ARMR

I)

(-s, -ar), m.

1) arm;

leggja arma um e-n, to embrace (of a woman);

koma á arm e-m, to come into one’s embraces (of a woman marrying);

2) the wing of a body, opp. to its centre;

armar úthafsins, the arms of the ocean, viz. bays and firths;

armr fylkingar, a wing of an army.

II)

a.

1) unhappy, poor;

2) wretched, wicked;

hinn armi Bjarngrímr, the wretch, scoundrel B.;

hin arma kerlingin, the wicked old woman.

* * *

1.

s, m. [Lat. armus; Ulf. arms; Engl. arm; A. S. earm; Germ. arm].

1. Lat. brachium in general, the arm from the shoulder to the wrist; sometimes also used partic. of the upper arm or fore arm; the context only can decide. It is rare in Icel.; in prose armleggr and handleggr are more common; but it is often used in dignified style or in a metaph. sense; undir brynstúkuna í arminn, lacertus (?), Fms. viii. 387; gullhringr á armi, in the wrist, Odd. 18; þá lýsti af höndum hennar bæði lopt ok lög, Edda 22, where the corresponding passage of the poem Skm. reads armar, armar lýsa, her arms beamed, spread light.

β. poët. phrases; sofa e-m á armi, leggja arma um, to embrace, cp. Germ. umarmen; koma á arm e-m, of a woman marrying, to come into one’s embraces, Fms. xi. 100, Lex. Poët. Rings and bracelets are poët. called armlog, armblik, armlinnr, armsól, armsvell, the light, snake, ice of the arm or wrist; armr sólbrunninn, the sunburnt arms, Rm. 10.

2. metaph. the wing of a body, opp. to its centre; armar úthafsins, the arms of the ocean … the bays and firths, Rb. 466; armar krossins, Hom. 103; a wing of a house or building, Sturl. ii. 50; borgar armr, the flanks of a castle, Fms. v. 280; the ends, extremities of a wave, Bs. ii. 50; the yard-arm, Mag. 6; esp. used of the wings of a host in battle (fylkingar armr), í annan arm fylkingar, Fms. i. 169, 170, vi. 406, 413, Fær. 81; in a sea-fight, of the line of ships, Fms. vi. 315; the ends of a bed, sofa upp í arminn, opp. to til fóta; and in many other cases.

2.

adj. [Ulf. arms; A. S. earm; Germ. arm], never occurs in the sense of Lat. inops, but only metaph. (as in Goth.), viz.:

1. Norse, poor, in a good sense (as in Germ.); þær armu sálur, poor souls, Hom. 144; sá armi maðr, poor fellow, 118.

2. Icel. in a bad sense, wretched, wicked, nearly always used so, where armr is an abusive, aumr a benevolent term: used in swearing, at fara, vera, manna armastr; þá mælti hann til Sigvalda, at hann skyldi fara m. a., Fms. xi. 141; en allir mæltu, at Egill skyldi fara allra manna a., Eg. 699; enn armi Bjarngrímr, the wretch, scoundrel Bjarngrim, Fær. 239; völvan arma, the accursed witch, Fms. iii. 214; þetta arma naut, Fas. iii. 498; örm vættr, Gkv. 1. 32, Þkv. 29, Sdm. 23, Og. 32; en arma kerling, the vile old witch, Grett. 154, Fas. i. 60; Inn armi, in exclamations, the wretch!