn, ɛrn], sb., an eagle. O.N. ǫrn (örn), m., L.Sc. ern, sb., eagle. In the so-called “ern’s song” (the eagle’s song) from Fo., the eagle is called “de ednin [ɛdnin]”: O.N. ǫrninn, def. form.
erp (irp) [ə‘rp], vb., to turn up one’s nose, to be prudish, cross, touchy (N.I.); to be constantly grumbling and complaining, to e. ower or aboot somet’in’ (N.I.); to harp upon the same subject, to e. aboot somet’in’ (U$^n$.); to be always asking for or demanding the same thing, to e. upon a ting [‘thing’] (Wests.); to keep on asserting, esp. something wrong, to e. at (upon) a ting (Wests.). Also: a) irp [ɩ‘rp (e‘rp)], to i. at a ting (Sa.), to keep on asserting something incorrect; b) prob. by change of e or i to ja: α) jarp [ja‘rp], to j. upon a ting (Sa.), to repeat the same questions or demands; β) jarb, to j. aboot or upo somet’in’ (U$^n$.), to harp upon one subject, continually insist on something; c) In Fe. erp [ə‘rp] sometimes is used in a diff. sense, viz.: to walk falteringly, slowly, to e. aboot. — The root-meaning is prob. to make (slight) jerks, (slight) twitches. Cf. Fær. erpa, e. sær, really, to turn up one’s nose, now usually in a sense diff. from the Shetl. word: to affect importance; give oneself airs; L.S. erp, vb., to be constantly grumbling on one topic. Diff. forms with initial h are found in the Northern languages; thus: Icel. harpa, herpa, vb., to pinch up; clench; reprimand; Sw. dial. herpa, vb., Da. dial. herpe, hærpe, to have a twitch or stitch in one’s limbs (of aching sensations), to shrink; No. and Sw. dial. hyrpa, vb., to draw together in wrinkles, to shrink. — Though the Shetl. erp, etc., in the senses first given, assimilates to L.Sc. erp, the word itself is hardly borrowed from L.Sc. The changed forms jarp, jarb (the latter with a chauge of p to b) point to an old Northern origin, and in the sense of to walk falteringly, slowly, the Shetl. (Fe.) erp comes close to Sw. and Da. dial. herpa, herpe (see prec.). “ɩ‘rp” poss. originates from *(h)yrpa (No. and Sw. dial. hyrpa); “ə‘rp” may originate either from *erpa or *(h)yrpa.
erskäi [ēr··skäi·], sb., on the old Shetl. wooden plough: really mould-board, but later on, denoting a small board fixed in a slanting position behind (to the right), directly above the mould-board (de skäi). Also Ork. — *arð(r)-skíð or -skíða. O.N. arðr (rad. r), m., a plough; O.N. skíð, n., and skíða, f., a piece of wood; ski; No. skida, f., also board; plank; Cf. ar-tree and erdros, sb.
ert [æ‘rt], vb., to irritate; tease; incite; provoke; to e. fornenst [L.Sc. foreanent, fornent = opposite to] anidder [‘another’] ane, to threaten to strike someone, to make threatening movements with the hand, as if to strike; de kye is ertin wi’ ane anidder, the cows are threatening to butt each other (Sa.). O.N. erta, vb., to irritate; incite; L.Sc. ert (e. up), vb., id. In sense of to strive onward and upward (to ert op efter), “ert” is another word: L.Sc. airt, ert, vb., to urge forward, etc.
*ervhus, sb., see *arvhus, sb.
es [ēs, ē$^ə$s], sb., fiercely blazing fire, flaming fire, a es o’ a fire, a es o’ fire. comm. O.N. eisa, f., (intense) fire. — Cf. øs, sb.
es [ēs, ē$^ə$s], vb., to blaze fiercely, to flame, of fire; comm. in pres. part. esin: a esin fire, a flaming fire. O.N. eisa, vb., to rush on violently (occas. of fire).
esins [ēsɩns and comm.: ēᶊɩns, ē$^ə$ᶊɩns], sb. pl., the lower, interior part of a roof. Things, kept on the top of the broad stone wall in the angular space formed by the upper part of the wall and the lower part ​of the roof, are said to lie “under de esins”, perhaps really “under the roof-beams and the rafters”. comm. No. æsing, f., inter alia, beams and rafters in a building, also beams or stocks forming the inside breast-beams (from O.N. áss, m., ridge; beam). L.Sc. easing, eisin, sb., eaves. A sing. form esin [ēsɩn, ēᶊɩn] occurs in the compds. “esin-head” (Nm.), esin-sten, one of the flat stones laid along the eaves to prevent the rain-water entering, — ufsahella, -hellek; but in that case, esin is certainly L.Sc. easing.
