Dictionary

Yggdrasil en · PROPN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈɪɡdɹəsɪl/

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Norse Yggdrasill; commonly accepted as being composed Yggr (“terrible”) + drasill (“steed”), where “steed” refers to a hanging tree or possibly from *dʰer- (“to hold, support”).

Meanings

1. (Norse) An immense ash tree that is central in Norse cosmology, believed to connect the nine worlds.
   • 1996, Carolyne Larrington (editor and translator), The Seeress's Prophecy, The Poetic Edda, page 6, I know that an ash-tree stands called Yggdrasill, a high tree, soaked with shining loam; from there come the dews which fall in the valley, ever green, it stands over the well of fate.
   • “Yggdrasil!” Gudbjartur's voice was filled with awe. “It is Yggdrasil, the world-tree!” He looked at Halfdan, his eyes wide. “The Sacred Grove is here in this land!” 2007, J. A. Hunsinger, The Settlers: An Axe of Iron Novel, page 333:
   • With nostrils and legs akimbo, she towered over him like some human Yggdrasill, blotting out the sun. 1963, Spike Milligan, chapter 1, in Puckoon, page 1:
   • Yet it is not easy to pluck out the heart of its mystery; and the descriptions of certain ancient representatives of Yggdrasil do not lessen the difficulty. 1863, The London Quarterly Review, volumes 113-114, page 117:
   • In Norse mythology, for example, the World Tree, or Yggdrasil, connected the nine existences that straddled the worlds of gods and men with its mighty roots. Yggdrasil was reputedly a gigantic ash tree (and was the central feature of Norse cosmology), around the base of which the serpent Níôhöggr had twisted its body. 2007, Bob Curran, Ian Daniels, Walking with the Green Man: Father of the Forest, Spirit of Nature, page 66:

Forms

Translations (21)

da Yggdrasil (the world tree in Norse mythology) · fa اوگدراسیل (the world tree in Norse mythology) · fr Yggdrasill (the world tree in Norse mythology) · el Ύγκντρασιλ (the world tree in Norse mythology) · is Yggdrasils (the world tree in Norse mythology) · lv Igdrasils (the world tree in Norse mythology) · lt Igdrasilas (the world tree in Norse mythology) · fr Ygdrasil (the world tree in Norse mythology) · az İqqdrasil (the world tree in Norse mythology) · ja ユグドラシル (the world tree in Norse mythology) · fr Ygdrasill (the world tree in Norse mythology) · hy Իգգդրասիլ (the world tree in Norse mythology) · non Yggdrasill (the world tree in Norse mythology) · sv Yggdrasil (the world tree in Norse mythology) · fr Yggdrasil (the world tree in Norse mythology) · ru Иггдрасиль (the world tree in Norse mythology) · uk Іґґдрасілль (the world tree in Norse mythology) · ko 위그드라실 (the world tree in Norse mythology) · ca Ígdrasil (the world tree in Norse mythology) · bg Игдрасил (the world tree in Norse mythology) · ka იგდრასილი (the world tree in Norse mythology)