Estonian

Proper noun

Helgi

1. A female given name.

Faroese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈhɛʎt͡ʃɪ]

Etymology

From Old Norse Helgi.

Proper noun

Helgi m

1. A male given name

Usage notes

Patronymics

• son of Helgi: Helgason
• daughter of Helgi: Helgadóttir

Declension

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse Helgi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛlcɪ/
• Rhymes: -ɛlcɪ
• Homophone: helgi

Proper noun

Helgi m

1. A male given name

Declension

Old Norse

Etymology

From Old Norse helgi, the weak (definite) form of *heiligr (“happy, lucky”). Later helgi was reinterpreted as weak form of the adjective heilagr ‎(“holy”).

Cognate to the Old Norse female given name Helga.

Noun

Helgi m

1. A male given name

Descendants

Icelandic

Noun

helgi f ‎(genitive singular helgar, nominative plural helgar)

1. two or more holidays in a row, in conjunction with a Sunday or a major Christian holiday; most often denoting the weekend, i.e. the conjunction of a Saturday and Sunday and any adjacent public or private holidays

   Hvað ertu að gera um helgina?

   What are you doing this weekend?

   Er komin helgi?

   Has the weekend come already?

Declension

Usage notes

• um helgina (over the weekend or during [last] weekend)
• eftir helgi(na) (after the weekend; at the beginning of the working week)

Derived terms

Related terms

• helgi (2)
• helgur
• heilagur

Etymology 2

From Old Norse helgi.

Noun

helgi f ‎(genitive singular helgi, no plural)

1. holiness, sanctity
2. (law) security, immunity

Declension

Synonyms

• (holiness): heilagleiki m
• (immunity): friðhelgi f

Related terms

• helgi (1)
• helgur
• heilagur

Old Norse

Noun

helgi f

1. holiness
2. (law) security, immunity

Descendants

• Faroese: halgi
• Icelandic: helgi (2)

In other Nordic languages this word is conflated with helgr ‎(“holiday”), and the corresponding words in Danish (helg) and Swedish (helg) have inherited the meanings of both words. Even Faroese halgi, which clearly derives from this Old Norse form, also carries the meaning of helgr, although there is also a separate Faroese word, halga, for that.

References

• helgi in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press