Norn

¹ American  

[nawrn] / nɔrn /

noun

1. an extinct Norse dialect, spoken until early modern times in the Shetland and Orkney Islands and in parts of northern Scotland.

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Norn ² American  

[nawrn] / nɔrn /

noun

Scandinavian Mythology.

1. any of three goddesses of fate, the goddess of the past Urd, the goddess of the present Verdandi, and the goddess of the future Skuld.

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Norn ¹ British  

/ nɔːn /

noun

1. Norse myth any of the three virgin goddesses of fate, who predestine the lives of the gods and men

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Norn ² British  

/ nɔːn /

noun

1. the medieval Norse language of the Orkneys, Shetlands, and parts of N Scotland. It was extinct by 1750

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Etymology

Origin of Norn

< Old Norse norrœnn, earlier northrœnn Norwegian, literally, northern

Example Sentences

The island was one of the last places in Shetland where the old Norn language, a relic of Norse times, was spoken.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2025

It’s called the Norn cell, named after the Norse deities who were believed to control human fate.

From New York Times • Mar. 10, 2024

She’s made early running in various minor Wagnerian roles as far afield as Berlin and Toronto, and sang the Third Norn in the Metropolitan Opera’s “Götterdämmerung” in 2012 and 2013.

From New York Times • May 18, 2015

The Rep O'Ireland, Norn Iron 1-0 and Wales have plummeted to 44th, 50th and 77th, respectively.

From The Guardian • Mar. 31, 2010

There isn't anything that tells the truth so straight as our sort of work, Norn.

From Miss Pat at School by Ginther, Pemberton