Meða

Meða is a term that appears in some linguistic and philological discussions of Old Norse and early Icelandic orthography. It is not a standard modern word in Icelandic or in English, and its attestations are sparse in surviving texts.

Etymology and form: In scholarly references, meða is often treated as a rare or variant spelling related to the preposition með, which means with. The form is typically discussed in the context of manuscript transmission, where scribal variation or dialectal influence may yield alternate spellings. It is not used in contemporary Icelandic and has limited relevance outside historical texts and textual criticism.

Attestation and usage: The evidence for meða is confined to a small set of medieval manuscript passages and editorial editions. Because the form occurs infrequently, it is chiefly of interest to editors, lexicographers, and researchers studying the orthographic practices of Old Norse and early Icelandic. Its practical semantic contribution beyond the basic meaning of “with” in the standard form með is not established.

See also and notes: The term meða is distinct from similar-looking words in other languages, such as međa in Slavic languages, which means border or boundary. If you encountered meða in a specific text, consulting the manuscript apparatus or a specialist in Old Norse orthography can help determine whether it reflects a scribal variant, a dialectal form, or another phenomenon in that source.