esmel [æᶊməl], sb., heavy, dense rain. In Ai. “a e. o’ rain” is less violent than a “tømelt”, but contains finer and closer drops than the latter. In a few places in N.Sh. (N.I.) esmel denotes a violent downpour of rain, almost = tømelt and asu, assu. The word is prob. etym. cognate with as(s)u; q.v. For the suffix -mel cf. No. asm, m., and aasme, vb., in Ross under “osna”, vb., = asna, vb., to rush along.
Essi [æssi], sb., ash-coloured cow, as a proper name. Du. (not comm.). Shetland Fire-side Tales by G. Stewart, second edition, p. 244 (Mansie Mudjick’s courtships): Essie. Cf. Fær. Eskja as the name for a cow in a rigmarole; doubtless an ash-coloured cow. In that case, Essi for *Eski, trough infl. of “aess” [æss], the Shetl. form of L.Sc. as, ass, sb., ashes.
esten [ɛstən, estən], estin [ɛstɩn, estɩn], prop. adv., but commonly used as a subst. and adj.: a) sb., “de e.”, the eastside, the eastern part or neighbourhood; a man f(r)ae de e., a man whose home lies east of a certain place; esp. in Unst, the eastern part, south of Baltasound, being called “de e.”, while the northern part is called “de norden, nordin”, the western part “de wasten, wastin”, and the southern part “de sudin”. b) adj., a e. man, a man living east of a certain place. Ti. [est-]. Cf. norden and wasten (under norden).— esten, -in from O.N. austan, adv., from the east, east of (= fyrir austan), towards the east; austanmaðr, a man whose home lies east of a certain place. The form est- replaces an older *øst through infl. of Eng. “east”. The suffix -en, -in, corresponds to O.N., -an. Otherwise, -ten, -tin, suffixed to words (names), must sometimes be accepted as O.N. þing, n., council; district; see *ting, sb. While “de wasten”, similar to “de esten, de norden”, must be supposed to be an old “vestan”, wastin (U.), without def. art., seems to be an old *vest(r)-þing, all the more so, as Wasten, Wastin, written “Westing”, is used as the name of a much more limited district than “(de) esten, norden, sudin”.
ester [æstər], vb., of wind: to become easterly, to shift to the east; de wind esters. Fe. The final r points towards an older *øster, arisen from O.N. austr, n., east, with radical r. A change ø > e can be proved in various words in Shetl. Norn, but has, in this case, certainly taken place through infl. of Eng. east, vb., to shift to the east, become easterly. — est [est], sb., east, with close e, is most prob. Eng. east, sb.; est, however, is also occas. pronounced with an open e or æ [ɛst, æst, æ$^i$st].
†esterli [ē··stərli·, æs··tərli·], adj., easterly, e. wind. Differs from Eng. “easterly” in the pronunc. of the main vowel. Now, however, often with a short, close e in the first syllable, like est, sb. See further ester, vb.
et$^1$ [et], sb., doubtless eating, noted down in the foll. phrases: 1) der’r a et upo de fish, de fish is in a et, ​the fish takes the bait willingly; der’r nae [‘no’] et upo de fish, the fish will not take the bait. U$^n$. 2) a et o’ fish (sed, pilteks, = coalfish, etc.), in boat-fishing: a shoal of fish, many of which take the bait willingly. U$^n$. With ref. to et 1, cf. No. eta, f., partly = aata, f., eating, etc. (Aa. and R.), and with ref. to et 2, No. aata, f., in sense of a shoal of small fish, small shoal of herrings (R.); O.N. át, n., eating, and áta, f., a) eating; b) food, occas. of a shoal of small creatures serving as food for whales and fish.
et$^2$ [ɛt, et], sb., agitation; excited state of mind; to be in a et ower onyting [U$^n$.: ɛt]; fidgety eagerness or haste; to be in a et or “cat’s et” [Sa.: et], in a et aboot somet’in’. comm. The word is most prob. to be referred to O.N. at, n., agitation; incitement, and to etja, vb., to agitate; goad; irritate.
