nykr
Old Norse
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *nikwiz-, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *nigʷ-, cognates with the German Nix, Nixe and Nixie from the Middle High German nickes, from Old High German nihhus (“water-elf, crocodile”). Cognate with Old English nicor (“water-elf, hippopotamus, walrus”) (English nicker) and Swedish Näcken.
Noun
nykr m (genitive nykrs, plural nykrar)
- (mythology) a water-demon, the nixie, the nick; (mostly appearing as a grey horse-like creature with inverted hoofs and forward fetlocks that emerges from lakes)
Declension
Declension of nykr (strong a-stem)
| masculine | singular | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | nykr | nykrinn | nykrar | nykrarnir |
| accusative | nykr | nykrinn | nykra | nykrana |
| dative | nykri | nykrinum | nykrum | nykrunum |
| genitive | nykrs | nykrsins | nykra | nykranna |
Descendants
- Icelandic: nykur
- Faroese: nykur
- Norwegian Bokmål: nøkk
- Norwegian Nynorsk: nykk
- Swedish: näck, Näcken
- → Finnish: näkki
- → Estonian: näkk
- Danish: nøkke