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hvenær. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
hvenær, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
hvenær in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
hvenær you have here. The definition of the word
hvenær will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
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Icelandic
Etymology
From Old Norse hvenær.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkʰvɛːnair/, (dialectal, now rare) /ˈxʷɛː/
Adverb
hvenær
- when
Hvenær er von á þér?- When may we expect you?
Hvenær áttu afmæli?- When is your birthday?
Usage notes
This word is only used as an interrogative pronoun. In statements, the word þegar is used.
Old Norse
Etymology
Likely an exact cognate to Dutch wanneer (“when”). De Vries, however, prefers a derivation from hvé (“how”) + nær (“near”), with sense development "how near" > "how early" > "when". The first component is regardless related to Proto-Germanic *hwan (“when”).[1]
Adverb
hvenær
- when
References
- ^ de Vries, Jan (1977) “hvénær, hvénar, hvéner”, in Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Old Norse Etymological Dictionary] (in German), 2nd revised edition, Leiden: Brill, page 271
Further reading
- Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “hvenær”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive