látinna

Látinna is a rarely attested term in Icelandic. It does not appear as a common, contemporary word in standard dictionaries, and its precise sense and usage vary across historical texts and dialects. In modern Icelandic, the word is not part of everyday vocabulary, and when encountered it is usually described as archaic, regional, or scholarly.

Etymology and form suggest that látinna may be formed from the verb láta, meaning “to let” or “to cause,” with a feminine-form suffix. Because Icelandic past participles and adjectives agree with gender and case, a form like látinna would typically be analyzed in historical texts as a feminine attributive form or participial adjective, its exact function depending on the era and manuscript. However, due to limited attestation, precise grammatical behavior cannot be stated with certainty for all periods.

Contexts and usage are largely gleaned from older or specialized writings. In such sources, or in dialectal passages, látinna may occur as a descriptive modifier for a feminine subject or as part of a phrase describing something that has been allowed, caused, or performed. It is not standard in contemporary prose, and interpreters should consult historical dictionaries or scholarly editions when encountering it.

In contemporary Icelandic, expressions for “the late” in obituaries or formal notices typically use more common constructions, and “látinna” is not a standard or widely recognized term. For linguistic study, researchers rely on philological corpora to trace attestations and variations across time.

See also: Icelandic grammar, past participles, obituaries in Icelandic.