eljan

Old Norse

Alternative forms

• eljun

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *aljaną (“zeal, strength, power, courage”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁elh₂- (“to spur”).

Cognate with Icelandic elja (“endurance, energy”), Old Saxon ellian (“strength, courage, bravery”) Old English ellen (“zeal, strength, power, vigor, valor, courage, fortitude, strife, contention”), Middle Low German ellen (“strength, power, courage, vigor, bravery”) and Middle High German ellen (“strength, manhood”).

Noun

eljan f

1. endurance, energy

Derived terms

• eljanarlauss

Descendants

• Icelandic: eljan, eljun, elja
• ⇒ Faroese: eljustríð, eljusjúkur

See also

• elja

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “eljan”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 110; also available at the Internet Archive