Roots
This glossary lists committed lexical roots. Productive compounds are generally omitted unless they are especially useful reference forms.
| Root | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
bak | back; behind |
bedd | bed |
bind | bind; commit; lock in; make firm by obligation |
biss | busy |
bok | book |
bund | group, bundle, collection; collect / gather together |
dodd | death; the state or event of life ending |
dur | door |
end | end; finish / end |
erl | early |
far | go / travel |
fel | feel |
folk | a people; cultural, national, or social collective |
fram | front; forward |
frend | friend |
frii | free / unbound / at liberty |
gammal | old |
ginn | begin / start |
giv | give |
gladd | happy |
gliff | glyph |
god | good |
hand | hand |
hard | hard / difficult |
hass | hate / strongly dislike |
hav | have / possess; perfect auxiliary |
hedd | head |
hem | home |
hund | dog |
hungr | hungry |
hus | house |
ill | bad |
jar | year |
kald | cold |
kan | can / be able |
katt | cat |
kenn | know |
kom | come |
kompromis | compromise |
kropp | body |
krig | war |
kveld | evening |
kwenn | woman |
latt | late |
liv | life; live |
mak | make / do |
mann | man / person |
mashin | machine / mechanism |
mat | food |
mid | middle / midpoint / center |
mog | like / be fond of |
monþ | month |
morn | morning |
musik | music |
nam | name |
natt | night |
nem | take |
njivv | new |
nord | north |
nu | now |
ord | word |
ost | east |
pleg | play |
rad | road / way |
redd | red |
rest | rest |
rett | right |
rit | rite / formal ceremony / ritual |
rot | root; botanical root or figurative origin / base |
rum | room |
sadd | sad |
sang | song |
sipp | family / kin group |
skriv | write; writing when used nominally |
smal | small |
sprak | language / a language as a system |
sprek | speak |
stark | strong |
stedd | place |
sterf | die / cease living; by extension cease functioning |
stor | big |
sudd | south |
tag | day |
þing | thing |
þurf | need / require |
þurst | thirsty |
tid | time |
timb | build / construct |
trett | tired |
venst | left |
vest | west |
vredd | angry |
wak | wake |
warm | warm |
watr | water |
wedr | weather |
wek | week |
werk | work / labor; work as a verb |
wulf | wolf |
wonnt | habit / custom / accustomed practice |
zin | see |
folk is collective: folkar means multiple distinct peoples, not merely several individual persons.
frii currently means freedom or lack of binding; the no-cost sense of English free is not specified.