An Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland/J
J.
ja [jā], adv., yes, affirmative. ja well! jokingly, = Da. ja vel! (yes) certainly! “yea” [jǣ (jɛ̄)] has recently become more prevalent than ja. An obsolete form jo [jō (jo)] is reported from Unst. — ja is No., Fær., Da. and Sw. “ja”; jo may be an original já (O.N. and Icel. já). With “ja well” cf. O.N. “já, já! vel, vel!” (yes) certainly!
jabb [jab], vb., to harp upon the same topic, to j. upon (on) a ting, to j. aboot a ting; he’s jabbet upon it for a hel (whole) day. N.I. Also pronounced “jäb” (Y.; Fe.). No. jabba, vb., a) to speak fair (Aa.);[errata 1] b) to jabber, twaddle (R.); Fær. jabba, vb., to jabber. — Edm. has a form with long a: “yaab”.
jader [jadər, jādər], sb., 1) the uppermost row of green turf in a built-up fence, or in a fence when being built up. 2) a layer, esp. a) a layer of green turf in a fence (when being built up); b) a layer in a dunghill. “de jader-feal (fail)” or “de upper jader”, the uppermost layer of green turf in a fence, also called “de jaderin [jad··ərɩn·, jā··dərɩn·]” or “de jadren [(jadrɩn) jadrən]”. N.I. [jadər]. L. and De. (jaderin). jadren reported by J.I. From Nm. is reported a form: jar [jār] in the senses mentioned above; de jar-feals = de upper jader; a jar o’ feals in a dyke, a layer of green turf in a fence. — O.N. jaðarr, m., border; edge, inter alia of a fence. In Fær. a distinction is made between “jaðar, jaðari [jǣar(ɩ)]”, m., the edge, selvage of cloth (wadmal), and (acc. to Svabo) jaður [jæavȯr], n., a layer. -in, -en, in jaderin, jadren, is prob. the suffixed, definite article [O.N. jaðarinn]. jar [jār] is found in Shetl. also in sense of selvage of woven stuff; jar and jard [jard, jārd] for *jadr in sense of an incipient or narrow current rippling at the edges; see further under these forms of the word.
jader1 [jadər, jādər], vb., to place one layer of green turf on the top of the other, to build up a fence of turf, to j. a dyke (a feali-dyke). De., L. *jaðra. See the preceding word.
jader2 [jādər], vb., to sink down or to stick fast in a bog (U.), see jard2, vb.
jadikrakk, sb., see jala-crack, sb.
jafs [dᶎafs], sb., a greedy snap with the mouth in eating. See further under the foll. word.
jafs [dᶎafs], vb., to make a loud noise with the jaws whilst eating greedily; to eat with vigorous, noisy movements of the jaws, and also loud breathing through the nose; also to make greedy snaps with the mouth in eating. Cf. No. jafsa, vb., to eat greedily accompanied by loud breathing through the nose; to snatch at something with the mouth, etc. (R.). The pronunciation “dᶎ” is due to Eng. (L.Sc.) infl. djafs, vb., q.v., pronounced in the same way, differs from jafs.
jag1 (jagg?) [jag], sb., 1) driven dust, esp. floury dust. Edm.: “yag, fine dust of flour or meal.” 2) husks, also disparaging expr., applied to poor, immature grains of corn: “naet’in’ [‘nothing’] but j.”. Esh., Nmw. — Prop. drift, something drifting, and to be classed with O.N. jaga, vb., to hunt, drive; possibly a deriv. of this word, as the foll. jag2, sb., and jag, vb. [from O.N. jaga], are usually pronounced with long a.
jag2 [jāg], sb., 1) a shoal, esp. of small fry; de(r) wer (there was) just a j. o’ it (Yh.); naet’in’ but j., nothing but small fry (Yn.). 2) a tiny fish, esp. a small codling. U. and Y. a jag-codlin (Uwg.). Meaning 1 is the original one, and may be referred to O.N. jaga, vb., to hunt, drive, etc.; Icel. jaga, vb., inter alia to tumble or loll about (B.H.), Sw. dial. jaga, vb., inter alia to go at a great speed. See the foll. word and jakkel2, sb.
jag [jāg], vb., 1) in fishing: to pull up the line (with long and short jerks alternately) and lower it again, with also a backward and forward movement, in order to get the fish to take the bait, esp. in catching coalfish, sometimes also in cod-fishing. to j. for sed (coalfish), to j. sed: with quick movements of the line. to j. for cod: with slower movements of the line, to j. i’ de keb (the thole); to “j. in” de line, to haul in the line (with long and short jerks alternately, and then let it run out again): Un. Mostly used as vb. n., but also as vb. a., e.g.: j. de fish to dee! (Un.); to j. sed = to j. for sed. 2) a) to be talkative (Du.); b) to keep on asking for something, troubling one with repeated requests or inquiries, to j. at ane. N.I. 3) to quarrel, wrangle; to j. de ane [‘the one’] i’ de face o’ de tidder [‘the other’]. Du. (Irel., Duw.). 4) to appropriate something to oneself in a sly or dishonest way, to j. aff. Nms. 5) a) to sell small wares, to hawk pedlar’s wares; b) to buy up (esp. fish) secretly; see jager, sb. — O.N. jaga, vb., a) to drive, hunt; b) to harp on one subject; Icel. jaga and jagast, vb., a) to repeat constantly; b) to quarrel; dispute.
jaga [jāga], sb., a species of cuttle-fish (N.Roe), see aga, sb.
jager [jāgər], sb., a pedlar, also one who buys in an underhand way, esp. appl. to a buyer-up of fish, one who forestalls the market. See jag, vb. 5. Differing in the compd. jøljager, sb.; q.v. Edm. gives a form with short a: “yagger”.
jagg [jag], sb., 1) continual scolding and reprimanding. 2) a wrangle; dispute. Ai., De. Fær. jagg, n., continual grumbling. Icel. jagg, n., war of words (B.H.).
jagg [jag], vb., 1) to scold and reprimand continually; to j. at onybody [‘somebody’]. 2) to argue; wrangle; dispute; to stand jaggin in ane’s face. Ai., De. Fær. jagga, vb., to grumble and reprimand continually, to nag.
jagi [jāgi], adj., small, applied to fry (esp. young cod), prop. fish in a shoal; a j. mite, a small codling (Yn.). Formed from jag2, sb.; q.v.
jagi-ho [jag··ihō·], sb., a young, small ho (shark, a small kind of porbeagle, lamna cornubica). Nmn. (N.Roe). The name is doubtless due to the fact of its moving in shoals. See jag2, sb.
jagl, jaggel [jagəl], vb., 1) to chew with difficulty; to j. upon onyting [‘something’]. N.I. 2) a) to dispute, contend (continually); b) to grumble, scold; what is du jaglin op i’ my face for? c) appl. to swine: to grunt continually; de swine is jaglin at de door. Conn. No. and Fær. jagla, vb., to chew with difficulty; in No. also to tattle, gossip.
jakkel1, jakl [jakəl], sb., a molar. comm. Also Ork. O.N. jaxl, m., id. For the change ksl (xl) > kl in Shetl. Norn see Introd. V (also N.Spr. VII), § 38 g. — The word is sometimes used metaph. in Shetl., esp. in pl. jakkels, of small, whitish clouds, prop. dentiform clouds, white “jakkels” (N.Sh.).
