Feðra

Feðra is a word from the Icelandic language, appearing in historical and linguistic contexts as a grammatical form of the noun faðir, meaning "father." It is commonly described as the genitive plural form of faðir in Old Norse and classical Icelandic usage, and it translates roughly to "of the fathers" or "the fathers’." In surviving texts, feðra occurs in genealogical, legal, and saga literature to indicate possession or relation to a group of fathers or paternal lineage.

Etymology and cognates: Feðra derives from the same root as other Germanic words for father. The common ancestor is Proto-Germanic *fader, from Proto-Indo-European *pH₂tḗr. Related forms appear across the Germanic languages, such as Old English fæder and modern English father, German Vater, and the Scandinavian fader/fader in various historical stages. The Icelandic form feðra reflects regular historical sound changes in the language from those roots.

Usage and variation: In medieval and classical Icelandic texts, feðra is encountered as part of possessive or relational phrases concerning fathers or paternal lineages. In modern Icelandic, the language retains inherited genitive formations, and feðra is still referenced in dictionaries and scholarly works when describing the historical morphology of faðir. Contemporary usage tends to prefer standard forms in everyday speech, while feðra appears in linguistic descriptions, editions of sagas, and works on Old Norse grammar.

See also: faðir, feðr, Old Norse grammar, Proto-Germanic etymology.

References: Standard Icelandic dictionaries and etymological sources on the word faðir and its historical forms.