etja

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse etja, from Proto-Germanic *atjaną, from Pre-Germanic *h₃odéyeti, causative of Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- (“to hate”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛːtja/

  Rhymes: -ɛːtja

Verb

etja (weak verb, third-person singular past indicative atti, supine att)

1. (transitive, with dative) to incite, provoke, egg on

Conjugation

etja — active voice (germynd)

infinitive (nafnháttur)		að etja
supine (sagnbót)		att
present participle (lýsingarháttur nútíðar)		etjandi
	indicative (framsöguháttur)			subjunctive (viðtengingarháttur)
present (nútíð)	ég et	við etjum	present (nútíð)	ég etji	við etjum
	þú etur	þið etjið		þú etjir	þið etjið
	hann, hún, það etur	þeir, þær, þau etja		hann, hún, það etji	þeir, þær, þau etji
past (þátíð)	ég atti	við öttum	past (þátíð)	ég etti	við ettum
	þú attir	þið öttuð		þú ettir	þið ettuð
	hann, hún, það atti	þeir, þær, þau öttu		hann, hún, það etti	þeir, þær, þau ettu
imperative (boðháttur)	et (þú)	etjið (þið)
	Forms with appended personal pronoun
	ettu	etjiði *
* Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

Synonyms

• æsa
• espa
• spana
• eggja

Old Norse

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *atjaną, from Pre-Germanic *h₃odéyeti, causative of Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- (“to hate”).

Verb

etja

1. (transitive, with dative) to incite, egg (goad) on to fight

   etja hestum

   to make horses fight

   etja saman manndrápum

   to incite two parties to manslaughter

   • c. 850, Þjóðólfr ór Hvíni, Ynglingatal, verse 4

     […] þás meinþjóf / markar ǫttu
     setrs verjendr / á sinn fǫður. […]

     When the warders of the pasture [PRINCES] incited the harm-thief of the marchlands [FIRE] against their father.

2. (transitive, with accusative) to exhort

   etja til þolinmœði

   to exhort one to patience

3. (transitive, with dative) to put forth

   hann etr fram skallanum

   he exposes his bare skull (to the blows)

4. etja ráðum, hvárt ..., to consider, if …;
5. to fight against

   etja við afls-mun (liðsmun), to fight against odds;

6. (reflexive, with dative), to contend with one;

   ef menn etjast vitnum á

   if men contend (plead) with witnesses

Conjugation

Conjugation of etja — active (weak class 1)

infinitive	etja
present participle	etjandi
past participle	attr
indicative	present	past
1st-person singular	et	atta
2nd-person singular	etr	attir
3rd-person singular	etr	atti
1st-person plural	etjum	ǫttum
2nd-person plural	etið	ǫttuð
3rd-person plural	etja	ǫttu
subjunctive	present	past
1st-person singular	etja	atta
2nd-person singular	etir	attir
3rd-person singular	eti	atti
1st-person plural	etim	attim
2nd-person plural	etið	attið
3rd-person plural	eti	atti
imperative	present
2nd-person singular	et
1st-person plural	etjum
2nd-person plural	etið

Conjugation of etja — mediopassive (weak class 1)

infinitive	etjask
present participle	etjandisk
past participle	etzk
indicative	present	past
1st-person singular	etjumk	ǫttumk
2nd-person singular	etsk	attisk
3rd-person singular	etsk	attisk
1st-person plural	etjumsk	ǫttumsk
2nd-person plural	etizk	ǫttuzk
3rd-person plural	etjask	ǫttusk
subjunctive	present	past
1st-person singular	etjumk	attumk
2nd-person singular	etisk	attisk
3rd-person singular	etisk	attisk
1st-person plural	etimsk	attimsk
2nd-person plural	etizk	attizk
3rd-person plural	etisk	attisk
imperative	present
2nd-person singular	etsk
1st-person plural	etjumsk
2nd-person plural	etizk

Descendants

• Icelandic: etja

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *atjaną, from *etaną + *-janą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- (“to eat”).

Verb

etja

2. (transitive, with dative) to cause to be eaten

   etja heyvi, heyjum

   to feed cattle upon hay

Conjugation

Conjugation of etja — active (weak class 1)

infinitive	etja
present participle	etjandi
past participle	attr
indicative	present	past
1st-person singular	et	atta
2nd-person singular	etr	attir
3rd-person singular	etr	atti
1st-person plural	etjum	attum
2nd-person plural	etið	attuð
3rd-person plural	etja	attu
subjunctive	present	past
1st-person singular	etja	atta
2nd-person singular	etir	attir
3rd-person singular	eti	atti
1st-person plural	etim	attim
2nd-person plural	etið	attið
3rd-person plural	eti	atti
imperative	present
2nd-person singular	et
1st-person plural	etjum
2nd-person plural	etið

Conjugation of etja — mediopassive (weak class 1)

infinitive	etjask
present participle	etjandisk
past participle	etzk
indicative	present	past
1st-person singular	etjumk	attumk
2nd-person singular	etsk	attisk
3rd-person singular	etsk	attisk
1st-person plural	etjumsk	attumsk
2nd-person plural	etizk	attuzk
3rd-person plural	etjask	attusk
subjunctive	present	past
1st-person singular	etjumk	attumk
2nd-person singular	etisk	attisk
3rd-person singular	etisk	attisk
1st-person plural	etimsk	attimsk
2nd-person plural	etizk	attizk
3rd-person plural	etisk	attisk
imperative	present
2nd-person singular	etsk
1st-person plural	etjumsk
2nd-person plural	etizk

References

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