# sær
## Danish
### Etymology

From Old Danish sær, from Old Norse sér.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sɛːr/, [sæɐ̯ˀ]

### Adjective

sær (neuter sært, plural and definite singular attributive sære, comparative særere, superlative (predicative) særest, superlative (attributive) særeste)
* odd, queer, peculiar, weird
* eccentric, dotty

#### Inflection

$^1$ When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used. $^2$ The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

#### Synonyms

* mærkelig
* besynderlig

### See also

* sær-

## Faroese
### Etymology

Compare Icelandic sér. From Proto-Germanic *se-.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [sɛar]

### Pronoun

sær
* reflexive pronoun, 3rd person dative, himself, herself, itself, themselves
    Hon vaskaði sær.She washed herself.

#### Declension

Reflexive pronouns - Afturbent fornavn :
| Singular (eintal), Plural (fleirtal) | 3. m, f, n |
| Nominative (hvørfall) | — |
| Accusative (hvønnfall) | seg |
| Dative (hvørjumfall) | sær |
| Genitive (hvørsfall) | sín |

#### References

* Höskuldur Thráinsson, Hjalmar P. Petersen, Jógvan í Lon Jacobsen, Zakaris Svabo Hansen: Faroese : An Overview and Reference Grammar. Tórshavn: Føroya Fróðskaparfelag, 2004 (p. 119 f., 325 ff.)

### Verb

sær
* third-person singular present of síggja

#### Conjugation

$^1$Only the past participle being declined.

## Icelandic
### Alternative forms

* sjór (common)
* sjár

### Etymology

From Old Norse sær, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /saiːr/
* Rhymes: -aiːr

### Noun

sær m (genitive singular sævar, no plural)
* (poetic or literary) sea, ocean

#### Derived terms

* sæbjúga (“sea cucumber”)

#### References

* Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989) Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, →ISBN (Available at Málið.is under the “Eldri orðabækur” tab.)
* Kristín Bjarnadóttir, editor (2002–2025), “sær”, in Beygingarlýsing íslensks nútímamáls [The Database of Modern Icelandic Inflection] (in Icelandic), Reykjavík: The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies
* Mörður Árnason (2019) Íslensk orðabók, 5th edition, Reykjavík: Forlagið
* “sær” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)
* “sær”, in Ritmálssafn Orðabókar Háskólans [The Written Collection of the Lexicological Institute] (in Icelandic), Reykjavík: The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, (Can we date this quote?)

## Middle English
### Adjective

sær
* Alternative form of sore

### Noun

sær
* Alternative form of sore

### Adverb

sær
* Alternative form of sore

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Alternative forms

* (non-standard since 2012) ser

### Etymology

From Old Norse sér, the third person reflexive pronoun in the dative, from Proto-Germanic *siz. Cognates include Icelandic sér and Faroese sær where it is still used as the dative reflexive pronoun, as well as Danish sær, which has taken on senses similar to those in modern Norwegian.

### Adjective

sær (neuter sært, definite singular and plural sære, comparative særare, indefinite superlative særast, definite superlative særaste)
* (about a person or behaviour) eccentric, dotty, weird
* odd, peculiar
* (literary) mystical
* sulky

#### Usage notes

* Used as the first part in compounds, sær more often than not should be understood in the sense of "peculiar" or "special".

#### Derived terms

* særa, sære (verb, rare)
* især
* særavtale
* særbate
* særbragd
* særdeles
* særdomstol
* særdrag
* særdåm
* særeige
* særeigen
* særemne
* særfred
* særfrådrag
* særføremonn
* særgivnad
* særgruppe
* særhende
* særhøve
* særinteresse
* særkjenne
* særkjønna
* særklasse
* særkull
* særlag
* særleg
* særling
* særlov
* særmeining
* særmerke
* særnamn
* særnorsk
* særoppgåve
* særpakke
* særpreg
* særprent
* særrett
* særs
* særskild
* særskule
* særspråk
* særstandpunkt
* særstilling
* særstode
* særsvip
* særsyn
* særtrekk
* særtrykk
* særtyding
* særutval
* særvekt
* særvoren
* særvotum

### References

* “sær” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
* “sær-” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

### Anagrams

* ræs

## Old Norse
### Alternative forms

* sjór, sjár

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *saiwiz (“sea, ocean”). Cognate with Old English sǣ, Old Frisian sē, Old Saxon sēo, Old High German sēo, Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (saiws).

#### Pronunciation

* (12th century Icelandic) IPA: /ˈsɛːr/
* (Old Norse, Reconstructed Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈsæɾ/

#### Noun

sær m (genitive sævar)
* the sea, ocean
** Vǫluspá, verse 3, lines 3-4, in 1860, T. Möbius, Edda Sæmundar hins fróða: mit einem Anhang zum Theil bisher ungedruckter Gedichte. Leipzig, page 1:
    […] vara sandr né sær / né svalar unnir, […] […] there was no sand nor sea / nor gelid waves, […]
* seawater (in contrast with fresh water)
    Antonym: vatn

##### Declension

Irregular mix of wa- and i-stem endings.

##### Derived terms

* sæborg (“seaside town”)
* sæbrattr (“steep towards the sea”)
* sæbyggjar (“coast-dwellers”)
* sæbygð (“coast district”)
* sædauðr (“dead at sea”)
* sæfarar (“voyages”)
* sæfǫng (“stores from the sea”)
* sæfǿrr (“seaworthy”)
* sægarpr (“sea-champion”)
* sæhafa (“driven out of one's course”)
* sækarl (“raftsman”)
* sækona (“mermaid”)
* sækonungr (“sea-king”)
* sækvikendi (“sea-beast”)
* sækyrra (“sea-calm”)
* sælið (“help at sea”)
* sælægja (“mist on the sea”)
* sælægr (“lying on the sea”)
* sæsjúkr (“seasick”)
* sæskip (“sea-ship”)
* sæskrímsl (“sea-monster”)
* sætré (“ships”)
* sævarbakki (“sea-beach”)
* sævarborg (“castle on the sea”)
* sævardjúp (“the deep sea”)
* sævargangr (“swell of the sea”)
* sævarhamrar (“sea-crags”)

##### Descendants

* Icelandic: sær
* Faroese: sjógvur
* Norn: sheug, sju
* Norwegian Nynorsk: sjø
* Norwegian Bokmål: sjø
* Old Swedish: siōr, siø̄
** Swedish: sjö
* Old Danish: sio, siø, sø
** Danish: sø

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

sær
* second/third-person singular present indicative active of sá

### Further reading

* Richard Cleasby, Guðbrandur Vigfússon (1874) “sær”, in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, 1st edition, Oxford: Oxford Clarendon Press, page 618
* Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “sær”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 426; also available at the [https://archive.org/stream/concisedictionar001857
* page/426 Internet Archive]