jakkel2 [jakəl], sb., a) a swarm of small creatures, e.g. gnats; b) a shoal of small fish; c) esp. in pl. jakkels: very small sharks (small kind of porbeagle, Shetl. ho); a lock [‘lot’] o’ jakkels, jakkel-tings; see jagi-ho and jakkel-ho, sb. Nmw. (Esh.); in sense c also noted down in Nms. — *jakk-. Cf. Sw. dial. jakka, vb., to roam, frequentative form of jaga, vb., Mod.G. dial. jacken, vb., to hurry along. For the development of meaning of jakkel in Shetl., see jag2, sb.
jakkelbitel [jak··əlbit·əl], sb., jocularly applied to a molar; also to a large tooth (prop. a molar). Wests. (Sa.; Ai.). — The word is a compd. of jakkel1, sb., and bitel, sb.
jakkel-ho [jak··əlhō·], sb., a young, small ho (a species of shark). Nmw. (Esh.) and Nms. See jagi-ho and jakkel2, sb. (meaning c), as well as the definitions given under these words.
jal [jāl], vb., to scream, cry, esp. of gulls; “de maw (the gull) is jalin”: harbinger of wind. Yb. No. jala, vb., to shout, yell, cry; Eng. (L.Sc.) yaul, yawl, to yell.
jalaklag [jal··aklāg·], sb., a shouting; noise; to mak’ a j., to make a noise; to cry (or shout). Un. See jal, vb., and klag, vb.
jalakrabb, sb., see allakrabb, sb.
jala-crack [jal··akrak·] and jali-crack [jal··ikrak·], sb., a loud cry; a noisy quarrel; also roar of laughter; — to had (mak’) a j.-c., to make a hubbub by crying (or by laughing noisily), to quarrel noisily, etc. jala-crack: Un. jali-crack: Conn., etc. For the first part of the compd. see jal, vb. The second part is Eng. crack, sb. “jadi [jādi]-crack, a j.-c. o’ laughter”, reported from Conn., is possibly a corruption of “jali-crack”.
jalder [jaldər], sb., 1) babble; noisy talk; a loud quarrel. 2) (continuous) barking, esp. of a hound or sheep-dog, when the quarry is at bay. N.I. The word is poss. an old *jaldr = O.N. hjaldr, m., partly din, clangour, partly chatter, talk. See the foll. word.
jalder [jaldər], vb., 1) to babble; to talk noisily; also to dispute with raised voices. 2) to bark continuously, esp. of a hound or sheep-dog when the quarry is at bay. N.I. *jaldra? See jalder, sb. Prob. a deriv. of an old *jala; No. jala, vb., to shout, yell, cry, Shetl. jal, vb. Cf. galder, sb. and vb., from O.N. gala. The word is hardly directly derived from O.N. hjala, vb., to chatter, talk, as the original hj usually changes in Shetl. Norn to sj [ᶊ], but to j in a few instances only (such as in jarta).
†jalk [ja‘lk], vb., a) of dogs: to yelp; b) of persons: to babble, to talk noisily. From a “*jala”, like the preceding word? Or only an alteration of Eng. yelp? Shetl. yalp [ja‘lp], vb., = Eng. yelp.
jalpersten, jalpinsten, sb., see hjelpersten, hjilpersten, sb.
*jamald, jammel [jaməl], sb., a person of equal age to another, mostly in pl., jamalds, jammels, persons of equal age, in a special sense: twins. The word is now obsolescent in Shetl., being replaced by “yeild, yield [jɩld]”, L.Sc. eild (yeild, yield). In Ork. the word is still used. — O.N. jafnaldri, sb., and jafnaldra, adj., of equal age. For the Shetl. and Ork. form cf. No. jamaldre, Fær. jamaldri = javnaldri, m., (person) of equal age.
jamer, vb., to whimper; bleat; mew, see jarm, vb.
jams [ja‘ms], adj., greedy; desirous; eager to get something; to be j. for a ting. S.Sh. The word indicates an association in meaning with No. jafsa, vb., to snap at something with the mouth; in its form the word assimilates to No. jamsa, vb., to chew; munch.
japl, jappel [japəl], vb., to jabber; to be talkative. S.Sh. No. japla, vb., = jappa, vb., to jabber, etc.; Icel. japla, vb., to turn the food about in the mouth, to chew (B.H.). See japp, vb.
japp [jap], sb., 1) a piping, a cheeping sound, generally appl. to chickens: de j. o’ a chicken. 2) whimpering, crying; a bairn’s j. (C.). 3) babble, nonsense. 4) continuous, tiresome repetition of the same thing, esp. of something insignificant; also quarrel about a trifle. *japp. See the foll. word.
japp [jap], vb., 1) to pipe, to cheep; generally appl. to chickens; de chicken japps. Also appl. to persons: he’s been dat [‘that’] way (interferin’), f(r)ae he was able to j., he has been that way (interfering) ever since he could “cheep”. (Yh.). 2) to whimper, cry; de bairn japps (is jappin). C., etc. 3) to babble, to talk nonsense. 4) to repeat the same thing, esp. something trifling; also constantly to raise senseless objections, quarrel about a trifle; to j. aboot a ting (reported from Yh. in the last meaning). — *jappa. No. jappa, vb., to jabber, to talk with tiresome repetitions, etc.; Icel. jappa, vb., to repeat constantly (B.H.), Da. hjappe, a) to bawl; b) to jabber.
jappek [japək], sb., a cheeping or piping creature (see jappi, sb.); reported esp. in sense of a piping, whimpering or crying creature, e.g. a child; a j. o’ a ting (N.Roe). *japp. See japp, vb. 1 and 2.
jappel, vb., see japl, vb.
japper [japər], vb., to whimper, to speak in a whimpering or tearful voice. Sa. Deriv. of japp, vb.
jappi [japi], sb., sea-term, tabu-name in fishermen’s lang. for hen. Prop. a cheeping or jabbering creature; see japp, vb.
jar [jār], sb., a border; edge, esp.: 1) selvage of wadmal or woven stuff; de j. o’ de wadmel, wub [‘web’] or claith [‘cloth’]. Nm., Wests. 2) a layer of green turf in a fence, esp. the uppermost layer. Nm.; see further jader, sb. 3) a) a narrow or incipient current, appearing as a streak on the surface of the water; a slight current; a j. o’ tide. Fo. b) a current rippling with sharp edges, but calm in the centre. In sense 2 b the word is reported from Un. in the form jard [jard], a jard o’ tide. A verb, jard, corresponding to the latter, is reported from Un. and Wests.; see below. 4) applied to a boat: to tak’ a j., to take a slanting course, e.g. in order to catch the wind or to avoid skerries. Yh. — O.N. jaðarr, m., edge; selvage; border. The form jar has arisen by dropping of ð, jard by metathesis of jad(e)r; see jader, sb. jar 4 is poss. due to a mingling with Eng. yaw, vb.
jar [jār] and jard [jard, jārd], vb., 1) vb. a., to place (build) in layers, esp. to build up a fence of green turf; reported in the form jar from Nm.: to jar a dyke; see jader, vb. 2) vb. n., applied to current: a) to appear as a streak; b) to ripple with sharp edges (while the tide is running gently in the centre); de tide is jarin [jārɩn]: Fo. de tide is jardin: Wests. (Sa.; Ai.) and Un. Wests.: jārd. Un.: jard, jārd (esp. in sense b). — *jaðra, vb., to form an edge, etc. See the preceding word.
