feta

Merkingar

in old writers strong, pret. fat, pl. fátu; in mod. usage weak, fetaði, and so in paper MSS., Fas. iii. 492; fötuðu, Bs. i. 291, is undoubtedly an error for fátu:

1. I.

   to step, with the notion to find one’s way, of one walking in a fog or darkness,

   1. α.

      act. with acc.; feta braut, Eb. 208 (in a verse); feta leið (acc.), Grág. ii. 44; feta veg sinn, Bs. l. c.; menn fátu trautt leið sína í sumum stöðum, Ann. 1300, cp. Bs. i. 804.

   2. β.

      absol., feta burt ór völundar húsi, to find the way out of a labyrinth, Lil. 91; en svá fjarri ferr at ek feta (subj.) þangat, Fas. ii. 284; blindr ok fat eigi til dyranna, Orkn. 192; var ok svá at hann fat af því heim, Grett. 46 new Ed.; fátu þeir eigi heim, Fb. i. 97; ætlaði at hann mundi feta til síðarr, Landn. 146; ok fátu hvergi, and could not find the way, Fas. iii. 401.

2. II.

   as an auxiliary verb with an infin.; hve ek yrkja fat, how I did make my poem, Höfuðl. 19; hve ek þylja fat, how I did speak, 3; faztú at árna, thou didst earn, Sighvat; ek fet smíða, I do (can) work, Fms. vi. 170; hann fat gerða, he did gird, Fagrsk. 48; ek fat kjósa, I did choose, Edda 229 (App.); ek fet inna, I do record, Rekst. 29, v. l.; this use, however, although freq. in the poets of the 10th century, became obsolete, and is never met with in prose.

   1. β.

      in mod. usage, to step, esp. in the phrase, feta í fótspor e-s, to step in one’s foot-prints; þó eg feginn feta vildi fótspor þín, Pass. 30. 10.