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

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

A soprano who does the Third Norn in Wagner’s “Götterdämmerung” might, if she’s lucky, eventually graduate to Brünnhilde.

From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2014

Norn Iron have named Rory Donnelly and the Scotland-born defender James McPake in their squad for next month's friendly against Holland.

From The Guardian • May 21, 2012

One would like to have known more about Norn and its 'Vysies,' which might have formed an interesting and instructive link between some of the Northern ballads.

From Stories and Ballads of the Far Past Translated from the Norse (Icelandic and Faroese) with Introductions and Notes by Kershaw, Nora