“*jaraman”, sb., the extent of landed property? The word is found in a judicial letter of the 3rd of July, 1604, with regard to the construction of some fences in Whiteness (“The uter dyke of Quhytnes to be biggit”, in “Acts and Statutes”). In this letter it is decreed that the inhabitants were to build these fences “ilk person according to his jaraman” (written ȝaraman; compare the mode of spelling “ȝeir” = yeir: year), which seems to mean: every one in proportion to the extent of his property. *jarðarmagn? O.N. jarðarmegin, n., the extent of landed property; O.N. magn, n., = megin, n., main; strength; might.
jarb, jarbind, sb., see jardbind, sb.
jarb [jarb], vb., to harp upon one subject, see jarp, vb.
jard, sb., see jar, sb.
jard1, vb., see jar, vb.
jard2 [jard], vb., properly to bury; now esp. in sense of to press down, squeeze; he’s jarded him [‘himself’] in at de fire, i’ de muckle chair, he has settled himself down in the arm-chair (the “great” chair) by the hearth, indicating a lengthy visit. N.I. — O.N. jarða, vb., to earth, bury; in No. (jorda) also used in sense of to fell, to lay on the ground. — From U. is reported jaderd [jādərd], perf. part. in sense of bogged, sunk down or stuck fast in a bog; de coo [‘cow’] is jaderd in a jarf. jaderd prob. by metathesis of jarded, jardet, prop. buried. — See jerd, vb.
jardbind [jarbend, -bond, jarbe‘nt, -bə‘nt], sb., a cold and dry, continuous north-east wind (generally in the spring), prop. “earthbinder”, because this wind is said to “bind the earth” = to make it dry and hard, thus damaging the corn (see bind, vb.). Conn. In Du. is found a mutilated form jarb [jarb]. *jarðbindi or -bind, “earthbinder”. In other places in Shetl. (esp. in N.I.) the word is found without the first part of the compd. jar(d); see further under binder, sb. The word “harr [har]” or “har [hār]” (L.Sc. harr, haar), is now mostly used in Shetl. as a designation for this wind.
jardbind [(jar·bɩnd··) jar·bäind··], vb., applied to a cold and dry, continuous north-east wind, and also to frost: “to bind” the earth; to make it very hard; to j. de eart’. de eart’ was just jardbinded [jar·bäin··dəd] wi’ frost, the earth had become frost-bound. Yn. *jarðbinda. See the preceding word as well as bind, vb.
jardfast [jar·fast·, jarfast·], sb., a stone (attached to a rope or simmen) by means of which something is weighted down, “earthfastened”, esp. one of the heavy stones fastened to a rope in order to secure hay- or corn-stacks against storm and squalls; comm. in pl.: jardfasts. N.I. *jarð-festr (-festi)? See fast, fasti, sb. The verb jardfast is more common than the substantive; see the foll. word.
jardfast [jar·fast· (jārd·fast·)], vb., “to earthfasten” something, to load down something, esp.: a) to secure corn- or hay-stacks by means of ropes (simmens), weighted with heavy stones, to j. de corn or hay; b) to secure a boat from being carried away by storm, squalls or surf, by means of stones and the like placed in the bottom of it, or to fasten it by a rope to an earthfast stone or to any other heavy object. Fairly comm. The current pronunc. is “jar·fast·”. The pronunc. “jārd·fast·”, esp. reported in the phrase “to j. de corn”, is most prob. due to influence of the word “jard” (corn-yard, enclosure where the corn is stacked). A parallel form jerdfast, jirdfast [jerfast·], is reported from Fe. — *jarðfesta, vb., prop. “to earthfasten”, to weight down to the ground. For the form fast for *fest see fasti, vb. — The adjective (earthfast, fixed in the ground) is now, by anglicising, commonly “eart’-fast” (a e.-f. sten).
jardpon [jar·pōn·, -pōən·, jarpōən·; jär-], vb., in the phrase “to j. a ruiff [røf· = roof], a hus”, to thatch a house with two layers of green turf, instead of, as usual, with one layer only, and an upper layer of straw. Fe. Is now called “to double-pon [-pōn, -pōən]”, at least outside Fe. — Prob. an original *jarð-spæna, vb., “to earth-thatch”, to thatch with green turf (only). Shetl. pon, sb., a piece of green turffor thatching, prob. from O.N. spánn, m., a shingle for thatching. The original i-mutation in the second part of the compd. has been dropped in accordance with the phonetic peculiarities in Shetl. Norn. For dropping of initial s before a consonant, see under pon, sb. — The word earth is found in the form jerd, jird [jərd], in the compd. jerdiswidl (jirdiswidl); q.v.
jarf [ja‘rf] and jarfa1 [ja‘rfa], sb., 1) broken, swampy ground, boggy soil; swamp, (deep) bog; esp. hollow ground with water underneath. N.I. (jarf). Nm. (jarf, j.-holes). 2) poor, tough (damp) ground, difficult to prepare, choked with old, decayed grass-roots and rootlets. Wests. (jarf and jarfa). Ork. jarfa (“yarfa, yarpha”), sb., a) poor, peaty soil full of grass-rots and rootlets; b) peaty soil, mixed with clay or sand. O.N. jǫrfi, m., (sand, gravel) sand-bank or gravel-bank; No. jarve, m. (R.), a) = jørve, m., bank; earthen mound; heap of gravel; b) hard, gravelly or stony subsoil; Icel. jörfi, m., a) mud; dirt (B.H.); b) mould; clay; c) brink, edge (E.J.).
jarfa2, sb., see “jart-fa’”.
jarfi, jarf-y [ja‘rfi], adj., applied to ground: a) swampy, boggy; b) poor, tough (damp), choked with old, decayed grass-roots and rootlets; j. grund. Reported esp. from Wests. in sense b. See jarf (jarfa), sb.
jarg [jarg], sb., continuous, eager talk with tiresome repetitions; aggressive talk; angry argumentation; criticism and fault-finding. See the foll. word.
jarg [jarg], vb., to talk continually and eagerly, repeating the same thing in a tiresome way; to talk or wrangle about something in an aggressive, angry manner; to argue and criticise angrily. Icel. jarga, vb., to repeat in a tedious manner, to tattle. Sw. dial. jarg(a), vb., to chew something tough, and “järg(a), järk(a)”, vb., to grumble; to raise objections· See njarg and sjarg, vbs.
