þurs

See also: Thurs

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old English þyrs, from Proto-Germanic *þurisaz. Forms with -u- are partly a native development of OE -y-, but are also due to influence from Old Norse þurs.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈθirs/, /ˈθris/, /ˈθurs/, /ˈθrus/

Noun

þurs

  1. A demon; a creature of evil.
  2. (rare) A beast; a monstrous creature.

Descendants

References

Old Norse
FWOTD – 12 March 2014

Alternative forms
  • þuss

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *þursaz, *þurisaz (“giant, name of the Þ-rune”). Cognate with Old English þyrs, Old Saxon thuris, Old High German durs, duris. See also Finnish turisas, Tursas, turso. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tur-, *twer- (“to rotate, twirl, swirl, move”).

Pronunciation
  • (9th century West Norse) IPA(key): /ˈθurs/
  • (12th century Icelandic) IPA(key): /ˈθurs/

Noun

þurs m (genitive þurs, plural þursar)

  1. (Norse mythology) a giant, ogre, monster
    • Vǫluspá, verse 8, lines 5-6, in 1860, T. Möbius, Edda Sæmundar hins fróða: mit einem Anhang zum Theil bisher ungedruckter Gedichte. Leipzig, page 2:
      […] unz þrjár kvámu / þursa meyjar […]
      […] until three came / giant-maidens […]
  2. a dunce, numskull
    • Heilræðavísur, in 1933, H. Pétursson, Heilræði Hallgríms Péturssonar:
      […] en þursinn heimskr þegja hlýtr, […]
      […] but a stupid dunce must remain silent, […]
  3. the name of the Þ-rune

Declension
  Declension of þurs (strong a-stem)
masculine singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative þurs þursinn þursar þursarnir
accusative þurs þursinn þursa þursana
dative þursi þursinum þursum þursunum
genitive þurs þursins þursa þursanna

Derived terms
Terms derived from þurs
  • þursaberg (“a kind of hone”)
  • þursaskegg (“a kind of coral or seaweed”)
  • þursi (“dunce”)
  • þursligr (“giant-like”)

Descendants

References
  • þurs in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, R. Cleasby and G. Vigfússon, Clarendon Press, 1874, at Internet Archive.
  • þurs in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, G. T. Zoëga, Clarendon Press, 1910, at Internet Archive.
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