Fafnir

noun

Faf·​nir ˈfäv-nər How to pronounce Fafnir (audio)
ˈfäf-,
-ˌnir How to pronounce Fafnir (audio)
: a dragon in Norse mythology that guards the Nibelungs' gold hoard until slain by Sigurd

Word History

Etymology

Old Norse Fāfnir

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Fafnir was in 1850

Browse Nearby Words

faff
Fafnir
fag
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fafnir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Fafnir. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

'When Pigs Fly' and Other Barnyard Idioms

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things
See More

Popular

See More

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

'When Pigs Fly' and Other Barnyard Idioms
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a game of hangman on lined paper
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All