gefa

Inherited from Old Norse gefa, from Proto-Germanic *gebaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ-.

• IPA^(key): /ˈcɛːva/

  Rhymes: -ɛːva

gefa (strong verb, third-person singular past indicative gaf, third-person plural past indicative gáfu, supine gefið)

1. to give something [with accusative]
   • Á Sprengisandi (“On Sprengisandur”) by Grímur Thomsen

     Ríðum, ríðum, rekum yfir sandinn,

     rökkrið er að síga á Herðubreið,

     álfadrottning er að beizla gandinn,

     ekki er gott að verða á hennar leið;

     vænsta klárinn vildi eg gefa til

     að vera kominn ofan í Kiðagil.

     Ride, ride, ride hard across the sands,

     darkness settles over Herðubreið.

     The Queen of the elves bridles her steed -

     be careful not to cross her path.

     My best horse I'd give

     to be safely back in Kiðagil.

2. to give [with dative ‘someone’ and accusative ‘something’]

Inherited from Proto-Germanic *gebaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ-.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡevɑ/

gefa (singular past indicative gaf, plural past indicative gáfu, past participle gefinn)

1. (transitive) to give something
2. (ditransitive) to give someone something
3. gefa stað/staðar + dative: stop, cause to cease

• ᚴᛅᚠ (kaf) — first/third singular past indicative, Runic form
• ᚴᛅᚠᚢ (kafu) — third plural past indicative, Runic form

• Icelandic: gefa
• Faroese: geva
• Norwegian Nynorsk: gjeva, gjeve, gje; (dialectal) giva, gjåvå
• Elfdalian: djävå
• Old Swedish: giva, gæva, giffua, giffwa
  • Swedish: giva
• Danish: give
  • Norwegian Bokmål: gi; (obsolete) give
    • → Norwegian Nynorsk: gi
• Scanian: gi
  • Hallandian: ge
• Gutnish: giva, gi
• → Middle English: given (influenced by native Old English ġiefan)
  • Scots: gie, geve, gewe, gif, gyf, gefe
  • English: give

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “gefa”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive