[8] rifanskinna (f.): An otherwise unattested cpd and probably a name for a bird of prey. The meaning is uncertain, perhaps ‘one with a torn skin’, with the first element derived from the strong verb rífa ‘tear, lacerate, shred’ (spelled rífan- in Skj B and Skald). Alternatively, it could be formed from the weak verb rifa ‘stitch’ and skinna ‘skin’ (see ÍO: rifanskinna).
References
- Bibliography
- Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
- Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
- ÍO = Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon. 1989. Íslensk orðsifjabók. Reykjavík: Orðabók Háskólans.