Rauðum

Rauðum is the dative plural form of the Icelandic adjective rauður, which means red. In Icelandic, adjectives agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case, so the same base meaning yields different endings depending on context. Rauður is the masculine nominative singular form, rauð – the stem form used in other cases and numbers, with rauðir and rauðar serving as the masculine plural and feminine plural nominative forms, respectively. Rauðum is thus used specifically when the noun it describes is plural and in the dative case.

Etymology and cognates: The Icelandic word rauður comes from Old Norse rauðr, reflecting a common Germanic root related to the English word red and cognates in Danish (rød), Norwegian (rød), and Swedish (röd). The form rauðum preserves the same semantic core while adapting to Icelandic inflectional patterns. The color vocabulary is among the basic lexicon in Indo-European languages, and rauð/rauður has been stable in Icelandic for many centuries.

Declension and usage: Adjectives in Icelandic decline to match the noun by gender, number, and case. Rauðum, as the dative plural form, appears when describing plural nouns that are in the dative case or governed by a dative preposition, such as in contexts involving recipients, indirect objects, or certain set phrases. The word is common in everyday language as well as in literature, education, and media.

See also: Icelandic grammar, Icelandic adjectives, color words in Icelandic.