þágu

þögu is a term that appears in Icelandic and Old Norse language sources. It is not a common word in modern Icelandic, and its precise meaning and origin remain a matter of scholarly discussion. The form is encountered mainly in philological studies of medieval texts rather than in everyday usage.

Etymology and possible meanings

Most interpretations link þögu to the noun þögn (silence) or to a related concept connected with quietness or concealment. Some scholars propose that þögu represents a grammatical form—such as a dative singular—of a base noun or an inflected variant of a verb tied to silence or secrecy. Others view the form as a scribal or orthographic variant whose sense is text-specific and not readily generalized. The uncertainty reflects the fragmentary nature of surviving sources and the lack of a definitive dictionary entry.

Attestations and usage

Attestations are limited to a small corpus of medieval material, including marginal notes, glosses, and brief phrases in saga or poem fragments. In context, the term often appears alongside other terms for speech, silence, or secrecy, suggesting a semantic field related to quietness or concealment. There is no broad consensus about the exact sense in any given instance.

Modern reception

Today, þögu is mainly of interest to scholars of Old Norse linguistics and philology. It is cited in discussions of morphological variation and the challenges of reconstructing meaning from scant evidence. It does not figure in standard modern Icelandic lexicon and is treated as a historical linguistic item rather than a living word.