harðar

Harðar is an inflected form of the Icelandic adjective harður, which means hard, tough, severe, or arduous. In Icelandic, adjectives agree with the gender, number, and case of the nouns they modify. Harðar typically appears before feminine plural nouns in several cases, and it can also occur in other inflectional contexts depending on the sentence structure.

Etymology and meaning: The word harðar derives from the Old Norse harðr, with cognates in other Germanic languages, such as the English word hard. The core sense across these languages is durability, stiffness, or uncompromising severity.

Usage and examples: Harðar is commonly used to describe conditions, rules, or tasks that are demanding or stringent. Examples include phrases like harðar aðstæður (tough circumstances) or harðar reglur (strict rules). It can also convey a stern or uncompromising tone when characterizing behavior or environments, such as in literary or journalistic contexts.

Grammatical notes: The form harðar is part of the broader Icelandic adjective declension system. Its exact ending reflects gender, number, and case, so writers select harðar to align with feminine plural nouns in the appropriate case. Other forms of harður cover masculine singular, feminine singular, neuter forms, and plural variants for different cases.

See also: harður, Icelandic grammar, Icelandic adjectives, Old Norse harðr.

Harðar thus operates as a specific inflectional realization of a common Germanic adjective meaning hard or severe, used to describe people, conditions, rules, or environments in Icelandic.