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Aesir

[ey-sir, ey-zir]
noun (often lowercase) (used with a plural verb) Scandinavian Mythology.
  1. the principal race of gods, led by Odin and living at Asgard.
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Compare Vanir.

Origin of Aesir

< Old Norse, plural of āss god; cognate with Old English ōs god, Os- in proper names (as Ōswald), Old High German Ans- in proper names (as Anselm); akin to Sanskrit asura lord
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for aesir

Historical Examples of aesir

  • "We live," grunted the Aesir, busy over Amra's half-frozen feet.

    Gods of the North

    Robert E. Howard

  • The Vanir then made common cause with the Aesir and were worshipped like them.

    The Story of Norway

    Hjalmar H. Boyesen

  • In spite of their origin, Frey and Freyja become to all intents and purposes Aesir.

    The Edda, Vol. 1

    Winifred Faraday

  • The Aesir joined him on the way, and they made, together, something like a wedding procession.

    Children's Literature

    Charles Madison Curry

  • The god, now ready to resign the empire of the world and prepared for the ending of the Aesir, awaits the hero's coming.

British Dictionary definitions for aesir

Aesir

pl n
  1. the chief gods of Norse mythology dwelling in Asgard
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Word Origin for Aesir

Old Norse, literally: gods
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for aesir

Aesir

n.

chief gods of Scandinavian religion, from Old Norse plural of ass "god," related to Old English os, Gothic ans "god" (see Asgard).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper