Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

rún

  • noun [ feminine ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
rún, e; f.
Wright's OE grammar
§367;
a whisper (v. rúnian), hence speech not intended to be overheard, confidence, counsel, consultation [cf. Goth. rúna niman to take counsel]
Show examples

  • On hyne nǽnig monna cynnes mihte wlítan nymþe se módiga hwæne neár héte rinca tó rúne gegangan (cf. gangan te rúnu, an rúna,

      Hel. 1273, 5064), Judth. Thw. 22, 7; Jud. 54.

  • Gesittan tó rúne

    to sit in consultation,

      Beo. Th. 346; B. 172.

  • Gesittan sundor tó rúne,

      Andr. Kmbl. 2324; An. 1163.

  • Swá cwæþ snottor on móde gesæt him sundor æt rúne

    sat apart communing with himself

    (cf. nim thú ina sundar te thí an rúna,
      Hel. 3227), Exon. Th. 293. 5; Wand. 111.

  • Gefetigan tó rúne (cf.

    Icel. heita einn at rúnum to consult ),

      246, 15; Jul. 61 : Elen. Kmbl. 2319; El. 1162.

  • Eodon fram rúne,

      821; El. 412.

  • Rúne besittan,

      Andr. Kmbl. 1254; An. 627.

  • Ic Síward cinges þegen æt rǽde and æt rúnan (cf. þegno betst (

    Peter

    ) te is herron sprak an rúnun,
      Hel. 3096), Cod. Dip. Kmbl. iii. 355, 17.

  • Hé (

    Christ

    ) feówertig daga folgeras síne rúnum (cf. Jesus ... being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of
      God, Acts 1, 3) árétte, Hy. 10, 36.
a mystery, cf. gerýne
Show examples

  • Rún biþ gerecenod,

      Cd. Th. 211, 12; Exod. 525.

  • Bæd him áreccan hwæt seó rún (

    the dream

    ) bude,
      250, 6; Dan. 542.

  • Healdaþ æt heortan hálge rúne,

      Exon. Th. 282, 1; Jul. 656 : Elen. Kmbl. 666; El. 333.

  • Dryhtnes word, hálige rúne,

      2336; El. 1169.

  • Déglum rúnum

    mystice,

      Jn. Skt. p. 4, 4.
a secret
Show examples

  • Rúne healdan

    to keep one's counsel,

      Exon. Th. 338, 31; Gn. Ex. 87.
of that which is written, with the idea of mystery or magic
Show examples

  • Ðæt hé him bócstafas árǽdde and árehte hwæt seó rún (

    the writing on the wall of Belshazzar's palace

    ) bude,
      Cd. Th. 262, 9; Dan. 741.

  • Hæfdon hié on rúne and on rímcræfte áwriten wera endestæf,

      Andr. Kmbl. 267; An. 134.
a rune, a letter. v. rún-stæf
Show examples

  • Enge rúne (

    referring to

    ᚾ = níd),
      Elen. Kmbl. 2521; El. 1262.

  • Rǽd sceal mon secgan, rúne wrítan, leóþ gesingan,

      Exon. Th. 342, 7; Gn. Ex. 139.

  • Hé hine ácsade hwæðer hé ða lýsendlícan rúne cúþe and ða stafas mid hine áwritene hæfde be swylcum menn leásspell secgaþ ðæt hine mon forðon gebindan ne mihte

    interrogare coepit, an forte literas solutorias de qualibus fabulae ferunt, apud se haberet, propter quas ligari non posset,

      Bd. 4, 22; S. 591, 25.
    [Ofte heo eoden to ræde ofte heo heolden rune (ȝeode to roune, 2nd MS.), Laym. 25332.
  • Þan kaisere heo radden þat he write runen (writes makede, 2nd MS.), 25340.

  • Godess dærne ræd and run,

      Orm. 18719.

  • Godes derne runes and his derne domes,

      A. R. 96, 4.
Etymology
[Goth. rúna counsel, a mystery : O. Sax. rúna counsel, conference : O. H. Ger. rúna susurrio, mysterium, litera, v. Grff. ii. 523 : Icel. rún counsel, mystery, a letter.]
Similar entries
v. beadu-, hete-, hyge-, inwit-, leóþu-, searo-, wæl-rún.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “rún.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/26037.

Checked: 0
Full form

Word-wheel

  • rún, n.

Copyright

All the data provided here are free for any purpose. If you use the data for academic purposes, we ask that you kindly cite us as your source. In case you need a large portion of the dictionary data or you need it in a specific format, let us know through the contact form, we are happy to do custom database dumps for researchers.

How to cite

You can cite the entries of the online version of the dictionary, or you can cite the scanned pages of the original paper editions.

  • To cite the online version of the dictionary, click the icon right under the entry.
  • To cite the scanned paper version of the dictionary, click the "show/hide this scanned page" link under the entry, check the scan and use the citation information right above it.