neðri

Neðri is an Icelandic adjective meaning “lower” or “the lower part.” It is used to describe something that is situated below another reference point and serves as the counterpart to efri, meaning “upper.” In everyday language, neðri appears in phrases such as neðri hæð (lower floor) or neðri hluti byggingar (the lower part of a building), where it modifies the noun to indicate position.

In geographic and urban contexts, neðri often denotes a position in relation to a nearby feature, such as terrain, settlements, or sections of a town. It can be part of compound place names to distinguish a lower area from an upper one, though it is not typically a standalone proper name.

Grammatical usage in Icelandic follows general adjective agreement rules: neðri can precede a noun and change form to reflect definiteness and gender when necessary. It is commonly used in both indefinite and definite noun phrases, with the definite form appearing when the noun is specified (for example, the lower part of something referred to in context).

Etymologically, neðri derives from Old Norse niðri, meaning downward or lower, and is cognate with related terms in other Nordic languages. The word is generally not capitalized unless it begins a sentence or is part of a proper name. Neðri thus functions as a straightforward ordinal-like descriptor in Icelandic, signaling a lower position relative to another element.