bið

Bið is an Icelandic noun meaning a request, plea, or prayer. It is pronounced roughly beeth, with the airstream ending in a voiced th-like sound. The word comes from Old Norse bið and is closely related to the verb biðja, “to ask, beg, or pray.”

In historical use, bið denotes a formal appeal or supplication, directed to a person of authority or to a deity. In Old Norse literature and early church language, bið appears in contexts that emphasize entreaty, appeal, or invoking aid. The concept extends beyond everyday bargaining to ceremonial or religious communication.

In modern Icelandic, bið remains primarily a formal or literary term. In everyday speech, speakers typically use the verb biðja to express asking or requesting, while bið as a standalone noun appears more often in ceremonial, legal, or literary registers. The noun can appear in phrases that frame the act of requesting, though it is less common in casual conversation.

Related terms and cognates exist across the Germanic languages, reflecting the shared idea of solicitation or supplication. In Icelandic, the word highlights how requests and prayers have historically been categorized as a distinct communicative act, separate from ordinary questioning. See also: prayer, petition, supplication.