NÖF

(gen. nafar, pl. nafar and nafir), f.

1) nave of a wheel;

2) the pole of the world;

3) esp. pl. clasps, rings (by which the projecting ends of beams at the corneres of walls were held together).

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f., pl. nafar. later nafir, [A. S. nafu], the clasps, naves, rings by which the projecting ends of beams at the corners of walls were welded together, and when they were torn or broken the wall gave way; þeir skutu öðrum endanum út í hyrninguna svá hart, at nafarnar (nafarnir Ed.) hrutu af fyrir utan, ok hlupu í sundr veggirnir, Eg. 91; þeir hlupu þá á veggina svá at af gengu nafarnar af timbr-stokkunum, Fas. ii. 43 (Hálfs S. in Bugge’s Ed., Cod. nafarnir); hann átti lokrekkju görva af timbr-stokkum ok brutu berserkirnir þegar upp svá at af gengu nafarnar fyrir útan, Eb. 41 new Ed.

2. a wheel-nave; hann kallar bauginn nöf hjólsins, Edda.

3. metaph. the pole of the world; tveir eru hvirflar heimsins er fornir spekingar kölluðu nöfina nörðri ok ena syðri, Pr. 476.

4. hjól-nöf, a wheel-nave; baug-nöf, the ‘circle-nave’ of a shield, Bragi: the phrase, vera kominn á fremstu nöf, on the uttermost verge, brink (in extremis), at the end of one’s resources.