abbast

Icelandic

Etymology

From the verb abba + -st (“a suffix which turns verbs into middle voice verbs”). See also the appendix about the Icelandic middle voice verbs.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈapːast/

Verb

abbast (reflexive verb)

1. to mess, to mess with, to diss

   Ekki abbast upp á mig.

   Don't mess with me.

2. (dated) to be angry, to quarrel

Usage notes

• This phrase is almost always used in the phrase abbast upp á, instead of on its own.

Derived terms

• abbast upp á
• abbast við á

Further reading

• “abbast” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)
• abbast in Hólmarsson et al.: Íslensk-ensk orðabók. 1989.