kná

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See also: KNA, knä, and knæ

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *knēaną, whence also English know. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”).

Verb

kná

  1. (defective) can, could
    • c. 9th century, inscription on the Rök runestone
      sakum| |mukmini uaim si burin| |niþʀ troki uilin is þat knuo knati| |iatun
      Sǫgum múgminni/ungmenni, hveim sé borinn niðr drengi. Vilinn er þat. Knúa/knýja knátti jǫtun.
      I say the folktale/to the young men, to whom is born a relative, to a valiant man. It is Vélinn. He could crush a giant.

Conjugation

This verb is defective. Notably, the expected infinitive *knega is unattested.

Conjugation of kná (preterite-present)
infinitive –
present participle knegandi
past participle –
indicative present past
1st-person singular kná knátta
2nd-person singular knátt knáttir
3rd-person singular kná knátti
1st-person plural knegum knáttum
2nd-person plural kneguð knáttuð
3rd-person plural knegu knáttu
subjunctive present past
1st-person singular knega knætta
2nd-person singular knegir knættir
3rd-person singular knegi knætti
1st-person plural knegim knættim
2nd-person plural knegið knættið
3rd-person plural knegi knætti
imperative present
2nd-person singular kneg
1st-person plural knegum
2nd-person plural kneguð

Descendants

  • Icelandic: knega

References

  • kná in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, G. T. Zoëga, Clarendon Press, 1910, at Internet Archive.
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