þessi

fornafn

þessi, þetta, a demonstr.

A. THE FORMS.—The , like other languages, except the , has two demonstr. prons., one simple, sá sú þat, another emphatic or deictic, þessi, þetta ( ὁ and ὅδε, hic and hicce); the latter is a compound word, the particle -si, sometimes changed into -sa, being suffixed to the cases of the simple pronoun; Dr. Egilsson, in , first explained that this suffix was the imperative ‘see,’ sai; þessi, as well as the thi-s, the-se, tho-se, is therefore the-see, that-see. The forms vary much:

I. the earliest declension is with the suffixed particle, like -gi in ein-gi, , indeclinable; it is mostly so on the Runic stones, where we find the following forms,— þeim-si (huic-ce), Rafn 178; þann-si (hunc-ce), passim; þá-si (hanc-ce): þeir-si (hi-ce); þeim-si (his-ce); þá-si (hos-ce); þau-si (haec-ce), passim: of this declension the vellums have only preserved the því-sa, and the and þeim-a. On the Runic stones the and , the , and the are, so to say, standing phrases—to raise ‘this stone,’ ‘these stones,’ or ‘these kumbls’ ( ), or to carve ‘these Runes;’ but the other cases can only be assumed from later forms; in the Runic inscriptions they are wanting, because there was no occasion for them; thus því-sa and þeima are in old vellums, but are hardly met with in Runes. Even and sá-si (hic-ce) and sú-si (haec-ce) are said to occur in two or three Runic inscriptions.II. the whole word was next turned into a regular adjective with the inflexion at the end, just like margr from mann-gi, öngr from ein-gi, in which case the suffix became assimilated to the preceding pronoun, sometimes the inflexive s and sometimes the final letter of the pronoun prevailing; hence arose the forms as given in Gramm. p. xxi:

α. the s prevailed in the forms þessi þer-si; in þes-sa; in þessum þeim-sum, þem-sum; rununi þimsum (hisce literis) occurs in Rafn 165, but is there erroneously explained; in þessu því-su: þessa þá-sa, þessar þær-sar, þessi þau-si.β. again, the final of the pronoun prevailed in þenna þann-sa, þetta þat-sa; so also in þeima, which stands for þeimnia, which again is an assimilation for þeim-sa or þeim-si.2. the older form for and , as also , is bisyllabic ( þessa, þessi, þessa); þessar messu, 41; þessar upp-rásar, i. 166: í þessi útlegð, 78; af þessi sótt, ix. 390; til þessa saka, i. 324, and passim; hence, later, þessarrar, þessarri, þessarra; thus, þessarrar, 544. 151; þessarri, 672 B; þessarrar, 786 B, and so in usage.

III. a form is þessor (), formed like nokkorr or engarr, but only used in and (þessor bæn, þessor orð); it seems to be a Norse form: [ þes, þâs; this, these; þese; deser; dieser; Dan.-Swed. denne is formed from the old þenna; disse.]

B. THE SENSE.—This, these. For the usages see the writers passim; it suffices to observe, that þessi is used both as adjective and as substantive; as adjective it may be placed before or after its noun (þessi kona or kona þessi): usages are, í þessu, in this moment, ii. 60; í þessi ( hríð), in this nick of time, x. 415. For its usage with the article inn, see hinn, p. 263, col. 1 (II. 1); þessi inn skakk-borni, sveinn, 29; þenna inn unga dreng, 656 C. 32, and passim.

Skammstafanir og tilvitnanir

fem.kvenkyn (e. feminine)
neut.hvorugkyn (e. neuter)
pron.fornafn (e. pronoun)
Icel.Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
Teut.Teutonic.
Goth.Gothic.
cp.compare.
Gr.Greek.
Lat.Latin.
Engl.English.
qs.quasi.
q. v.quod vide.
dat.þágufall (e. dative)
acc.þolfall (e. accusative)
plur.fleirtala (e. plural)
sing.eintala (e. singular)
masc.karlkyn (e. masculine)
freq.frequent, frequently.
nom.nefnifall (e. nominative)
gen.eignarfall (e. genitive)
MS.manuscript, manuscripts.
mod.modern.
spec.specially.
A. S.Anglo-Saxon.
pl.fleirtala (e. plural)
Hel.Heliand.
O. H. G.Old High German.
Germ.German.
ellipt.elliptical, elliptically.
viz.namely.

Lex. Poët.Lexicon Poëticum by Sveinbjörn Egilsson, 1860.
Hom.Homiliu-bók. (F. II.)
Fms.Fornmanna sögur. (E. I.)
Grág.Grágás. (B. I.)
Sks.Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)
Al.Alexanders saga. (G. I.)