Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland Part I.pdf/289

back. Conn., Sandw. (Du.). Cf. No., Icel. and Fær. fetta, vb., to bend back one’s body, fetta sér (Icel.), f. sær (Fær.), f. seg (No.); O.N. fattr, adj., bent backward; Icel. and Fær. fattur, No. fatt, adj., bent backwards; hollow-backed.

fettin [fæ‘tɩn], sb., in the compd. “keel-f.”, bend, curve of a boat’s keel to facilitate sailing (opp. to “keel-krumpin”, the keel-rounding which is better for rowing). Fe. *fetting. See prec. fett, sb.

fib [fəb], sb., downy hairs; small, short, soft hairs. Also fob [fȯb]. Conn. a fibi [fəbi]- or fobi [fȯbi]-seal (Conn.), a young seal. Poss. to be compared with Fær. fípa, f., in “mýri-fípa” = O.N. fífa, f., cotton-grass, (No.) myrdun, cotton-grass, Eriophorum.

fibi or fibbi [fəbi], sb., an otter; tabu-name, used by fishermen at sea. Y. occas. (Y^h.). May, like “fibi-seal”, be derived from fib in sense of small, short, soft hairs. A deriv. of *fibb in sense of tail might, however, also be indicated; cf. Sw. dial. febb, fibb, m., a point; tail (fibbul, m., dog’s tail). In that case, the name must be classed with other sea-terms for the otter, as: dratsi (corresponding to Icel. “dratthali” of the fox); dafi (from O.N. dǫf, f., a hind part), hali (*halin, from O.N. hali, m., a tail), and drinj drinj-tail, dring-tail), really, that which drags its tail.

*fid [fɩd], sb., a low, fertile meadow stretching along a river (or lake) and sometimes inundated; in Y^s. still partly as a common noun, and partly as a place-name: de fids (Fids.), pl.; also U^b.: de Fids (fids), pl. Otherwise the word is common as a place-name in diff. forms: a) Fid- or Fidd- [fɩd]: Fidda [fɩda] and “Uta-dyke’s-Fidda” (oot o’ dyke’s = outside the fences) (Lerabakk, Fo.); de Fiddins [fɩdens] (U^wg.), def. pl.

form: *fitjarnar; Fidna grøna [fɩdna grøna] (Collaster, Ai.), a piece of meadow in the middle of a swampy dale between two hills: *fitin (accus.: fitina) grœna (accus.: grœnu), “the green meadow”. b) Fitj [fɩtᶊ]: de Fitj (Ti.); de meadow o’ Fitjin [fɩtᶊɩn] (De.), def. sing. form: *fitin; de Fitjes [fɩtᶊəs] (Hoswick, Du.), pl.; de Fitjins [fɩtᶊɩns] (Fe., Collafirth, Nm., Catfirth, N.); occas. also Vidji [vɩdᶎɩ] (M.Roe). c) as the last part of the compd. occas.: fit [fɩt], e.g. de Kjorkafits [ᶄȯ‘r··kafɩts·] (Bakka, De., Uyea, Nm.): *kirkju-fitjar. d) “Fed [fēd]” in e.g. de Fedis [fēdis] (Lunnister, Nm.), and “Fjed [fjēd]” in e.g. Fjedhul [fjēd··hul·] (Flad., C.), a piece of damp meadow at the foot of a hillock, orig. the name of the hillock itself: *fit-hóll. See Shetl. Stedn. p. 92. — O.N. fit, f. (pl. fitjar), meadow-land on the banks of a firth, lake or river.

fidabord, fidebord, sb., see fire-bord, sb.

fiddikoddi [fɩd··ɩkȯd·i], vb., concubare. St. Vulgar. The first part prob. Da. dial. fitte, Sw. dial. fitta, f., vulva, pudendum muliebre.

fider, fidder [fɩdər, fedər], sb., a sheep-mark: a slanting cut, esp. from the upper edge of a sheep’s ear, opp. to “hingin’ [‘hangin’] widder” = a cut slanting from below upwards. In some places (as in Y.) fider, fidder is similar to “strae-draw”, a strip cut from the edge of a sheep’s ear. wid(d)er [wɩdər, wedər] (in several places) and wit(t)er [wɩtər, wetər] (Ai.) are parallel forms to fid(d)er. The word orig. means feather. Cf. Icel. and Fær. fjöður, f., a) a feather; b) a cut, slanting from the upper edge of a sheep’s ear, also Icel. “hangandi fjöður”, a cut, slantingfrom below in a sheep’s ear (orally reported). A distinct difference of pronunc. is made between

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