leikmaður

Leikmaður is an Icelandic noun meaning a person who participates in a game or sport; in general, a player. The term covers professionals and amateurs alike, as well as players in board games or video games. It is widely used in sports reporting, team rosters, and everyday speech.

Etymology and form: Leikmaður is formed from leikur, meaning game, and the agent suffix -maður, meaning man or person. The word thus literally conveys “game-man.” The plural is leikmenn, and the definite forms areleikmaðurinn (the player) and leikmennirnir (the players).

Usage: Leikmaður is the standard term for an individual participant described as a player. It is commonly combined with other words to specify the sport or context, for example, atvinnuleikmaður meaning a professional player. In sentences, you might encounter phrases such as Hann er atvinnuleikmaður eða Hann er leikmaður í knattspyrnu. The term is versatile and applies to athletes as well as players in non-sport settings like board games or online gaming.

Related terms: The root concepts include the word maður (man/person) and the verb/leisure-related terms that form compounds with leik- to indicate participation in a game. A closely related compound is atvinnuleikmaður for a professional player.

See also: Icelandic language resources on -maður suffix, and articles on related sports vocabulary such as knattspyrna and handbolti.