isern

Middle High German

Alternative forms

• īser, īsen

Etymology

Inherited from Old High German īsarn, from Proto-West Germanic *īsarn, from Proto-Germanic *īsarną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (before 13^th CE) /ˈiːs̠ərn/

Noun

īsern n

1. iron

Declension

Declension of īsern (feminine, class 1 strong)

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	daȥ	īsern	diu	īsern
genitive	eines	dës	īsernes	dër	īserne
dative	eime	dëm	īserne	dën	īsernen
accusative	ein	daȥ	īsern	diu	īsern

Descendants

• Alemannic German: Iise

  Vorarlbergerisch: Iisa, Oasa

• Bavarian: Eisn

  Cimbrian: aizarn

  Mòcheno: aisn

• Central Franconian: Ieser, Iese, Eise
  • Hunsrik: Eise
  • Luxembourgish: Eisen
• German: Eisen, Eiser
• Vilamovian: ȧjza
• Yiddish: אײַזן (ayzn)

References

• Köbler, Gerhard, Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch (3rd edition 2014)

Old English

Alternative forms

• īren, īsen

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *īsarn, from Proto-Germanic *īsarną.

Cognates:

Cognates include Old Frisian īsern (West Frisian izer), Old Saxon īsarn (Low German Iesen), Old Dutch *īsarn (Dutch ijzer), Old High German īsarn (German Eisen), Old Norse járn (Swedish järn), Gothic 𐌴𐌹𐍃𐌰𐍂𐌽 (eisarn), Old Irish īärn (Irish iarann, Welsh haearn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈiː.sern/, [ˈiː.zerˠn]

Noun

īsern n (nominative plural īsern)

1. the metal iron
2. an instrument or tool made from iron, especially an iron sword
   • 10th century, Exeter Book Riddle 5‎^[1]:

     Iċ eom ānhaga īserne wund, bille ġebennod, beadoweorca sæd, eċġum wēriġ.

     I am a lone one wounded with iron, wounded by sword, sated of battle-works, weary by edges.

3. an iron shackle or fetter

Declension

Declension of īsern (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	īsern	īsern
accusative	īsern	īsern
genitive	īsernes	īserna
dative	īserne	īsernum

Adjective

īsern

1. consisting or made of iron
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans

     ⁊ hæfdon ġeleornad mā cræfta hū hīe þā elpendas beswīcan mehton, mid þǣm þæt hīe nāmon trēowu, ⁊ slōgon on oþerne ende moniġe sċearpe īsene næġlas, ⁊ hīe mid flexe bewundon, ⁊ onbǣrndon hit, ⁊ beþyddan hit þonne on þone elpend hindan...

     And they had learned more tricks through which they could ensnare the elephants; they took stakes and drove into the other end many sharp iron nails, and wrapped them in flax, and set them on fire, and then thrust them into the elephant from behind...

Declension

Declension of īsern — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	īsern	īsern	īsern
Accusative	īserne	īserne	īsern
Genitive	īsernes	īsernre	īsernes
Dative	īsernum	īsernre	īsernum
Instrumental	īserne	īsernre	īserne
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	īserne	īserna, īserne	īsern
Accusative	īserne	īserna, īserne	īsern
Genitive	īsernra	īsernra	īsernra
Dative	īsernum	īsernum	īsernum
Instrumental	īsernum	īsernum	īsernum

Declension of īsern — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	īserna	īserne	īserne
Accusative	īsernan	īsernan	īserne
Genitive	īsernan	īsernan	īsernan
Dative	īsernan	īsernan	īsernan
Instrumental	īsernan	īsernan	īsernan
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	īsernan	īsernan	īsernan
Accusative	īsernan	īsernan	īsernan
Genitive	īsernra, īsernena	īsernra, īsernena	īsernra, īsernena
Dative	īsernum	īsernum	īsernum
Instrumental	īsernum	īsernum	īsernum

Derived terms

• bredīsern (“a graving-iron”)
• hōcīsern (“a reaping-hook, sickle”)
• lēohtīsern (“a candlestick”)
• mearcīsern (“a branding-iron”)
• rīpīsern (“a reaping-iron”)
• stempingīsern (“a stamping-iron”)
• īsernbyrne f (“iron breastplate or corselet”)
• īsernfeter f (“iron fetter or binding”)
• īserngrǣġ (“iron gray”)
• īsernhelm m (“an iron helmet”)
• īsernhere m (“an ironclad army”)
• īsernsmiþ m (“blacksmith”)
• īsernsċūr m (“shower of iron projectiles”)
• īsernwyrhta m (“an ironworker”)
• īsernġelōma m (“an iron tool”)
• īsernōre f (“an iron ore quarry”)

 

Descendants

• Middle English: iren, eren, irne, iron, isen
  • English: iron
    • → Marshallese: aen
  • Scots: airn, ern, irne
  • Yola: eeren

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “ĪSERN”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[2], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “ĪSERN”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[3], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Old Frisian

Alternative forms

• īrsen

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *īsarn, from Proto-Germanic *īsarną.

Noun

īsern n

1. iron (metal)

Declension

Declension of īsern (neuter a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	īsern	īsern
genitive	īsernes	īserna
dative	īserne	īsernum, īsernem
accusative	īsern	īsern

Descendants

• Saterland Frisian: Iersen
• West Frisian: izer

References

• Hofmann, Dietrich, Tjerk Popkema, Anne with co-op. Gisela Hofmann (2008) Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch‎^[4] (in German), Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter GmbH Heidelberg, →ISBN
• Köbler, Gerhard, Altfriesisches Wörterbuch (4th edition 2014)