Hurðin

Hurðin is the definite form of the Icelandic noun hurð, meaning “the door.” Hurð refers to a door in general, such as a doorway in a building, a car door, or a cabinet door. In Icelandic, definiteness is expressed by a suffix on the noun: the definite singular form is hurðin, while the indefinite singular is hurð. The typical inflection is: singular indefinite hurð, singular definite hurðin; plural indefinite hurðar, plural definite hurðarnar. The word is feminine in gender.

Pronunciation is roughly hurð, with the final sound similar to the th in “this.” The definite form hurðin adds the ending, yielding a pronunciation like hurðin, depending on dialect.

Etymology and distribution: hurð derives from Old Norse hurð and belongs to the Germanic language family. It has cognate forms in other Nordic languages and shares a common root for the concept of a door. In modern Icelandic, hurðin is used specifically for a particular door, whereas hurð can denote doors in general or an indefinite door.

Usage notes: Icelandic marks definiteness on nouns with suffixes rather than separate articles. This means hurðin functions as “the door” in contexts where a specific door is being referred to. The plural definite form hurðarnar is used when talking about “the doors.” Translations include the English “the door.”