jark [ja‘rk], jarki [ja‘rki], jarkin [ja‘rkin, ja‘rkɩn], sb., 1) edge of the sole of the foot (the widest part); also the instep; de j. o’ de foot. 2) the edge of the palm of the hand, esp. that along the forefinger and the thumb; occas. also the muscle at the root of the thumb; de j. o’ de hand. 3) side-stitch of a shoe, esp. in pl.: jarkins. L.Sc. yerkin. 4) handful (prop. what one can grip with one’s hand), jarki(n); “Oh, Lord, we’re a’ [‘all’] but a jarkin o’ sinners”. — O.N. jarki, m., (outside edge of) the sole of the foot. No. jark(e), m., a) edge of the sole of the foot, also the sole at the root of the toes, and likewise applied to the corresponding part of boots and shoes; b) edge of the palm of the hand, esp. the muscle at the root of the thumb. Icel. and Fær. jarki, m., edge of the sole of the foot, in Icel. (B.H. and E.J.) esp. applied to the outside edge. — In sense of a) a push, jerk, blow; b) a large draught; a quick, large bite (a snap with the mouth), Shetl. jark (jarki) is quite another word, viz. Eng. yerk (yark) = jerk, tug, sb.
jarm [jarm (jārm)], sb., a bleating; mewing; a howling (crying), wail or complaint. Icel. jarmr, m., a bleating; howling; bawling; crying (screeching of birds). See the foll. word.
jarm [jarm, jārm], vb., applied to sheep: to bleat. Also appl. to a cat: to mew. Chiefly with short a-sound: jarm. With a long vowel-sound the word is esp. reported from Du. [jārm]. — O.N. jarma, vb., to bleat; in Sw. dial. in a wider use (to howl; cry; lament). See njarm, vb.
jarmek [jarmək] and jarmer [jarmər, jārmər], sb., sea-term, tabu-name, used by fishermen for a) sheep; b) cat. jarmek (appl. to sheep) reported from Yh.; elsewhere more comm.: jarmer. In Du. pronounced with long a-sound; in other places more comm. with short a. — jarmer [jarmər] is also reported as a tabu-name, sea-term for precentor. jarmer from older *jarmari; jarmek poss. from a *jarmingr. Prop. a “bleater”, "mewer”, “crier”.
jarp [ja‘rp], vb., to repeat constantly the same questions or demands when wanting something done, to harp upon a thing; to j. upon a ting. Sa. From Un. is reported a form jarb [jarb]; to jarb aboot or upo somet’in’. — No. jarpa, vb., to jabber; chatter; L.Sc. yarp, vb., to whine; to carp at. The form jarb, with change from p to b, indicates jarp to be an old word in Shetlandic. See erp (irp), vb.
jarta [ja‘rta], sb., properly the heart, but now only preserved as a term of endearment or friendship: my treasure! my dear! my friend! “my heart!” N.I., Fo. Kwar (where) is du gaun [‘going’], j.? (Fo.). Stand at dee, j.! move a little, my dear! j. dadna! (for j. *badna!) child of my heart! (Fo.); see *bjadna, sb. j. bodda! my (little) treasure! my dear! (N.I.); see bodda, sb. — O.N. hjarta, n., the heart. With regard to the application of the word jarta in Shetl., cf. e.g. No. “(mitt) hjartans barn”, (old) Da. “(mit) hjærte barn, (min) hjærte ven, hjærte moder”, child of my heart, friend of my heart, dearest mother. The development hj > j in Shetl. jarta is an exception to the rule, as hj > sj [ᶊ] is the common development in Shetl. Norn.
jart-fa’? jarfa [ja‘rfa], sb., nausea; disorder of the stomach with inclination to vomit; I am gotten [‘have got’] a jarfa. Conn. As the same indisposition is expressed by “heart-sickness” in Shetl., the word jarta may prob. be an old “jart’-fa”’ from an original *hjarta-fall, n., paralysis of the heart. See jarta, sb., “heart”. The second part, fa, may be L.Sc. fa’, sb., a fall. For the use of “fa’” in this expr., cf. fall in the compd. tungefall, sb., paralysis of the tongue.
jasp [jasp], sb., a clever, active person. Sa. The word is more commonly used as an adjective; see the foll. word.
jasp [jasp], adj., somewhat smart, active, eager; I am no sae [‘not so’] j.; he is no very j. N.Sh. Wests. jasp is reported from U. in a more special sense, more smart or agile than might be expected, applied to a person having but little vigour. The latter might indicate the word to have arisen from an older *japs by metathesis of p and s, and to have originally belonged to an old verb, *jap-sa (*japp-sa) or *jabb-sa. Cf. No. jabba (jabba 2 in Aa.), vb., to trip, run (Aa.); to trip lightly (R.); also, inter alia to chew with difficulty (prop. of repeated, powerless, hacking movements).
†jatlin [jatlɩn], adj., that indicates noble descent and thoroughbred race, pure and strong, esp. referring to blood: of a pure and strong, red colour; dark-red; j. bluid [blød]. “As red as j. bluid”, said of something having a strong, red colour (U.). The word is found also in other forms, such as: jatl [jatəl], jatn, jatten [jatən, jatən], and abbr.: jatt [jat]; more rarely with d: jadl [jadəl], and jadn, jadden [jadən]. — jatlin, in the first given sense, seems to point to O.N. aðal and eðli, n., kind; nature; quality, “eðli” also: family; descent, pure descent, “aðal”, No. adel, m., also nucleus, the best part of something. For a development ð (ðr, ðl) > t (tr, tl) in Shetl. Norn, see Introd. V (also N.Spr. VII), § 29, the end. But the forms ending in dn, tn, and t (tt) do not correspond to “aðal, eðli”, and in the current use, in reference to fresh, strong red blood, the Shetl. forms might be explained in another way, e.g. from “yat”, vb., = L.Sc. yet, vb., to pour. “yatlin” [jatlin] is found in Shetl. in sense of a tallow-candle, formed by the repeated dipping of a wick into melted tallow, and must here be derived from “yat”, vb., in sense of to cast metal (L.Sc. yet).
jatter [jatər], vb., to jabber; gossip; also to grumble, scold; to find fault unreasonably. Also L.Sc. “yatter”, in both senses. Da. jadre, hjadre, vb., to jabber, tattle, Sw. dial. jåtträ, vb., to lisp, babble.
je [(jē) jɛ̄] and jæ [jǣ], sb., a low-lying spit of land covered by water at flood-tide; a longish bank in the sea, which lies (or formerly has lain) dry at ebb, esp. a sand-bank, forming an intertidal way at low water between two places. Ym., n. “Tildrateng [tɩl··əratæŋ·] (Mid-Yell), de Point o’ Saltnes [sa‘ltnɛs] (Glupw., Yn.) is a jæ.” As a place-name the word is also found a) in Unst: de Je [jɛ̄] or Jæ [jǣ] o’ Klugen [klūgən], also called “de Je (Jæ) o’ Hune [hūne, -ɩ]” (Ue.), a sand-bank which forms an intertidal way between the village “Klugen”, south of Baltasund (Um.), and the islet “Hune”; b) in Northmavine (Mn.): de Je [jɛ̄] or Jæ [jǣ] o’ Øja [øja], a sand-bank forming a way between the village “Øja”, and the opposite “Isle o’ Øja” (Nmw.-n.). — je (jæ) has arisen from *e [ē, ɛ̄] by prefixed j, and is O.N. eið, n., neck of land, isthmus. No. eid, n., a) neck of land between two waters; b) way of communication; cross-valley or depression, etc. In sense of a neck of land, strip of land between two waters, are also found in Shetl. forms without prefixed j: *ed, eð, e; mostly used as a place-name; see further under *ed.
