mál

Faroese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɔɑːl/
• Rhymes: -ɔaːl

Etymology 1

From Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic *maþlą.

Noun

mál n (genitive singular máls, plural mál)

1. language
2. speech
3. talk
4. matter
5. (law) cause

Declension

Derived terms

• endamál
• vandamál
• loyndarmál
• fiskivinnumál
• fíggjarmál
• skattamál
• rættarmál
• bergmál
• tungumál
• talumál
• skriftmál
• bundið mál
• óbundið mál
• málsgrein
• mállæra
• málnevnd

Etymology 2

From Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic *mēlą, whence also English meal. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European root *meh₁- (“to measure”).

Noun

mál n (genitive singular máls, plural mál)

1. measurement, size

Declension

Derived terms

• ummál

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mauːl/

  Rhymes: -auːl

Etymology 1

From Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic *maþlą.

Noun

mál n (genitive singular máls, nominative plural mál)

1. language
2. speech
3. matter, affair
4. (law) cause
5. (informal) a big deal

Declension

Synonyms

• (language): tunga, tungumál, (chiefly archaic) sprok
• (speech): málfar, tungutak, mæli
• (measurement): mæling

Derived terms

• barnamál
• ekkert mál

  ekkert mál fyrir Jón Pál

• gælumál
• áhugamál
• forritunarmál
• ritmál
• smalamál
• tungumál
• fara ekki á milli mála

Related terms

• mæla

Etymology 2

From Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic *mēlą, whence also English meal. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European root *meh₁- (“to measure”).

Noun

mál n (genitive singular máls, nominative plural mál)

1. measurements, a size, dimensions
2. a system of measurement
3. the appropriate time for something

   Er ekki mál að fara?

   Isn't it time to go?

4. a meal, mealtime

Declension

Synonyms

• (system of measurement): mælikerfi
• (meal): máltíð

Derived terms

• taka mál, taka mál af
• mál til komið
• vera mál
• milli mála
• flatarmál

Related terms

• mæla

Old Norse

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *maþlą, whence also Old Saxon mahal, Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌸𐌻 (maþl).

Noun

mál n

1. language
2. speech
3. matter, affair
4. (poetry) syntactic unit, sentence
5. (law) cause

Declension

Derived terms

• bragarmál (“contraction of unstressed words”, literally “poetic speech”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: mál
• Faroese: mál
• Norwegian Bokmål: mål
• Old Swedish: māl
  • Swedish: mål
• Danish: mål
• → Old English: māl (“speech, contract, agreement”)
  • Middle English: mal, male
    • English: mail
    • Scots: mail

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *mēlą (“measure, time, occasion”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European root *meh₁- (“to measure”). Cognate with Old English mǣl, Old Frisian mēl, Old Saxon māl, Old High German māl, Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌻 (mēl, “time, hour”).

Noun

mál n (genitive máls, plural mál)

1. measurement, size
2. season; a quarter of a year
   • c. 1180, Rímbegla:

     í misseri eru mál tvau, í máli eru mánuðr þrír

     in a half-year there are two seasons, in a seasons there are three months

3. time

   mál es at eta

   it is time to eat

4. (Low German influence) meal, mealtime

Declension

Descendants

Etymology 3

From the same Germanic source as Old Saxon māl and Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌻 (mēl), probably Proto-Germanic *mēlijaną, used by Ulfilas to translate Ancient Greek γραφή (graphḗ) and γράμμα (grámma). Related to Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (mēljan) (translating Ancient Greek γράφω (gráphō, “draw, write”)) and German malen (“to paint”).

Noun

mál n

1. a work of art inlaid in metal, especially on weapons