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 took humans 134 years to discover Norn cells.

From New York Times • Mar. 10, 2024

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

Former Norn Iron 1-0 boss Nigel Worthington is the new manager of York City, replacing the axed Gary Mills.

From The Guardian • Mar. 4, 2013

"Are they such serious people as you thought them, Norn?"

From Miss Pat at School by Ginther, Pemberton