et [et (ēt), ē$^ə$t], vb., 1) commonly with a short e [et]: to eat, = O.N. eta, de fish is no etin, the fish will not bite (U$^n$.). etin [etɩn], pres. part., is occas. used in the sense of edible, like No. etande, Icel. and Fær. etandi. “etin taatis”, potatoes which have grown large enough to be dug up for eating (N.I.). 2) In conn. with the prep. op [ɔp], et [et (ēt), ē$^ə$t] is used in a fig. sense: to penetrate; worry, esp. to cause great vexation, malice, envy, sordidness, etc. in someone; dat opets him (dat ets him op), that makes him vexed (cross, malicious, envious), see uppet, vb. In meaning 2 mostly perf. part. eten op [etən ɔp] or opeten [ɔp·et·ən, -ē$^ə$·tən], filled with anger, malice, envy, sordidness, etc.; he is just eten op wi’ ill [‘bad’] nature, wi’ greed; opeten aboot onyting, very vexed, angry, etc. about something. With et 2 cf. O.N. eta, vb., in sense of to gnaw; grieve,
*et [et], numeral (neut.), one; see under en.
etel [ɛtəl, ætəl], sb., a) a hard lump, esp. a gland in the body; b) a hard spot in a stone. More comm. in the form jetel. Icel. eitill, Fær. eitil, No. eitel, Sw. dial. ettel, m., a gland; hard lump. Cf. hjegel (jigel, jigelti) and hjugel, sb.
eter [etər], sb., venom; poison, esp. a) cancer; b) bitter cold, a e. o’ cauld [‘cold’], a cauld e.; a e. o’ wadder, bitterly cold weather (Fe.). O.N. eitr, n., venom; bitter cold, etc. See eder$^1$, sb. — eterfrod = eder$^1$ 2. — eterkap [et··ərkap·], sb., a) a large spider; b) poison from a spider (U.); c) a malicious (unreasonable, quarrelsome) person (esp. of a little fellow), is L.Sc. attircop, attercap, ettercap. Though the word is found in Sw. dialects (etterkoppa, -kopp) and in Da. (edderkop), it is hardly of Norn orig. in Shetl., but is prob. borrowed from L.Sc. It does not appear in No. (is not found in Aa. and R.), nor in the O.N. literature (O.N. kǫngurváfa, f., a spider; diff. forms of this word are found in No. and Sw. dialects).
eterfrod [et··ərfrō$^ə$d·], sb., bubble of foam on the grass in the hill-pasture, containing an insect; lit. ‘venomous foam’; cuckoo-spit. (U.). *eitrfroða. See further eder$^1$, sb. 2.
eterskab [et··ərskab·] and eterskop [et··ərskop·], sb., 1) bitterly cold weather, freezing cold weather with sharp wind, a e. o’ cauld [‘cold’], a cauld e., — eter b. Fe., Y$^h$. Occas. also eterskæb [et··ərskæb·] (Fe.). *eitrskapr. Cf. O.N. eitrkaldr, adj., freezing cold. 2) a) a fretful, cross person; Fe.: eterskab; b) impudent, free-spoken person who is always stirring up strife; a person always talking out of due time; Nm$^w$.: eterskab. *eitrskapr; deriv. of O.N. eitr, n., venom, also ​bitterness; enmity, etc. — See eder$^1$, eter, and jeder, sbs.
etersom [et··ərsȯm·], and etri [ɛtri, ætri, äƫ(ə)ri, äitri], adj., bitterly cold, bitter, of cold; a e. cauld [‘cold’]; freezing cold, e. wadder [‘weather’]. Deriv. of O.N. eitr, n., venom; etersom from *eitrsamr, adj.; cf. O.N. eitrkaldr, adj., freezing cold. The form ending in -som is now rare. etri assimilates to L.Sc. “eterie, etrie”, bitter, cold, etc. More common than the forms given is atri [atri, ātri], “a. wadder”, from L.Sc. “atry, attrie”, adj., a) festering; b) stern; grim; c) irritable; peevish. The modes of pronunc. “äƫ(ə)ri, äitri” may spring from both etri and atri. atersom [ā··tərsȯm], “a. wadder”, noted down in Unst, is a mingling of etersom and atri. Cf. eter and eterskab, sbs.
