bindan

Forms

bindan (strong class 3; third-person singular present bint, past singular band, past plural bundon)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *bindan, from Proto-Germanic *bindaną (“to bind”).^[1][2] The strong verb is found in all the old Germanic languages: Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 (bindan), Old Norse binda, Old Frisian binda, Old Saxon bindan and Old High German bintan.^[2][3][4]

It continues the thematic present Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to bind”), seen also in the Sanskrit and Avestan verbs for binding.^[2][3][5] Holthausen adds Latin offendix (“band, knot”) and Ancient Greek πενθερός (pentherós, “father-in-law”).^[4] It is a verb of the third class, with past ⟨band⟩, ⟨bundon⟩ and participle ⟨bunden⟩.^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb is first recorded in Bald's Leechbook (s. x med.), of a dressing: bind on þæt wænge “bind it on the cheek”.^[8][9] The Old English Bede, whose manuscript is dated s. x in. or xi¹, uses it of a vow: mid gehate hine seolfne bindende “binding himself with a promise”.^[10][9][11]

Semantic evolution

Bosworth and Toller translate it “bind, tie”, rendering Latin “ligare” and “alligare”.^[6] Toller's Supplement orders the uses: tying in a bundle (the tares in sheaves), fastening one thing to another, knitting together, putting someone in bonds, restraining the action of the stomach in the medical texts, and binding by an obligation.^[11] The poets use it of winter and frost binding the earth, as in The Wanderer and The Seafarer.^[6] Köbler and Holthausen also give “adorn”: in Beowulf a sword is bunden golde, bound with gold.^[5][4][7]

The word lived on as Middle English bynden, now bind.^[1][12]

Timeline

• s. x med. – bind on þæt wænge in Bald's Leechbook.^[8][9]
• s. x² – frost binding the earth in the Exeter Book.^[13][6]
• s. x ex. – the verb in Ælfric's Catholic Homilies I.^[14][9]
• s. x/xi – bunden golde of a sword in the Beowulf manuscript.^[15][7]

Meanings

Verb

1. to bind, tie; to tie up in a bundle.^[6][11]
2. to fasten, join together.^[11][7]
3. to put in bonds, fetter; to restrain.^[11][5]
4. to bind by a vow or obligation.^[11]
5. to adorn.^[5][4]

Word family

• bebindan
• forbindan
• ġebindan
• onbindan
• ymbbindan

Descendants

• Middle English bynden (→ English bind; Middle Scots bind; Middle Scots bynd)^[1]

Related words

• bendan
• bend

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 64
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 41
4. ^ a b c d Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 23
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. bindan
6. ^ a b c d e Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. 102
7. ^ a b c d Fulk, R. D.; Bjork, Robert E.; Niles, John D., eds. (2008), Klaeber's Beowulf and The Fight at Finnsburg, 4th ed., Toronto: University of Toronto Press (glossary), p. s.v. bindan
8. ^ a b Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 412
9. ^ a b c d Healey, Antonette diPaolo; Price Wilkin, John; Xiang, Xin, eds. (2009), Dictionary of Old English Web Corpus, Toronto: Dictionary of Old English Project
10. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 531
11. ^ a b c d e f Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. Suppl. 92
12. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
13. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 223
14. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 407
15. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 344