sámr

Forms

sámr^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *sēmaz according to Orel and Köbler;^[2][3][1] Orel equates it with an Old Indic adjective meaning “singed, dried up”,^[2] and Torp compares it, with a query, with Old English sǣmra (“worse”).^[4][1] De Vries calls the etymology unknown.^[5] Among older views, F. R. Schröder thought it a pre-Indo-European word and Müllenhoff a loan from the Sami name of the Sami, which de Vries thinks unlikely;^[5] Cleasby and Vigfússon too took it from the Finnish name, after the dark complexion of the Finns.^[6] De Vries also considers that it may be a lengthened grade of samr.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word belongs to poetry.^[7][6] A stanza attributed to Þorbjǫrn dísarskáld, quoted in the Snorra Edda, says of the giantess Svívǫr þó vas snemr in sáma Svívǫr numin lífi “yet earlier the swarthy Svívǫr was robbed of life”.^[7][6][1] A riddle in Hervarar saga has svartar ok sámar í sólviðri “black and dusky in sunny weather”.^[6][8] The derivative sámleitr “darkish” is dated in Barlaams saga, in a manuscript of 1250–1300.^[9][10]

Semantic evolution

In the poems it is said of skin, of ashes and of a giantess;^[7][11] Finnur Jónsson glosses it “dark-coloured”.^[7][11] It continues as Icelandic sámur and Norwegian Nynorsk såm “dark, dirty”.^[5][1]

Timeline

• 1250–1300 – samleit “darkish” in Barlaams saga, Holm perg 6 fol.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. swarthy, dusky, dark grey.^{[11][5][8][12]}

Word family

• sámleitr

Descendants

• Icelandic sámur^[5]
• Norwegian Nynorsk såm^[1]

Usage notes

In Njáls saga Sámr is the name of the Irish dog that Gunnarr is given.^[10] It is also the name of a giant, a nickname and a man's name in Landnámabók and Sturlunga.^[6][10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 327
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
4. ^ Torp, Alf (1909), Wortschatz der germanischen Spracheinheit (Fick, Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der indogermanischen Sprachen, 4th ed., vol. 3), Göttingen, p. 434
5. ^ a b c d e f de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 462
6. ^ a b c d e Cleasby, Richard; Vigfússon, Guðbrandur (1874), An Icelandic-English Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 517
7. ^ a b c d Finnur Jónsson (1931), Lexicon Poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis, 2nd ed., Copenhagen: S. L. Møller, p. 484
8. ^ a b Fritzner, Johan (1886–1896), Ordbog over det gamle norske Sprog, 2nd ed., Kristiania, p. s.v. sámr
9. ^ a b Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. Holm perg 6 fol
10. ^ a b c Möbius, Theodor (1866), Altnordisches Glossar, Leipzig: Teubner, p. 359
11. ^ a b c 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. sámr
12. ^ Hægstad, Marius; Torp, Alf (1909), Gamalnorsk ordbok med nynorsk tyding, Kristiania: Det norske samlaget, p. 360