hundr
masculine
The Old Norse word for dog is hundr. Wiktionary also lists grey and bikkja.
Meaning: animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Old Norse | Note |
|---|---|
| hundr | masculine |
| grey | neuter |
| bikkja | feminine |
The term refers to the animal dog.
Which one should you use?
hundr is the ordinary word for a dog. grey is a scornful word for a dog, and bikkja means a female dog.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine noun hundr changes based on its role in a sentence. The plural form is hundar , and the genitive singular form is hunds . In the accusative and dative cases, the masculine hundr often appears as hund.
Did you know?
- Viking Age poetry often used 'kennings', which are metaphorical compound words. A dog might be described as a 'house-guardian' rather than by its name.
- The term bikkja is an early ancestor of the modern Scandinavian words for dog, such as the Norwegian bikkje.
Examples in context
- Hundrinn deyr.The dog is dying.This sentence shows how to use hundr to describe a dog dying.Tatoeba #5051322 by Theocracy, translation #48251 by CK
- Hundrinn er hvítr.The dog is white.This sentence uses hundr to describe the color of a dog.Tatoeba #5051324 by Theocracy, translation #526365 by wma
- Hundrinn er snjallr.The dog is smart.This sentence uses hundr to describe a dog as being smart.Tatoeba #5051328 by Theocracy, translation #558999 by djinni74
Example conversation
Sigrid and Erik are walking near a farm.
- SigridSjá, þar er hundr!Look, there is a dog!
- ErikEr hundrinn blíðr?Is the dog gentle?
- SigridJá, hann er mjök góðr.Yes, he is very good.
- ErikEk vil klappa hundinum.I want to pet the dog.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dog” translations and entries hundr, grey, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries grey, hundr, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
