fjöldr

Fjöldr is an Icelandic noun that denotes a multitude, crowd, or a large body of people. In modern usage the form fjöldr is largely literary or historical, while the everyday word for a crowd or number of people is fjöldi. The term appears in Old Norse and early Icelandic texts with the same general sense of a sizable group, and it is most often encountered in historical narratives, poetry, or linguistic discussions of older Icelandic.

Etymology and cognates are anchored in Old Norse fjǫldr, a root that also appears in related North Germanic languages. In Icelandic, fjǫldr and its descendant fjöldr share a common origin with other terms referring to groups of people, populations, or aggregations, although the modern standard term for contemporary usage is fjöldi.

Usage and context vary by era. In sagas and medieval poetry, fjöldr is used to indicate a large gathering or population, sometimes in phrases such as a “multitude of men.” In contemporary Icelandic, fjöldi tends to replace fjöldr in ordinary telling or descriptive prose, while fjöldr remains a recognizable, archaic or poetic option for authors aiming to evoke historical or ceremonial tone. The word can also appear in fixed expressions or in studies of older language forms.

See also: Icelandic language, Old Norse language, fjöldi, linguistic terminology related to crowd and population.