Eti [ēti], sb., in the phrase: “Goni [gȯni] E.”, name of a goblin, male or female, with which children are threatened. “Goni E. will tak’ dee!” Sa. Perhaps really the eating one, he who eats children?
etifer, sb., see atferd, sb.
etl, ettel, sb., see atl, attel, sb.
ettri [ɛtri, ætri], sb., prop. adj. compar., “de e. o’ de dimm”, the latter half of the midsummer-night, from midnight (de head o’ de dimm, de dabb o’ dimm) till dawn; the first daylight, in midsummer. Also in the forms attri [atri, äƫri], atteri [at··əri·, äƫ··əri·] and äitri [äitri]. The pronunc. äƫ-, äit- may, however, spring from ett- as well as from att-. U. Is doubtless O.N. eptri and aptari, adj. compar., farther back; following; latter (from aptr, adv., back, backward).
ev [ēv, ē$^ə$v], sb., doubt; irresolution; to ha’e a ev aboot onyting [‘something’], to have one’s doubts about something, to be in a ev, to be in doubt. U$^n$. O.N. ef (if), n., doubt; Icel. efi, Fær. ivi, No. eve, m., doubt.
ev [ēv, ē$^ə$v], vb., to doubt; to be doubtful; he was evin (aboot it). U$^n$. O.N. efa (efask), = ifa (ifask), v., to doubt. In the verse about the crow and the crab (Fe.) we find æve [ǣvə] with a variant ave [āvə] in sense of: (I) am doubtful; I am afraid that; æve (ave) rigrive mog, I am afraid that you will tear my back (the crab to the crow). In the variant from Unst the same line reads: “I’m feared, du ‘rigrives’ me”. Cf. O.N. “ifask” in sense of to hesitate about something.
evalos [ē··valȯs·, ē$^ə$··va-], adj., doubtful, not to be relied upon, esp. of weather: e. wadder [‘weather’], weather not promising fair. U$^n$. In Shetl. the word has, by mingling, obtained a meaning opposite to the orig. one; O.N. efalauss, adj., undoubted; sure. The second part of the compd., -los (O.N. lauss, adj., less), in evalos has not been regarded as Eng. -less, but has been reduced to a mere suffix and treated like the Eng. adjectival ending “-ous”, and thereby the meaning of the word has been changed. See ev, sb. and vb.
evel [ɛval], vb., to master; be able to do; I canno (canna) e. onyting [‘anything’] at it, I cannot manage it, the work is too much for me. U$^n$. O.N. efla, vb., a) to strengthen; b) to master; be able to do.
*even [ēvən] and now iven [i̇̄vən], sb., matter; material; means; esp. in pl.: (*evens) ivens, material; means; he ’s done it ut o’ [‘out of’] sma’ [‘small’] ivens (*evens), he has carried out (that work) with little material or few resources at his disposal. U$^n$. O.N. efni, n., material; matter; means (at one’s disposal). Owing to Eng. infl., the pronunc. “i̇̄vən” has superseded the older “*ēvən” (cf. Eng. even, adj.).
​ever [ēvər], sb., a being or thing of an unusually large size; a e. o’ a man, o’ a coo [‘cow’], etc.; a e. o’ a fire, a great, blazing fire. N.I. From an orig. *œfr-? Cf. O.N. œrinn and yfrinn, adj., excessive; abundant; very large, also Sw. dial. övra and ävra se(j), vb., to increase in vigour and growth.
ewiltu [e·wı‘l··to], exclamation, threatening a child: will you leave that alone! will you stop that! etc. Fo. Prob. an old “*ei, viltu (vilt þú)!” ho, will you (leave that alone, etc.)! O.N. ei, interj., ha, ho.
“*eystercop” and “*austercup”, sb., prop. and orig.: fine, formerly paid every third year at each renewal of the leasehold of islets (isles and holms); seems to have corresponded to L.Sc. grassum, payment made by the tenant to the landlord on entering into possession of his farm. Also Ork. Thus David Balfour, who gives the word with the foll. explanation: “a fine paid every third year at each renewal of the tack or setting of the smaller islets — afterwards assumed to be equivalent to the Scottish Grassum; and still later both burdens were sometimes exacted in Zetland” (D. Balfour, Oppressions of the 16. century in Orkney and Zetland. Odal Rights and Feudal Wrongs). — Prob. an old “*øy-setr(s)-kaup”, from: a) O.N. øy (ey), f., an isle; b) setr, n., a seat, residence, partly — sætr, applied to summer hut for people and cattle, and c) kaup, n., a purchase; payment (in Mod. Shetl.: kjob). Balfour gives also as a root-form “Ey-settr-kaup”. For the explanation of eystercop cf. *landseterkop, sb. O.N. setr, n., a seat, residence, and sætr, n., mountain pasture, dairyland, are found as the last part of compds. in the Shetl. place-names, often abbreviated from “-seter” to “-ster”.
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