jeder [jedər, jɛdər], sb., properly venom, poison, but now only used metaphorically as in: a) evil speaking; biting, spiteful words; to spit j. on ane, to vent venom, to give vent to one’s spleen on someone, to talk with biting malice to or about someone; his words was like j. (piercing, biting as venom); b) biting or bitter cold; a j. o’ cauld [‘cold’]; he is a j. o’ cauld f(r)ae de nort’; hit [‘it’] is as cauld as j. (biting cold). N.I. (U.). — O.N. eitr, n., a) venom, poison; b) bitterness; malice; enmity; c) bitter cold. See eder1 and eter, sbs., which are other Shetl. forms of the word here treated.
jederpadd [jed··əpad·, jɛd··əpad·], sb., a venomous, malicious person; also a very angry, cross person. Un. O.N. eitrpadda, f., venomous toad.
jefl, jeffel [(jɛfəl) jæfəl] and jevl, jevvel [(jɛvəl) jævəl], vb., to falter in one’s speech, hesitate for words; he jeffeld or jevveld it ut, he spoke in a hesitating manner, was not able to get the words out. Un. *jafla. No. javla, vb., a) to chew; b) to jabber (Aa.); c) to falter in speech (R.). The word is hardly from O.N. geifla, vb., to munch, as, in this case, the g, acc. to Shetl. phonology, ought to have been preserved; see gevl, vb., and cf. jufl, juffel, vb.
jegel, jigel [jegəl, jɩgəl] and jegilsten [jeg··ɩlstēn·, -sten·], sb., quartz, a hard stone in a soft species of stone (U.); see further hjegel, hjigel, sb.
jelin [jɛlɩn (jælɩn)], sb., 1) a slight shower, usually with light wind, a j. o’ a shooer [‘shower’]. Y. 2) a frosty-looking cloud, a dark cloud in frosty or very cold weather, a frosty j., frosty jelins. U. — Prob. *élingr. Deriv. of O.N. él, n., a shower; in Icel. esp. a snow-squall, hail-storm; in Danish (Jut.) dials. also of a cloud (without rain). No. eling, m., a shower, Da. iling, c., a passing shower, in Jut. dial. acc. to Molbeck also: eel, eling, c.
jema [jɛma (jema, jæma)], sb., 1) mist lying on the surface of the water (Papa St.; Yh.), esp. close to the shore (Yh.); also mist lying in the valleys (Papa), = dalamjork, dalamist. 2) small, whitish clouds, flying before larger, dark clouds. Fe. — The pronunc. with close e is reported from Fe. [jema and occas. jɛma], with ɛ and æ from Yh. and P. [jɛma, jæma]. — From O.N. eimr, m., steam, (whitish) smoke. Cf. emek, sb., (tabu-name for) fire, which is another form of the same word.
†jemelt [jeməlt, jɛməlt], sb., tabu-name, sea-term for woman or girl (Yn.); see *hema and †hemelt (hjemelt), sb.
jenk (jink) [je‘ŋk (jɩ‘ŋk), jə‘ŋk, jꜵ̈‘ŋk, jʌ‘ŋk], sb., really property, possession, O.N. eign, f. (in Shetl. jenk from *jeng by metathesis of *jegn), but now only used metaph., and in the foll. senses: 1) sweetheart (a person to whom one is engaged). 2) dedication or making over a) of a thing of minor significance, a trifle; b) of something in merely nominal ownership and not as a real possession, such as a young domestic animal that a child is allowed to call his own: to gi’e ane (to get) de j. o’ onyting [‘something’]. N.I. For the use of the word in sentences, and for the distribution of the different forms of pronunciation in the various localities, see further under enk (ink), sb.
jenk (jink) [je‘ŋk (jɩ‘ŋk), (jə‘ŋk), jʌ‘ŋk], vb., 1) to dedicate or make over to someone (esp. a child) something, as a nominal possession. 2) applied to children: to be allowed to call something (esp. a young domestic animal) one’s own, and let it go by one’s name. N.I. (U. and Y.). For *jeng by metathesis of *jegn. O.N. eigna, vb., to attribute to one. See further under enk (ink), vb.
jennapi [jɛn··api·], sb., a tiny, fragile being (person or animal), a small, frail wretch. U. occas. See further under ennapi, sb.
†jerd, jird [jerd, jɩrd], vb., 1) to bury. 2) to hide, to put aside secretly, to j. awaa [‘away’]. 3) to press down, to squeeze; to j. anesell [‘oneself’], to settle oneself down firmly, = to jard anesell. de coo was jirdet in a jarf, the cow stuck fast in a slough (Y.; Fe.), = de coo was jardet, jaderd in a jarf. jerd, jird is prop. a L.Sc. form (L.Sc. yerd, yird, older “erd”, vb., to bury). See jard, vb.
jerdfast [jerfast·], vb., = jardfast, vb.
jerdiswidl [jər··diswɩd·əl, jər·diswɩd·əl], sb., mud; mire; slush, esp. applied to the sloppy state of the ground and roads after rain; “de eart’ is a’ [‘all’] in a perfect j.” Sa. *jarðar-skvitl? The first part of the compd. is originally doubtless gen. of O.N. jǫrð, f., ground; the second part may be an old *skvitl; cf. No. skvitla, skvitra (skvatla, skvatra), vb., to splash; dabble. See swidl, sb.
jern(i)skäi, sb., see jirn(i)skäi, sb.
jetel [jɛtəl, jætəl], sb., a gland; knot, esp. a) a gland in the body (U.); b) induration in a stone, esp. quartz; “as hard as j.” (U.). In sense of light-coloured or white quartz there is also found a form jetlin [jætlɩn], reported from Conn. As adj.: jetli [jætli], a white jetli sten (Conn.). — Icel. eitill, Fær. eitil, No. eitel, Sw. dial. ettel, m., a gland; hard lump. jetlin most prob. arises from the old, def. form: *eitillinn. — See getel and hjegel, hjigel, hjigelti, sbs.
jetlin, sb., see the preceding word.
jigel [jɩgəl] and jigelti [jɩg··əlti·], sb., j.-sten (white) quartz (hard species of stone). Yh. jigelsten [jɩg··əlsten·]: Fe. As adj.: jigli [jɩgli], a j. sten: Yb. See further under hjegel, hjigel, hjigelti [O.N. hégeitill].
jigl, jiggel [jɩgəl], vb., 1) to chew with difficulty, to munch; to try to loosen, e.g. a knot with the teeth; to j. on or at a ting. 2) to attempt to cut with a blunt knife, only to do it badly. 3) to try to carry out a task beyond one’s power, but making a poor job of it, to j. at a ting (Nmn.). — Parallel form to jagl, vb.; q.v. Cf. sjagl, vb.
jiker, jikker [jɩkər (jekər)], sb., a furious (but brief) quarrel; to ha’e a j. wi’ onybody. Nmn. (N.Roe). See the foll. word.
jiker, jikker [jɩkər (jekər)], vb., to quarrel, wrangle, esp. applied to a furious and brief quarrel. Nmn. (N.Roe). jiker, jikr (*jigr?) has most prob. arisen by metathesis from an older *jerk, *jirk or *jerg, *jirg. Cf. Sw. dial. “järga” and “järk(a)”, vb., to fret, grumble; to raise objections, as well as jarg, vb. Cf., with regard to the metathesis of r, e.g. fjamer = fjarm, slord = slodder1, vb.
jilmet (De.) from ilmet, adj.
jink, sb. and vb., see jenk.
jipper [jɩpər (jepər)], vb., to pipe; jabber; to talk monotonously (and noisily); also to yelp continuously. N.I. (Y.; Fe.). Is to be classed with japp, vb.; q.v.
