fimbul-
Icelandic
Etymology
From Old Norse fimbul- inturn from the Proto-Germanic *fimfilaz. Compare Old English fifel ("mighty, giant, great"), German Fimmel (“an iron wedge”) (whence Czech fimol), Swedish fimmelstång (“the handle of a sledgehammer”).
Prefix
fimbul-
Usage notes
- This prefix is obsolete and was rarely used except in older poetic language.
Derived terms
Icelandic terms prefixed with fimbul-
- fimbulauðn
- fimbulbassi
- fimbulfambari
- fimbulfambi (“a mighty fool”)
- fimbulfrost
- fimbulgaddur
- fimbulharður
- fimbulhaust
- fimbulhögg
- fimbulkaldur
- fimbulkraftur
- fimbulkuldi
- fimbullist
- fimbulljóð (“mighty songs or poems”)
- fimbulmagn
- fimbulrökkur
- fimbulskjalari
- fimbulstorð
- fimbultíð
- fimbultýr (“the mighty god, a great helper”)
- fimbulvatn
- fimbulvilji
- fimbulþul (“the river's roaring”)
- fimbulþulur (“the great wise man”)
See also
- fífl-
Old Norse
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *fimfilaz, doublet of fífl-. Cognate with Old English fifel (“mighty, giant, great”).
Prefix
fimbul-
- distinguishing something large, considerable[1]
- (rare, Germanic paganism) mighty, great (with a sense of finality)
Usage notes
- Only used in mythological contexts such as Fimbulvetr (“Fimbul-winter”) or Fimbulþulr (“Fimbul-thyle, Odin”).
Descendants
- Icelandic: fimbul-
- Old Swedish: fimber- (in fimberstang, ”rod that connects a cart with the harness on each side of the draft animal”; compare Baltic German fiemerstange)[2]
- Swedish: fimmel-, fimmer-