Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland Part I.pdf/284

same word as fedek, fodek, but prob. altered through influence of Eng. vat. 2) fedek: an oval-shaped chest for keeping small articles of clothing, women’s caps, etc. Reported in this sense by J.I. (Fe.). 3) metaph.: a stumpy or clumsy person, corpulent woman, fedek [fədək] and fodek [fȯdək]: Uⁿ. Cf. the relation between dollek¹ and dollek². — O.N. fat, n., a vat, and fata, f., a pail for fetching water. fedek 2 might, however, have an origin diff. from fedek 1, or, at any rate, be influenced by another word diff. from the latter; cf. O.N. fatakista, f., a chest for garments, the first syllable of which is “fat”, n., a garment.

fedmel [fɛdməl, fedməl], sb., a fat, corpulent woman. Also fädmel [fädməl]. fed- is O.N. feitr, adj., fat; ä in fäd- is influenced by Eng. fat, adj. For the suffix -mel, cf. such nouns as Da. fedme, Sw. fetma.

feger [fɛgər], feg [fɛg, fēg], foger [fogər, fȯgər], sb., a periphrasis for the sun, only in def. form: de f., the sun, and only as a tabu-name, used by fishermen at sea. feger, foger: Uⁿ.; feg: Yⁿ. From Burrafirth, Unst, is recorded føger [føgər]. — From O.N. fagr, adj., fair; beautiful; *hin fagra (sól, f.), the fair. foger may also originate from the fem. form “fǫgr”, used as a noun. føger prob. from “fǫgr”. In Alvíssmál (Elder Edda) is mentioned “fagra-hvél (the fair wheel)” as the elves’ name for the sun. Cf. fogri, sb.

†fei [fɛi, fæi], adj., dying, who is near death. comm. fäi [fai]: U. occas. O.N. feigr, L.Sc. (Jam.) fey, fee, fie, adj., on the point of death. Though Shetl. fei (fäi) may be regarded as most prob. a L.Sc. form and without any direct development from O.N. feigr (which in Shetl. ought regularly to give *fēg or *fjēg; note the form “fiegan” in

the Foula-ballad, accus. sing. m., O.N. feigan), the word is used in certain sayings, not to be found in Jam., but quite syn. with the Fær. sayings, built upon “feigur” (predestined to die) and certainly originating from O.N.; thus: “he is no [‘not’] f. de day [‘to day’]”, of a person arriving on the spot just when being spoken about; “he is (surely) f.”, of a person behaving in a manner unusual to him, is exceptionally flippant, boisterous, etc. feiness [fæinɛs (fäi-), sb. (not in Jam.), a supernatural vision portending death, esp.: a) the apparition of a person not present (is considered to portend the death of the person concerned before the close of the year); b) one’s double, alter ego (portending the person’s approaching death); to carry ane’s f., to be followed by one’s own double (Y^h.). In Fær. “hamferð” is used in the same sense as Shetl. feiness, and it is always said of one seen in “hamferð” that he (she) is “feigur (feig)”, i.e., will die before the close of the year.

fell [fɛl, fel, fɛᶅ, fäᶅ], sb., a mountain; height; except in place-names, now only preserved in a few cases in fishermen’s tabu-lang. at sea: “de Hill o’ Hagrister” (Nm.) is called (esp. by Nm^w. fishermen) when at sea “de Felsend [fɛ‘lᶊən]” or “de fell’s (Fell’s) damp” [fɛ‘ls, fe‘ls]: the end of the hill, O.N. fells endi; damp (really stump; fragment), rope’s end in fishermen’s lang. (see damp, sb.). fell in “fell’s damp” is still mainly a common noun, while Felsend now doubtless is understood only as a place-name, fell is quite common as the second part of compd. in names of great heights, pronounced “fĕl” (with a weak secondary accent or unaccented), and occas. (as in Unst) “fäᶅ” (with a strong accentuation), e.g.: Blofell [blōfel, bᶅɔ̄fel] (Y.): *bláfell; Hamrafell, see hamar, sb.; Hu-