Bitdal

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Alternative forms

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  • Bitudal
  • Bital (used e.g. in eye dialect spellings and old maps)

Etymology

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From the river name Bitu, from Old Norse *Bíta (a biting creek, a very cold creek), related to bita (to bite). The other part is dal (valley). The modern pronunciation with /d/ in the first part is an assimilation with the following consonant, cf. the nearby Heddal < Old Norse Heitradalr. Meanwhile, the assimilation in the local dialect went the other way.

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

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Bitdal m (definite Bitdalen)

  1. A valley in Vinje, Telemark, Norway, in the former Rauland municipality. Most area of the valley is covered by an artificially enlarged lake.