†jird, vb., see †jerd, vb.
jirnskäi [jərn··skäi·] and jirniskäi [jər··niskäi·], sb., on the old Shetl. wooden plough: a small board fixed in a slanting position behind (to the right), directly above the mouldboard (de skäi, de mukkel skäi). Besides jirn(i)skäi is also found the form jorninskäi [jȯr··nɩnskäi·]. Conn. Poss. from an older *hjirni(n)- or *hjorninskäi. In that case, the first part of the compd. is a deriv., with i-mutation, of O.N. horn, n. (a horn; corner; angle, etc.); cf. O.N. hyrni, n., and hyrna, f., a corner, as well as No. hyrning, m., cross-beam; cross-bar in a sledge. Dropping of h before a later developed j often takes place in Shetl. Norn, and alternation of the forms jirn- and jorn- may indicate y as being the fundamental vowel in this case; see hirnek and horni from O.N. hyrn-. skäi is O.N. skíð, n., or skíða, f., a piece of wood; board; ski, snow-skate. The first part of erskäi differs etymologically from the first part of jirn(i)skäi, though both these words are used in the same sense; see erskäi (S.Sh.) and erdros (Conn.), sbs.
jirp [jə‘rp], vb., to turn up one’s nose, to be peevish, to grumble (constantly), and harp on the same thing (Fe.); see erp (irp), vb., and jarp, vb.
jo, sb., see gjo, sb.
*jo [jō (jo)], adv., in the affirmative: yes. U. See ja and *ju (jusa).
jog1 [jōg (jōəg)], sb., a variety of large mussel, horse mussel, mytilus modiolus. comm. In Unst esp. in the form øg [ø̄g]. — O.N. (Icel.) aða (acc., gen., dat.: ǫðu), f., mytilus modiolus, No. odskjel, ovskjel, f., id. (modiolus vulgaris), Fær. øða [ø̄əva], f., id. The Shetl. form jog has arisen from *og, with later prefixed j. For the change ð > g in Shetl. Norn, esp. when final, see Introd. V (also N.Spr. VII), § 29, the end. A gen. pl. form jogna [*aðna] from jog is found in the compds. (reported from Fo.): jognakessi, and esp. jognakoddi, sbs. (q.v.), as well as in the place-name Jognapøl [jåg··napøl·, joŋ··napøl·] (Foula), a small, roundish creek, where these mussels are gathered at low water to be used as bait for fishing: *aðna-pollr.
*joga [jōga] and *jog2 [jōg], sb., the eye (organ of vision). As a pl. form is reported jogers [jōgərs], the eyes, still partly used as a jocular term. Fo. For jog in sense of a hole, opening, see *joggird, sb. A form with prefixed h, hjog [hjōg], is found in the sense of two lengths of straw pleated together (in pleating a straw-basket); see further under hjog2, sb. — As a place-name *joga is preserved in the sense of a pool of water, thus in Fo.: “de pøl [pøl =‘pool’] or pøls o’ de Jogins [jōgɩns]”, pl. — O.N. auga, n., the eye, also a hole; depression; small swamp, etc.; No. auga, n., a) the eye; b) a pool; bog (in place-names). See a) the compds. *rossajoga, sb., *joggird, sb., *joglitt, adj., and b) “ee” (L.Sc.), which is now the common designation in Shetlandic for the eye.
joger1 [jōgər], sb., pain and swelling of the wrist (Un. occas.), see gjoger2, sb.
joger2 [jōgər], sb., backwash of breakers; sea-foam on the surface of the water, at some distance from the shore, caused by surf; see further oger, sb.
jogerhjons, jogrehjons, sb., see ogerhons, sb.
joget [jōgət], adj., soiled; covered with dirty stripes (Duw.), from gjoget; see goget, adj.
jogg [jɔg, jåg?], sb., 1) commotion in the sea, esp. heavy sea with short, choppy waves; a j. i’ de sea, a j. o’ a sea(?). 2) wind, agitating the sea; contrary wind. Esh.; Nmw. A rare word; the vowel-sound is somewhat uncertain. It seems to be syn. with jagg, sb.; cf. Fær. jagg, n., a) continuous grumbling; b) small waves, cross-sea (F.F.S.). hakk2, sb., is used in Shetl. syn. with jogg.
*joggird [jogerd, jogərd] and jogird [jōgerd, jōgərd], sb., the ring or circle on the upper quern- or millstone, immediately surrounding the eye. Reported by J.I. Poss. also a ring of straw (bjog) placed round the "eye” or hollow of the so-called knockin’-stane (a stone hollowed out, used for separating the husks from the ears of barley by knocking with a smaller stone): Yh. (uncertain in this sense). — *aug(a)-gjǫrð, f., prop. “eyegirth”, “eyeband”. See *joga (*jog), sb., the eye. L.Sc. and Shetl. gird, sb., a hoop.
joglitt [(joglet) joglət], adj., applied to a sheep: white (having a white head) and with black circles round the eyes, or conversely; a j. yowe [‘ewe’]. Un. *auglit(t)r, adj., “eye-coloured”. Fær. eyglittur [æiglɩttȯr], adj., = Shetl. joglitt. See *joga, sb.
jognakessi, sb., see the foll. word.
jognakoddi [joŋ··nakȯd·i], sb., a small basket (koddi) in which horse mussels (jogs) are gathered (to be used as bait for fishing). Fo. *aðnakoddi or -kuddi. aðna, gen. pl. of O.N. (Icel.) aða, f., mytilus modiolus. See jog1, sb., and koddi, sb. In the same sense as jognakoddi is used (also in Fo.) jognakessi [joŋ··nakɛᶊ·ɩ]; see kessi, sb.
