maðr

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *mannz, whence also Old Saxon mann, Old English mann, Old High German man, Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌽𐌰 (manna). Probably ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root *mon-. The change *-nnz > -ðr in the nominative singular is a regular feature of Old Norse; compare with aðrir (m.nom.pl. of annarr), guðr and saðr.

Noun

maðr m (genitive manns, plural menn)

human, man, person
- verse 47 of the Hávamál
  Maðr er manns gaman.
  Man is man's joy.
- verse 48 of the Hávamál
  Mildir, frœknir menn bazt lifa.
  Generous, bold men live best.
- verse 52 of the Hávamál
  Mikit eitt skala manni gefa.
  One should not give a man a single large gift.
með mǫnnum
among men

karlmenn ok kvennmenn
Male and female persons
degree (of kinship)

Usage notes

Medieval scribes sometimes abbreviated maðr to ᛘ (m).
Although being grammatically masculine, and being cognate of Modern English man, this noun usually refers to a person irrespective of gender. Confer with karlmaðr and kvennmaðr.

Declension

Declension of maðr (strong consonant stem, s-genitive)

masculine	singular		plural
masculine	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	maðr	maðrinn	menn, meðr	menninir
accusative	mann	manninn	menn, meðr	mennina
dative	manni	manninum	mǫnnum	mǫnnunum
genitive	manns	mannsins	manna	mannanna

