ᚦᛡᛁᛡᛉ

ᚦᛡᛁᛡᛉ

Proto-Norse

Etymology

Not directly descended from Proto-Germanic *þôz, feminine nominative/accusative plural of *sa (“that”) (whence Gothic 𐌸𐍉𐍃 (þōs)). Rather, it appears to be a formation of the masculine nominative plural *þai, suffixed with the feminine ending *-ōz.[1] Compare ᚦᚱᛁᛃᛟᛉ (þrijoʀ), formed in the same way.

Pronoun

ᚦᛡᛁᛡᛉ (þAiAz þaiaʀ)

1. they, these (feminine nominative/accusative plural)
   • 600s, inscription on the Istaby Runestone

     ᛡᚠᚨᛏᛉᚺᛡᚱᛁᚹᚢᛚᚨᚠᚨ ¶ ᚺᛡᚦᚢᚹᚢᛚᚨᚠᛉᚺᛡᛖᚱᚢᚹᚢᛚᚨᚠᛁᛉ ¶ ᚹᚨᚱᛡᛁᛏᚱᚢᚾᛡᛉᚦᛡᛁᛡᛉ
     AfatzhAriwulafa ¶ hAþuwulafzhAeruwulafiz ¶ warAitrunAzþAiAz

     afᵃtr Hariwulᵃfa, Haþuwulᵃfʀ Hjeruwulᵃfīʀ, wᵃrait rūnaʀ þaiaʀ

     In memory of Hariwulfʀ, Haþuwulfʀ, the descendant of Heruwulfʀ, wrote these runes.

Descendants

• Old Norse: þær
  • Icelandic: þær
  • Faroese: tær
  • Old Swedish: þār, þā

References

1. Elmer H., Antonsen (1975) A Concise Grammar of the Older Runic Inscriptions, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag, →ISBN, page 84