dofinn

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse dofinn (“of a limb, to be dead”). Cognate with Faroese dovin (“lazy; stale”), Danish doven (“lazy”), Swedish duven (“stale, tasteless”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɔːvɪn(ː)/

Adjective

dofinn (comparative dofnari, superlative dofnastur)

1. numb, benumbed

Declension

    positive (strong declension)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	dofinn	dofin	dofið
accusative	dofinn	dofna	dofið
dative	dofnum	dofinni	dofnu
genitive	dofins	dofinnar	dofins
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	dofnir	dofnar	dofin
accusative	dofna	dofnar	dofin
dative	dofnum	dofnum	dofnum
genitive	dofinna	dofinna	dofinna

    positive (weak declension)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	dofni	dofna	dofna
accusative	dofna	dofnu	dofna
dative	dofna	dofnu	dofna
genitive	dofna	dofnu	dofna
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	dofnu	dofnu	dofnu
accusative	dofnu	dofnu	dofnu
dative	dofnu	dofnu	dofnu
genitive	dofnu	dofnu	dofnu

    comparative

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	dofnari	dofnari	dofnara
accusative	dofnari	dofnari	dofnara
dative	dofnari	dofnari	dofnara
genitive	dofnari	dofnari	dofnara
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	dofnari	dofnari	dofnari
accusative	dofnari	dofnari	dofnari
dative	dofnari	dofnari	dofnari
genitive	dofnari	dofnari	dofnari

    superlative (strong declension)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	dofnastur	dofnust	dofnast
accusative	dofnastan	dofnasta	dofnast
dative	dofnustum	dofnastri	dofnustu
genitive	dofnasts	dofnastrar	dofnasts
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	dofnastir	dofnastar	dofnust
accusative	dofnasta	dofnastar	dofnust
dative	dofnustum	dofnustum	dofnustum
genitive	dofnastra	dofnastra	dofnastra

    superlative (weak declension)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	dofnasti	dofnasta	dofnasta
accusative	dofnasta	dofnustu	dofnasta
dative	dofnasta	dofnustu	dofnasta
genitive	dofnasta	dofnustu	dofnasta
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	dofnustu	dofnustu	dofnustu
accusative	dofnustu	dofnustu	dofnustu
dative	dofnustu	dofnustu	dofnustu
genitive	dofnustu	dofnustu	dofnustu

Related terms

• dofi (“numbness”)
• dofna (“to go numb”)

Old Norse

Etymology

Related to Proto-Germanic *daubaz (“deaf”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- (“smoke, mist; daze, stupefaction”).

Adjective

dofinn

1. (of a limb) dead

   Dofinn er mér fótr minn.

   My leg is dead.

2. (in a metaphorical sense) drowsy

Descendants

• Icelandic: dofinn
• Faroese: dovin
• Norwegian Nynorsk: doven; (dialectal) døven
• Swedish: duven
• Danish: doven
  • Norwegian Bokmål: doven

References

• “dofinn”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press