illr

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Old Norse[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *ilhilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁elḱ-. The comparative and superlative degrees are taken from the Proto-Germanic adjective *ubilaz (whence English evil), but are themselves from yet another origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wers-.

Adjective[edit]

illr (comparative verri, superlative verst)

  1. evil, bad
  2. hard, difficult
  3. close, mean, stingy

Inflection[edit]

This word seems to have a suppletive inflection, using another root in the comparative and superlative forms, than in the positive form.

Related terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

  • Icelandic: illur
  • Faroese: illur
  • Old Swedish: ilder, īller
  • Danish: ilde
    • Norwegian Bokmål: ille
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ille
  • Middle English: ille, ill, il

References[edit]

  • illr”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press