bláum

Blöðum is the dative plural form of the Icelandic noun blað, which means leaf, blade, or page. In Icelandic, blað is a masculine noun and its declension includes singular forms such as blað (nom/acc), blaði (dat), blaðs (gen), and plural forms such as blöð (nom/acc), blöðum (dat), blaða (gen). The form blöðum appears most often after prepositions that govern the dative case or when indicating location or direction involving multiple leaves or pages.

Etymology and status in the language: blað comes from Old Norse blað, with cognates in other Germanic languages tracing back to Proto-Germanic bladą. The word covers both botanical leaves and sheets of paper, making it a versatile term in Icelandic. Its plural blöð is used for multiple leaves or pages in general, while blöðum specifically marks the dative plural.

Usage: The word blöðum is used primarily in two senses. The first is botanical, where it refers to the leaves of plants. The second is textual or printed media, where it can mean pages or sheets of paper, including pages of a book or newspaper. In both senses, blöðum typically appears after prepositions that require the dative case (for example, on/at the leaves or pages).

Examples:

- Ljósið skín á blöðum plantnanna. (The light shines on the leaves of the plants.)

- Ég fletti í blöðum bókarinnar. (I flipped through the pages of the book.)

See also: blað and related inflections, to understand how blöðum fits within Icelandic noun declension and its various plural forms.