Tilgreindi

Tilgreindi is an Icelandic verb form meaning to indicate, point out, designate, or specify. It is the preterite (past) tense of the verb tilgreina, used when a subject indicated or identified something in the past.

In usage, tilgreindi appears in both everyday and formal language. It can take a direct object describing what is indicated, for example: Hann tilgreindi nýjar reglur (He indicated new rules). The sense can range from merely pointing something out to explicitly designating or naming it in a given context. The form is common in written narration, reports, and instructions where past indication is described.

Morphology and related forms: The base infinitive is tilgreina. The past tense form tilgreindi is used for third-person singular in the past. The verb belongs to a productive Icelandic pattern that combines a spatial or directional prefix til- with the root greina, which broadly covers senses of distinguishing, separating, or highlighting. Depending on the sentence, tilgreindi can be complemented by objects that specify what was indicated or identified.

Etymology: The verb is built from til- and greina. Til- conveys direction toward or targeting something, while greina relates to separating, distinguishing, or classifying. The combined sense in tilgreina and its forms includes designating or pointing out something by distinguishing it from alternatives.

See also: tilgreining (designation or identification), tilgreiningar (forms related to designation).