fær

See also: faer, far, Far, FAR, far-, -far, fár, får, and Appendix:Variations of "fer"

Faroese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɛaːɹ/
• Rhymes: -ɛaːɹ
• Homophone: far

Verb

fær

1. third-person singular present of fáa

   hon fær sær ein kaffimunn

   she gets herself a cup of coffee

   (literally, “she takes a cup of coffee”)

   Sjúrður fær sær hestin Grana og ríður til Regin smið

   Sigurd finds the horse Grane and rides to Regin the smith

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈfaiːr]
• Rhymes: -aiːr

Etymology 1

From Old Norse fǿrr, fœrr, from Proto-Germanic *fōriz (“able to go, passable”).

Adjective

fær (comparative færari, superlative færastur)

1. able, talented, competent

   Hún er fær í forritun.

   She is good at programming.

2. (of roads) passable

   Synonym: farandi

   Antonym: ófær

   Er vegurinn fær?

   Is the road passable?

Declension

Positive forms of fær

strong declension (indefinite)	singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	fær	fær	fært
	accusative	færan	færa
	dative	færum	færri	færu
	genitive	færs	færrar	færs
	plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	færir	færar	fær
	accusative	færa
	dative	færum
	genitive	færra
weak declension (definite)	singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	færi	færa	færa
	acc/dat/gen	færa	færu
	plural (all-case)	færu

Comparative forms of fær

weak declension (definite)		masculine	feminine	neuter
	singular (all-case)	færari	færari	færara
	plural (all-case)	færari

Superlative forms of fær

strong declension (indefinite)	singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	færastur	færust	færast
	accusative	færastan	færasta
	dative	færustum	færastri	færustu
	genitive	færasts	færastrar	færasts
	plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	færastir	færastar	færust
	accusative	færasta
	dative	færustum
	genitive	færastra
weak declension (definite)	singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
	nominative	færasti	færasta	færasta
	acc/dat/gen	færasta	færustu
	plural (all-case)	færustu

Derived terms

• fær í flestan sjó
• sveltur sitjandi kráka en fljúgandi fær
• vanfær
• vera allir vegir færir
• vera fær í
• vera fær um
• vera öllum fært

Etymology 2

From Old Norse fær.

Noun

fær n (unknown declension)

1. (obsolete, only in compounds) sheep

   Synonym: kind

Derived terms

• færsauður (“sheep”)
• færgras (“sheep's fescue (Festuca ovina)”)
• færeygill (“sheep-eyed”) (obsolete)
• Færeyjar (“The Faroes”)
• færilús (“sheep ked (Melophagus ovinus)”, literally “sheep louse”)

References

• Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989), “fær”, in Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, →ISBN (Available at Málið.is under the “Eldri orðabækur” tab.)
• Mörður Árnason (2019), ““fær-””, in Íslensk orðabók, 5th edition, Reykjavík: Forlagið
• “sauðvingull”, in Íðorðabanki [Terminology Bank] (in Icelandic), Reykjavík: The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, 2002–2024

Etymology 3

Verb

fær

1. third-person singular present indicative active of fá

Anagrams

• fræ

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• fe (dialectal)

Verb

fær

1. (non-standard since 2012) present of få

Old English

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *fērō. Cognate with Old Saxon vār (“ambush”) (Dutch gevaar (“danger”)), Old High German fāra (“ambush, danger, deceit”) (German Gefahr (“danger”)).

Alternative forms

• fēr — Anglian, late Kentish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fæːr/
• Rhymes: -æːr

Noun

fǣr m (West Saxon, early Kentish)

1. sudden danger, calamity

   fǣrslide ― a sudden fall

   fǣrrǣs ― sudden rush

   fǣrrǣsende ― rushing headlong

2. sudden attack; ambush; a blitz

   fǣrnīþ ― hostile attack

   fǣrgripe ― sudden grip

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	fǣr	fǣras
accusative	fǣr	fǣras
genitive	fǣres	fǣra
dative	fǣre	fǣrum

Derived terms

• fǣrgripe
• fǣrgryre
• fǣrlīċ
• ġefǣr

Descendants

• Middle English: fere, fer, feer, feere
  • English: fear
  • Scots: fere, feir
  • Yola: vear

Etymology 2

From Proto-West Germanic *far, from Proto-Germanic *farą, from the same source as Old English faran. Cognate with Old High German far (“harbour, carting station”), Old Norse far (“pathway, vehicle, ship”).

Alternative forms

• fer — Vespasian Psalter Mercian, late Kentish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fær/
• Rhymes: -ær

Noun

fær n

1. way, journey, passage, expedition; highway
2. proceedings, way of life
3. movable possessions; means of subsistence
4. ark, ship
5. aspect

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	fær	faru
accusative	fær	faru
genitive	færes	fara
dative	fære	farum

Derived terms

• ġefær (“journey”)
• ymbfær

Descendants

• Middle English: fare, far, phare, vare, fære, væræ (Early Middle English)
  • English: fare
  • Scots: fare
  • Yola: gudeváre

Old Norse

Alternative forms

• *fáʀ — Old East Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *fahaz.

Noun

fær n

1. sheep

   Synonym: sauðr

Derived terms

• Færeyjar

Descendants

• Icelandic: fær (obsolete)
• Faroese: ⇒ Føroyar f pl, førilús (“sheep ked”)
• Norwegian Nynorsk: fær (obsolete); ⇒ Færøyane f pl
• Old Swedish: fār
  • Swedish: får
• Old Danish: far
  • Danish: får
    • Norwegian Bokmål: får
    • → Faroese: fár
    • → Norwegian Nynorsk: får