John’smass-girs [‘-grass’], sb., ribwort plantain. Also called “John’smass-flooers [‘-flowers’]” and “John’smass-pairs”. An old superstitious custom is attached to this plant in connection with St. John’s Eve, since an omen of the future is taken (at any rate, was formerly taken) from the jutting stamens of the plant, e.g. whether one was to marry one’s true-love. In Fær. “Jóansøkugras” denotes the same plant, and the same custom is (was) attached to it on St. John’s Eve, and Midsummer-Night. O.N. Jó(a)nsmessa and Jó(a)nsvaka, f., Midsummer Day, the 24th of June, Fær. Jóansøka, f., Shetl. John’smass. In No. Jonsokeblom, m., denotes a plant, different from “John’smass-girs” and Fær. “Jóansøkugras”, viz.: “arnica montana”, Sw. dial. Sankt Hans urta, f.
jok [jɔk (jok)], sb., wooden doorlatch; generally appl. to a wooden door-hinge: the bolt with a vertical pin at its head, de sjarl-pin, fixed to the door-post, together with the hook on the door fitting over the pin. comm. Sometimes in pl., joks, applied to the hook as well as the pin on which the door turns. — O.N. oki, m., a wooden crosspiece, e.g. on the inside of a door; thus also Icel. and Fær. oki, No. and Sw. dial. oke. — Though prefixed j before an initial vowel is fairly common in Shetl. Norn, here is doubtless an influence from another word, viz.: jok [jɔk], sb., yoke. In the latter jok, O.N. ok, n., a yoke, and Eng. “yoke”, may have been merged.
jokel [jokəl], sb., an icicle. Conn. O.N. jǫkull, m., a) an icicle; b) a glacier.
jokl, jokkel [jɔkəl], sb., properly shoulder, now esp. 1) the upper part of the shoulder of a human being or animal, de j. o’ de shooder [‘shoulder’]. 2) a crag; also the steep end of a ridge, the place where a mountain or hill of some extent turns at an angle, the corner of a mountain; de j. o’ de hill. Conn. As a place-name: de Jok(ke)l o’ de Kuml = de Nose o’ de “Kuml” (M.Roe, Dew.): jutting ledge in a hill, de J. o’ de Skrø [skrø̄], de J. o’ Tungafell [toŋ··(g)afel·] (Conn.): the uppermost part of “de Skrø” and “Tungafell” respectively, two large hills (*skrø1 — a spot where a mountain-slide, O.N. skriða, f., has taken place). — In place-names appear beside jokkel also older forms, such as okkel (under hjokel, sb.) and akkel, without prefixed j; q.v. — O.N. ǫxl, f., a) the shoulder; b) a crag. For the change xl (ksl) > kl in Shetl. Norn, see Introd. V (also N.Spr. VII), § 38 g, and jakkel1, sb. — For a form hjokl, arisen from jokl, jokkel, by adding h to the prefixed j, see hjoklarigg and hjogelben, sbs. See also the etym. remarks under hjokel, sb.
*jokol, affirmative: yes, prop. yes, man! the word being regarded as a compd. of jo, adv., yes, and *koll2, sb., carl, man, thus: an original *já, karl! Sir Walter Scott mentions the word in chapter XXX of the novel “The Pirate”, which is set in Shetland, adding the remark: “Jokul — yes, sir; a Norse expression still in common use.” According to this, it may be accepted that the expr. was in use well into the 19th century; it is now, however, obsolete. Edm. gives “yokul” as “yes, sir”.
jolagrot [jol··agrɔt·, jɔl··agråt·], sb., properly a “Christmas weeper”, nickname for a child who weeps on Christmas Day, when all ought to be cheerful. Un. *jóla-grát (n.?). See the foll. word.
jolagrot [jol··agrɔt·, jɔl··agråt·], vb., to weep during Christmas, esp. on Christmas Day (when one ought to be cheerful), applied to a child; “de boy was jolagrotin and sure to greet (cry) every day o’ de year”. Un. *jóla-gráta. O.N. jól, n. pl., Christmas; O.N. gráta, vb., to cry, weep. In Shetland the form jøl (jøls, pl.), q.v., is now commonly used for *jol.
jolger [jålgər, jȯlgər], sb., rough sea, cross-sea; commotion in the sea, heavy wash of the waves (esp. near the shore). Conn. [jålgər]. Fe. [jȯlgər]. See further under gjolg, gjolger, sb.
“*jolisting”, vb., see *golisting, vb., and “jøl-steik”, sb.
jolmet (De.) = jilmet from ilmet, adj.
jongla-biter, jongna-biter, sb., see onglabiter, sb.
jonsa [jɔ‘nsa, jå‘nsa] and jonsi [jɔ‘nsi, jå‘nsi], sb., tabu-name, sea-term for a hen. Occas. also jonska [jå‘nska]. Fo. See further under hjonsa, sb.
*jora [jōra], sb., the ear (organ of hearing). Fo. Now superseded by the more frequent “lug” (L.Sc.), and “ear”. Three different forms, viz.: *ora [*ōra], *jora and *øra [ø̄ra], have been preserved in sense of ear, in two compds.: a) uppo(m)jora [op·a(m)jō·ra], prop. three words: *upp um øyra, up around the ear, up behind the ear, reported from Fo.; for the colloquial use of this compd. see further uppomjora, adv. From N.I. uppomøra [op·amø̄·ra] is reported as an obsolete form, b) ornaskap, -skep [ōr··naskäp·, -skæp·, -sᶄɛp·] (Y. and U. occas.), ørnaskep [ø̄r··nasᶄɛp·, -skæp·] (U. and Fe.), prop. form of ear-mark in sheep [*øyrnaskap]. For the further use of this compd. see ornaskap and ørnaskep, sbs. O.N. øyra (eyra, Icel.), n., the ear. The forms jora and orna- presuppose an *oura, *ōra with dropped i-mutation. orna-, ørna- are gen. pl.: O.N. øyrna.
jordin [jȯrdin], sb., a large lump, large and lumpy object or mass. Conn. Prob. from an older *ordin with prefixed j; in that case, the same word as hord1, sb., and hordin, sb., a big boulder, a very large object or being, etc., from O.N. urð, f. (urðin: def. form), a heap of fragments of rock (fallen down), talus, doubtless also a block of stone.
jorin, sb., sea-term, tabu-name for seal; see horin, sb.
jorn [jɔrn, jårn] and jurn [jorn], sb., hearth, hearth-stone, also depression in the hearth-stone; see further orn, sb.
*josa and *hjosa, sb., a ladle. Fo. In Low’s list of words: heosa. O.N. ausa, f., a ladle.
*ju [jū], adv., yes, affirmative; esp. in the compd. jusa (jøsa); q.v.
jub [jūb], vb., to emit plaintive sounds, to howl, to moan; see ub (øb), vb.
jufl, juffel [jofəl], sb., a yelping; see the foll. word.
jufl, juffel [jofəl], vb., to yelp, applied to dogs. Sometimes jokingly or mockingly applied to persons: to grumble. The word is a parallel form to jefl, jeffel from *jafla; q.v.
jugger [jogər, jôgər (short ô)], sb., a large, heavy and clumsy object, esp. a stone, difficult to handle, a j. o’ a sten. U.; Yh. Possibly to be referred to No. and Sw. dial. jukka, vb., to bob up and down, Fær. jukka, vb., to busy oneself with some work to no purpose; Da. dial. (Jut.) jukke, jykke, vb., to push, jerk, etc. Cf. poss. also No. jukk, m., partly a) a dwarfish boy; partly b) muscle (at the root of the big toe), jukke, m., a bunion on the foot (R. Suppl.).
jugla [jogla] and jugl [jogəl, jogəl], sb., an owl; now mostly in the compd. kattjugla, kattjugl; q.v. O.N. ugla, f., an owl.
