hvar

Forms

hvar adverb^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *hwar (“where”),^[2][3] which also gave Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐍂 (ƕar), Old English hwǣr, Old Frisian hwār, Old Saxon hwar and Old High German wār.^[2] Kroonen explains the adverb as made to the pronoun root Proto-Indo-European *kʷo- with a locative suffix ⟨-r⟩, as in Proto-Germanic *þar (“there”); the West Germanic forms with a long vowel arose by lengthening in the monosyllable, as in Latin cūr (“why”).^[2] Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon likewise sets it beside hér and þar and Gothic 𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌰𐍂 (jainar, “there”), and compares Lithuanian kur̃ (“where”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Peterson's register lists the spelling huar on the Swedish runestone Ög 136, dated by Rundata to the ninth century, where the normalised text reads hvar hestr sé Gunnar “where Gunnr's horse is”;^[5][6] Rundata files the runic form under more than one word.^[5][6] In the manuscripts ONP's earliest dated citations are from 1200, among them J þessom orþom lýsom vér huar vér þyᴋiomk tráust éiga “With these words we declare where we think we have support”.^[7] Menota's earliest manuscript with the word is AM 619 4to, of 1200–1225.^[8]

Semantic evolution

As an interrogative hvar asks “where?”, in direct and indirect questions, and after verbs of seeing it comes close to “that”: sá hann hvar maðr lá “he saw a man lying”.^[7][9] It could also mean “whither”,^[1][10] though Old Norse usually said that with hvert.^[11] With a preposition it stood for a pronoun, hvar fyrir “wherefore”, hvar til “whereto”.^[12][13] As an indefinite it means “anywhere” and “in each place, everywhere”, as in hér ok hvar “here and there” and hvar sem “wherever”, and before a comparative “ever so, much”.^[7][1] The relative use, “where”, is later.^[14]

It continues as Icelandic hvar, Faroese hvar, Nynorsk kvar and kor, Swedish var and Danish hvor.^[4][15]

Timeline

• 1200–1225 – hvar and Hvarr in the manuscript AM 619 4to.^[8]
• 1200 – huar “where” in ONP's earliest dated citations.^[7]
• 1200–1225 – hvar in the manuscript AM 677 4to.^[16]
• 1212 – hvar helzt sem “wherever” and hvar saman “together everywhere” in ONP's citations.^[7]
• 1250–1300 – hvar and hvars in the Eddic manuscript GKS 2365 4to.^[17]

Meanings

Adverb

1. where, in or at what place, in direct and indirect questions.^[7][1]
2. whither, to what place.^[1]
3. anywhere;^[1][13] hvar annars staðar “anywhere else”.^[1][13]
4. in each place, everywhere;^[7][1] hér ok hvar “here and there”, hvar sem “wherever”.^[7][1]
5. ever so, much, before a comparative or with fjarri;^[1] hvar fjarri “very far off”.^[1]
6. relative, where, in later texts.^[14][12]

Word family

• hvargi
• hvarvetna
• hvars

Descendants

• Icelandic hvar^[4]
• Faroese hvar^[4]
• Norwegian Nynorsk kvar^[4]
• Swedish var^[18]
• Danish hvor^[11]

Related words

• hverr
• hvat
• hvaðan

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. hvar
2. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 263
3. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 198
4. ^ a b c d e Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989), Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Orðabók Háskólans, ordsifjabok.arnastofnun.is, p. s.v. hvar
5. ^ a b Peterson, Lena (2006), Svenskt runordsregister, 3rd rev. ed., Runrön 2, Uppsala: Institutionen för nordiska språk
6. ^ a b Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata 3.1), Uppsala universitet (inscriptions by signum), p. Ög 136
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog / A Dictionary of Old Norse Prose, Copenhagen, onp.ku.dk (CC BY-SA 4.0), p. s.v. hvar
8. ^ a b Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. AM 619 4to
9. ^ Faulkes, Anthony (2011), A New Introduction to Old Norse III: Glossary and Index of Names, 4th ed., London: Viking Society for Northern Research, p. s.v. hvar
10. ^ Neckel, Gustav (1927), Edda: Die Lieder des Codex Regius, vol. 2: Kommentierendes Glossar, Heidelberg, p. 83
11. ^ a b Falk, Hjalmar; Torp, Alf (1910–1911), Norwegisch-dänisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg, p. s.v. hvor
12. ^ a b Fritzner, Johan (1886–1896), Ordbog over det gamle norske Sprog, 2nd ed., Kristiania, p. s.v. hvar
13. ^ a b c Cleasby, Richard; Vigfússon, Guðbrandur (1874), An Icelandic-English Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 296
14. ^ a b Hægstad, Marius; Torp, Alf (1909), Gamalnorsk ordbok med nynorsk tyding, Kristiania: Det norske samlaget, p. 187
15. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 269
16. ^ Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. AM 677 4to
17. ^ Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. GKS 2365 4to
18. ^ Hellquist, Elof (1922), Svensk etymologisk ordbok, Lund, p. s.v. var