Derived terms

arfsalsmaðr m (“someone that has made someone else their heir”)
arftǫkumaðr m (“inheritor”)
athugamaðr m (“devout person”)
banamaðr m (“killer”)
blótmaðr m (“idolater”)
bruðmaðr m (“bridegroom”)
byrgismaðr m (“paramour”)
eyjamaðr m (“islander”)
karlmaðr m (“man”)
kvennmaðr m (“woman”)
lǫgmaðr m (“lawspeaker”)
mannabein n pl (“human bones”)
mannabygð f (“inhabited district”)
mannafli m (“strength in men”)
mannaforráð n (“rule, dominion”)
mannaforræði n (“rule, dominion”)
mannafǫr f (“passage”)
mannafǫr n pl (“men's footprints”)
mannagrein f (“distinction of men”)
mannahold n (“human flesh”)
mannahús n pl (“men's houses”)
mannakjǫt n (“human flesh”)
mannalát n (“death”)
mannamissir m (“loss of men”)
mannamunr m (“difference of men”)
mannamál n (“human voices, speach”)
mannamót n (“meeting”)
mannamúgr m (“crowd of people”)
mannareið f (“body of horsemen”)
mannasamnaðr m (“gathering of men”)
mannaseta f (“men staying in a place”)
mannaskipan f (“placing of people (at a banquet)”)
mannaskipti n pl (“exchange of men”)
mannaslóð f (“track of men”)
mannaspor n pl (“footprints of men”)
mannast (“to reach manhood”)
mannasættir m (“peace-maker”)
mannataka f (“reception of strangers”)
mannauðn f (“depopulation”)
mannavegr m (“a road where men pass”)
mannaverk n pl (“work by human hands”)
mannavist f (“human abode”)
mannavǫld
mannaðr (“manned; well-bred”)
mannbjǫrg f (“the saving of life”)
mannblót n (“human sacrifice”)
mannbroddr m (“ice-spur”)
mannbœtr m (“weregild”)
manndauði m, manndauðr m (“mortality”)
manndeild f (“difference of opinion”)
manndjǫfull m (“fiend of a man”)
manndrápari m (“man-slayer”)
manndráp n (“murder”)
manndygð f (“virtue”)
manndáð f (“act of prowess”)
manndómr m (“manliness, humanity”)
manndýrðir f pl (“manly qualities”)
manneldi n (“maintenance of a person”)
manneygr, mannýgr (“vicious, dangerous”)
mannfagnaðr m (“great entertainment”)
mannfall n (“death (in battle)”)
mannfang n
mannfarmr m (“shipload of men”)
mannferð f (“passing”)
mannfjándi m (“human fiend”)
mannfjǫldi m (“multitude”)
mannfolk n (“mankind, men”)
mannfróðr (“versed in history”)
mannfrœði f (“history”)
mannfundr m (“meeting”)
mannfár (“having few men”)
mannfæð f (“lack of people”)
mannfóli m (“fool”)
mannfýla f (“rascal”)
mannfœrð f (“condition of a road”)
mannfœða f, mannfœði n (“human food”)
mannfǫr f (“passage”)
manngarðr m (“ring of men”)
manngersemi f (“paragon”)
manngi (“nobody”)
manngirnd f, manngirni f (“a longing for a husband”)
manngjarn (“eager to marry”)
manngjarnliga (“eagerly”)
manngjǫld n pl (“weregild”)
manngœzka f (“kindness”)
mannhefnd f (“blood revenge”)
mannheill f (“favour”)
mannhelgr f (“inviolability of person, sanctuary”)
mannhringr m (“circle of men”)
mannhundr m (“scoundrel”)
mannhár
mannháski m (“danger of life”)
mannhætta f (“danger of life”)
mannhættr (“dangerous to life”)
mannhæð f (“the height of a man”)
mannhús n pl (“dwelling houses”)
mannhǫfn f (“maintenance of a person”)
mannillska f (“wickedness”)
mannjafnaðr m (“comparison of men”)
mannkind f (“human race”)
mannkostir m pl (“virtues”)
mannkvæmd f (“run of visitors”)
mannlauss (“without a husband”)
mannleysi n mannlæða, mannlæra f (“good-for-nothing fellow”)
mannliga (“manfully”)
mannligr (“human”) (adj.)
mannlát n (“loss of life”)
mannlíkan f (“image of man”)
mannlýti n (“blemish”)
mannlǫstr m (“blemish, fault”)
mannmargr (“having many men”)
mannmergð f (“host of people”)
mannmetnaðr m (“honour, esteem”)
mannmúgr m (“crowd of people”)
mannníðingr m (“miscreant”)
mannorð n (“fame, repute”)
mannraun f (“trial”)
mannráð n pl (“plots against a man's life”)
mannsaldr m (“a man's life, generation”)
mannsamnaðr m (“people assembled”)
mannsbani m (“man-slayer”)
mannsbarn n (“human being, living soul”)
mannsblóð n (“human blood”)
mannsbúkr m (“body, corpse”)
mannsefni n (“makings of a man”)
mannsekt f (“penalty paid in one's person”)
mannsemi f (“manfulness”)
mannsfylgja f (“fetch of a man”)
mannshár n (“human hair”)
mannshǫfuð n (“human head”)
mannskapr m (“manfulness, manhood, valour”)
mannskaði m (“loss of life, great loss in a person's death”)
mannskelmir m (“rascal”)
mannskepna f (“poor creature”)
mannskona f (“married woman”)
mannskræfa f (“miserable coward”)
mannskœðr (“dangerous to life”)
mannslíki n (“likeness of man”)
mannsmynd f (“human form”)
mannsmót n (“mark of a true man”)
mannspell, mannspjall n (“honour, reputation”)
mannstormr m (“rush of people”)
mannsvit n (“man's wit”)
mannsváði m (“loss of life”)
mannsæfi f (“a man's lifetime”)
mannsómi m (“honour, reputation”)
manntak n (“manhood, pith”)
manntal n (“muster, census”)
manntapi m, manntjón n (“loss of life”)
mannval n (“choice people”)
mannvandr
mannveiðr f (“seizing, catching of a man”)
mannvilla f (“mistreatment of paternity”)
mannvirki n (“work of human hands, great work”)
mannvirðing f (“rank, reknown, honour”)
mannvit n (“understanding”)
mannvænligr, mannvænn (“hopeful, promising”)
mannværr (“entitled to be with other men”)
mannæta f (“cannibal”)
mannúðigr (“gentle, affable”)
mannþrǫng f (“throng of men”)
mannþurfi (“in need of men”)
mannœli n (“wretch”)
menna (“to make a man of, breed”)
menniligr (“manly”)
mennska f (“human nature, humanity”)
mennskr (“human”) (adj.); m ("human being")
nauðmaðr m (“husband”)
nauðungarmaðr m
norðmaðr m (“Norseman”)

Descendants

Icelandic: maður
Faroese: maður
Norn: mann
Norwegian Nynorsk: mann; (dialectal) mann’e, man
- Russenorsk: мань (manʹ)
Jamtish: mǫnn (1000s Runic ᛘᚭᚦᚱ (mąþr))
Elfdalian: mað (accusative mann)
Old Swedish: maþer, madher, mander, man
- Swedish: man
Old Danish: man
- Scanian: manð
- Danish: mand
  - Norwegian Bokmål: mann
Old Gutnish: maþr, mandr
- Gutnish: man

References

maðr in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, G. T. Zoëga, Clarendon Press, 1910, at Internet Archive.