julter, j.-head [jo‘ltər(hɛd)], sb., sea-urchin, echinus marinus. Ai. Now otherwise common in Shetl. as in L.Sc. “scaud-man’s-head”. — julter prob. for *julker from (O.N.) *igulker, n. Cf. Icel. and Fær. igulker, No. igulkjer, n., sea-urchin, O.N. ígull, m. With the Shetl. form julter (*julker) cf. esp. Norwegian forms of “igulkjer”, such as “julkjer, illkjær and ullkjer” (Søndmøre). Alternation of lk (rk) and lt (rt) takes place in several Shetl. Norn words; see brolki2, sb. — Ork. “ivigar”, sea-urchin (Wallace, Descr. of Orkney, 3rd edition, p. 17), likewise from “*igulker”. Edm. gives the word as “jvegar” (under j, not i), but without guidance as to pronunciation. The addition “O. and S.” in Edm. indicates not only that the word is characteristic of Orkney, but that it has also been Shetlandic (Unst?). Jam. has “ivigar, sb., the sea urchin”, with Sibb. Scot., p. 26, as a source (poss. referring to Sibbald’s Scotia Illustrata, folio, Edinburgh, 1684).
jungi [joŋgi], sb., a young animal, young bird, esp. a) a young horse; b) a young hen, used as a proper name for such a horse or hen. Barclay: yungie. Prob. a modernism.
jumog, sb., see umag (umog), sb.
junk [jo‘ŋk], sb., a push (against a person or thing) through heedlessness or awkwardness, a bump; (awkward, heavy) slap; he cam’ wi’ a j. upon him. Wests. (Sa.). See the foll. word.
junk [jo‘ŋk], vb., to tumble, bump; to push against a person or thing through heedlessness or awkwardness; also to beat in an awkward or violent manner, to slap; dey junked [jo’ŋkəd] de ane [‘one’] atill de tidder [‘ither’ = ‘other’], they dashed against each other; to j. at ane, to slap someone. Wests. (Sa.). Cf. Fær. jánka [jå‘ŋka], vb., to spill through carelessness (also to give an unwilling half-promise), No. janka, jonkla, jongla, jungla and jangla, vb., to walk with a lurch, in an unsteady, stumbling manner.
jur [jūr], sb., udder. Barclay: yoor. Now more commonly: juder [jūdər, judər, jôdər]. The form jur may spring either from (O.N.) *júfr or from O.N. júgr, n., udder, also abbreviated “júr”. Icel. júfur and júgur, n., Fær. júvur or júgur [ju̇uȯr], n., No. juver, juer, jur, n., Sw. dial. jufver, jur, n. The form juder has arisen by merging of jur with Eng. udder, sb.
(*)jusa [jūsa], adv., expressing a slight affirmation: well, yes! Also (*)jøsa [jø̄sa]. Conn. *jú svá, yes, just so! Fær. júsá [ju̇usåa, ju̇usa], yes, indeed! Icel. and Fær. jú, adv., yes, O.N. júr. The form jøsa might have arisen from a “*jau s(v)á”, as Shetl. ø often corresponds to an original au; cf. No. jau, adv., yes, O.N. jaur.
jæ [jǣ], a low-lying spit of land covered by water at flood-tide; a bank in the sea, see further je, sb.
jøger [jø̄gər], sb., pain and swelling of the wrist (Un.), see further gjoger2 and joger1, sbs.
jøl [jøl], sb., Christmas festival; now mostly applied to the last week of December, the time from Christmas Eve till the New Year, but also in an old and more extended sense, of the time from Christmas Eve till the 17th of January, in all, 24 Christmas holidays (not including the day of Christmas Eve). The 17th of January, the extreme limit for Christmas, is now commonly called “four and twentieth (f. and twenty) day”, and “up-helli-a’,” formerly also comm. “Antonmass” or “St. Antony’s day”. As it is only recently that the new, or Gregorian Calender, has found its way into Shetland, there are still rural districts where they reckon according to the older, or Julian Calendar, i.e. from the 5th of January to the 29th of January (6th of Jan. was Christmas Day), and this was until quite recently the usual custom outside Lerwick. Beside the sing. form jøl, an older pl. form jøls [jøls] is found, reported from Unst.: de jøls, Christmas, Christmas-time, but, on the other hand, sing. in the phrase: “to had jøl”, to keep Christmas. — O.N. jól, n. pl., Christmas, Eng. (N.Eng. dial.) and L.Sc. yule, sb. The pl. form jøls has its origin in Old Northern usage. The vowel-sound ø is not, on the other hand, regularly developed from O.N. ó, but is rather influenced by L.Sc. yule, yuyll (cf. the Shetl. pronunc. “blø̆d, gø̆d” from L.Sc. “bluid, gude or guid” = Eng. blood, good). An older form jol [jol (jɔl)] is found in the compd. jolagrot, sb. and vb. [*jólagrát- and *jólagráta]; q.v. goli [goli]- by corruption from *joli- [O.N. jóla, gen. pl.] in the compd. golisting, vb. [*jólastinga], to make “Christmas-stitches" or wide stitches; see that, as well as “jøl-steik”, sb.
jølbromek [jøl·brom·ək], sb., a fat ewe, slaughtered at Christmas-time. Conn.; Fo. See bromek, sb.
jøl [jøl]-fire, sb., Christmas-fire, a great, blazing fire.
jølger [jølger], sb., rapid motion in the sea (Fe.); see further under gjolg, gjolger, sb.
jøl-girs [jølge‘rs (-gə‘rs)], sb., meadowsweet, spiræa ulmaria. The plant was in former times commonly used for dyeing wadmal black, hence the name blackin’ girs or black-girs [‘grass’]. — jøl in “jøl-girs” has hardly orig. any association with the above-treated jøl, Christmas, but is more prob. the same word as O.N. jóll, m. (see G. Vigf. and Eg.), and No. jol, m., wild angelica, angelica sylvestris, Fær. jóli (later “njóli”) in kvannjóli, m., the stalk of “kvonn” or angelica archangelica; No. kvann-jol and kvann-aule, m., partly of the plant itself (angelica archangelica), partly only of the stalk of the plant. The corolla of the meadowsweet has a certain resemblance to the umbel of umbelliferous plants, to which belongs the angelica. No. (Solør) jul-gras, n., denotes a species of vetch (A. Larsen in R. Suppl.).
jøljager [jøl··jā·gər, jøl·jā·gər], sb., a person, esp. a boy without new clothes or anything new for Christmas; jocular or derisive term. N.Sh. See jager, sb.
jølskrinkel [jøl·skre‘ŋ·kəl], sb., a goblin or bogey with which to frighten naughty children at Christmas-time. skrinkel is possibly Icel. skríngi, n., a monster, ludicrous being or strange thing (B.H.). From *skrimkl or *skrimgl? Might, in that case, be compared with O.N. skrímsl, n., a goblin, monster, Fær. skrímsl, n.
jøl-steik [jølstik], jøl-stik(k) [jølstɩk], sb., “Christmas-stitches”, extremely long stitches taken in sewing (during the busy time before Christmas). Fær. jȯlastingur, m., id. (F.F.S.). See *golisting (“*jolisting”), vb.
(*)jøsa [jø̄sa], adv., well, yes! (Conn.); see further under jusa, adv.