aðför

Aðför is a noun in Icelandic that denotes a deliberate act of pursuing, attacking, or oppressing someone. In general usage it refers to harassment or persecution, whether carried out by individuals or authorities. In historical or formal contexts, aðför can also mean legal action or prosecution—the act of bringing a case against someone in a court of law.

Etymology and senses: The word derives from Old Norse and Icelandic roots related to the word för, meaning a journey, march, or attack, with a prefix element that conveys direction toward. The core idea is the act of moving against someone, whether physically, verbally, or legally. Over time, the sense broadened from physical pursuit to include systemic or legal pressure.

Usage: Aðför is more common in literary, historical, or legal-historical writing and is considered formal or slightly archaic in contemporary everyday Icelandic. In modern language, translations often render aðför as persecution or prosecution, depending on the context. It can also appear in discussions of campaigns of oppression or state-initiated legal action, especially in analyses of historical events or legal history.

See also: persecution, prosecution, harassment.