garðinum

Garðinum is the dative singular definite form of the Icelandic noun garður, meaning garden, yard, or courtyard. It is used when the noun appears in a dative construction or with the definite article in the dative singular. For example, in the sentence Ég er í garðinum, meaning “I am in the garden,” garðinum marks a definite garden in a location context. The base form garður designates a cultivated or enclosed space associated with a building or farm, and garðinum signals both the location and the definite sense in Icelandic grammar.

Etymology and cognates: The word garður comes from Old Norse garðr, which in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *garðaz. It is cognate with other Germanic terms for enclosed spaces or gardens, such as English yard and German Garten, reflecting a common heritage for words describing cultivated or fenced spaces.

Usage and notes: Garðinum commonly appears in everyday Icelandic, in literature, and in place-name contexts where the dative singular definite form is required. It is used after prepositions that govern the dative or in constructions that specify location, such as í garðinum (“in the garden”). When referring to the garden in a non-definite or different case, other forms of garður are used (for example garðurinn in the nominative/definite form).