varg i veum

Swedish

Etymology

A literary loan from Old Norse vargr í véum, literally ”criminal in a sacred place”. From vargr (“criminal, evildoer”), from Proto-Germanic *wargaz, and véum, dative plural of vé (“sacred place”), from Proto-Germanic *wīhą. The word varg is used here in its older sense ”criminal, evildoer”, but is identical to its general meaning ”wolf”, originally a taboo replacement word for ulv.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /varj ɪ ²veːɵm/

Noun

varg i veum c

(archaic) an outcast, a lawless criminal
(archaic, by extension) an unwanted person, persona non grata

References

varg in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
varg in Svensk ordbok (SO)

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