þekur

þekur is an Icelandic verb form. It is the third-person singular present indicative form of the verb þekja, which means to cover or coat. The infinitive is þekja. In everyday Icelandic, þekur is used when the subject covers a surface with material or materializes a covering in a figurative sense. For example: Hann þekur borðið með lakki, meaning “He coats the table with varnish.”

Etymology and cognates: The verb þekja belongs to the Germanic language family, with cognates across North Germanic languages. The basic sense of “to cover” is present in related forms in related languages, reflecting a common semantic thread of laying over or concealing a surface or object.

Usage notes: As a present-tense form, þekur accompanies a third-person singular subject and is a standard part of everyday Icelandic syntax. The form demonstrates how the language marks agreement with the subject without an explicit pronoun in many clauses. The initial thorn letter þ represents the voiceless dental fricative, pronounced like the English “th” in think, while the final -ur is part of the present-tense suffix pattern in this verb’s paradigm.

Phonology and orthography: Þ is a distinct letter in Icelandic orthography and is always represented as “þ.” The cluster “þekur” is pronounced roughly as something like “theh-kur,” with the initial “th” sound and a monosyllabic, stressed second syllable in typical sentence rhythm.

See also: þekja, Icelandic verbs, Icelandic grammar.