danefæ

Danish

Etymology

From Old Danish danafæ, from Old Norse dánarfé (“inheritance without a living heir”), a compound of *dán (“death”) +‎ fé (“property”). The first part of the word is a noun that is not attested as an independent word in any sources, but it is related to Old Norse deyja (“die”).

In modern Danish, the word is associated secondarily with dane, dansk and Danmark. Jyske Lov from 1241 decrees that unearthed objects of gold and silver are to be handed in to the king.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈd̥æːnəˌfɛˀ]

Noun

danefæ

1. unearthed artifacts of cultural-historical value

Derived terms

• danekræ

References

• “danefæ” in Den Danske Ordbog