sǿkja

Old Norse

Alternative forms

• sœkja, sækja

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *sōkijaną (“to seek, to look for”), from Proto-Indo-European *séh₂gyeti. Cognate with Old English sēċan, sēka, Old Frisian, Old Saxon sōkian, Old High German suohhan, Gothic 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (sōkjan). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂g- (“to seek out”).

Verb

sǿkja (singular past indicative sótti, plural past indicative sóttu, past participle sóttr)

1. to seek, look for, search
2. to strive
3. to attack
   1. (law) to prosecute

      Antonym: verja

      sǿkja sǫk

      to prosecute a case

Conjugation

Conjugation of sǿkja — active (weak class 1)

infinitive	sǿkja
present participle	sǿkjandi
past participle	sóttr
indicative	present	past
1st-person singular	sǿki	sótta
2nd-person singular	sǿkir	sóttir
3rd-person singular	sǿkir	sótti
1st-person plural	sǿkjum	sóttum
2nd-person plural	sǿkið	sóttuð
3rd-person plural	sǿkja	sóttu
subjunctive	present	past
1st-person singular	sǿkja	sótta
2nd-person singular	sǿkir	sóttir
3rd-person singular	sǿki	sótti
1st-person plural	sǿkim	sóttim
2nd-person plural	sǿkið	sóttið
3rd-person plural	sǿki	sótti
imperative	present
2nd-person singular	sǿk, sǿki
1st-person plural	sǿkjum
2nd-person plural	sǿkið

Conjugation of sǿkja — mediopassive (weak class 1)

infinitive	sǿkjask
present participle	sǿkjandisk
past participle	sǿkzk
indicative	present	past
1st-person singular	sǿkjumk	sóttumk
2nd-person singular	sǿkisk	sóttisk
3rd-person singular	sǿkisk	sóttisk
1st-person plural	sǿkjumsk	sóttumsk
2nd-person plural	sǿkizk	sóttuzk
3rd-person plural	sǿkjask	sóttusk
subjunctive	present	past
1st-person singular	sǿkjumk	sóttumk
2nd-person singular	sǿkisk	sóttisk
3rd-person singular	sǿkisk	sóttisk
1st-person plural	sǿkimsk	sóttimsk
2nd-person plural	sǿkizk	sóttizk
3rd-person plural	sǿkisk	sóttisk
imperative	present
2nd-person singular	sǿksk, sǿkisk
1st-person plural	sǿkjumsk
2nd-person plural	sǿkizk

Related terms

• sókn (“an attack; battle”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: sækja
• Faroese: søkja
• Norwegian Nynorsk: søkja, søkje
• Old Swedish: sø̄kia
  • Swedish: söka
• Old Danish: søkia, søkæ (Jutland)
  • Danish: søge
    • Norwegian Bokmål: søke
      • → Norwegian Nynorsk: søke, søka
• Old Gutnish: sykia