víðara

Víðara is a form found in Icelandic grammar that functions as the comparative adjective meaning “more widespread” or “broader.” It derives from the adjective víðr (wide, extensive) and is used when comparing the extent or distribution of something. In Icelandic, adjectives inflect for gender, number, and case, and víðara appears in contexts where a form appropriate to the neuter or other grammatical role is required, often in predicate position or with neuter nouns. The form is common in descriptive writing, geography, ecology, history, and scientific texts that discuss range, dispersion, or reach.

Etymology: The word originates from Old Norse víðr and is cognate with related Germanic forms meaning wide. It is part of a family of words that express extent and breadth.

Usage: Víðara is used to characterize greater breadth or spread, such as the geographic distribution of a species, the reach of a phenomenon, or the scope of a study. It is not a separate lexical item with a fixed meaning beyond the comparative sense; rather, it is a grammatical inflection of víðr appropriate to the syntactic context.

See also: Icelandic grammar; Comparative adjectives; víðr.