dróttinn

Old Norse

Alternative forms

• ᛏᚱᚢᛏᛁᚾ (trutin) — Runic form, nominative singular

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *druhtinaz (“leader, lord”). Cognate with Old English dryhten, Old Frisian drochten, Old Saxon drohtin, druhtin, Old High German trohtin, truhtin. See also Finnish ruhtinas.

Pronunciation

• (12th century Icelandic) IPA^(key): /ˈdroːtːɪ̃nː/

Noun

dróttinn m (genitive dróttins, plural dróttnar)

1. a lord, master
   • Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar 254, in 1835, F. Magnússon, C. C. Rafn, Fornmanna sögur, Volume X. Copenhagen, page 224:

     oc þriá drotna átti hann í þessi herleiðíngu.

     and three lords he had in captivity.

2. a king, chief, heathen priest
   • Ynglinga saga, in 1777, G. Schøning, S. Þ. Thorlacius, Heimskringla, edr Noregs Konunga Sögor, Volume I. Copenhagen, page 24:

     enn ár voru þeir drottnar kalladir;

     as kings of old were once called;

3. (Christianity) the Lord, God, Christ
   • Grágás, in 1829, J. F. W. Schlegel, Hin forna lögbok islendinga sem nefnist Gragas, Volume II. Copenhagen, page 167:

     Cristr drottinn oc allr heilagr domr.

     our Lord Christ and all halidom.

Declension

Derived terms

Descendants

• Icelandic: dróttinn, drottinn
• Faroese: drottin
• Norwegian Bokmål: drott
• Norwegian Nynorsk: drott
• Old Swedish: drōtin
  • Swedish: drotten, drotte, drott (-en perceived as definite article)
• Old Danish: drotten
  • Danish: drot
• Old Gutnish: drotin

References

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