monaþ

Forms

mōnaþ m (strong consonant stem; genitive singular mōnaþes)^[1] A consonant stem, with nominative plural mōnaþ beside mōnþas; otherwise it follows the a-stems.^[2] In West Saxon the middle vowel is regularly syncopated only in this word, as in the genitive mōnþes.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *mānōþ, from Proto-Germanic *mēnōþs (“month”).^[1][4] The word is found in all the old Germanic languages: Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌽𐍉𐌸𐍃 (mēnōþs), Old Norse mánaðr, Old Frisian mōnath, Old Saxon mānuth and Old High German mānōd.^[4][5]

Kroonen derives it from Proto-Indo-European *meh₁n-ot-;^[4][1] Wiktionary sees in it a derivative of *mḗh₁n̥s (“month, moon”), related to Proto-Germanic *mēnô (“moon”), the source of mōna.^[4][1] Köbler traces the Indo-European word to the root *meh₁- (“to measure”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is first recorded in the will of Abba the reeve (833×839), whose single sheet is held to be contemporary: a payment is to be made ymb twelf monað “every twelve months”.^[6][7] The Vespasian Psalter gloss of the mid-ninth century renders Psalm 80 “Canite in initio mensis tuba” as Singað in fruman monðes horne “sing with the horn at the beginning of the month”.^[8][7] A charter of the same years, held to be contemporary, sets a yearly render ymb .xii. monað “every twelve months”, and Oswulf's grant of 805×810, on a ninth-century sheet, asks for a commemoration ymb tuælfmonað “every twelvemonth”.^[9][10]

Semantic evolution

The word names both the lunar and the calendar month: a computus text explains that the moon's month runs from new moon to new moon, twenty-nine days and twelve hours, and that the sun passes under one of the twelve signs each month.^[11] In compounds it also meant “moon”: mōnaþsēoc is “lunatic”.^[12][1] In the laws the plural stands after twelf and means a year.^[13] The Old English names of the months are compounds of it.^[14][1]

The word lived on as Middle English moneth, now English month.^[15][1]

Timeline

• 833×839 – ymb twelf monað “every twelve months” in the will of Abba, a contemporary single sheet.^[6][7]
• s. ix med. – ymb .xii. monað in Lufu's grant to Christ Church, in a contemporary copy.^[9]
• s. ix med. – in fruman monðes in the Vespasian Psalter gloss.^[8][7]
• 890×897 – on ðæm fiftan & on ðam siofoðan monðe “in the fifth and the seventh month” in the Pastoral Care (Hatton 20).^[16][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. a month, lunar or calendar.^[11][5]
2. (in compounds) the moon.^[12][1]
3. (law) twelf mōnaþ, twelve months, a year.^[13]

Word family

• blōtmōnaþ
• eastermōnaþ
• hærfestmōnaþ
• hāliġmōnaþ
• hrǣdmōnaþ
• mōnaþblōd
• mōnaþlīċ
• mōnaþsēocnes
• sēarmōnaþ
• solmōnaþ
• þrimilcemōnaþ
• weodmōnaþ

Descendants

• Middle English moneth (→ English month; Middle Scots moneth)^[1]

Related words

• mōna

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Hogg, Richard M.; Fulk, R. D. (2011), A Grammar of Old English, vol. 2: Morphology, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, p. § 2.103
3. ^ Hogg, Richard M. (1992), A Grammar of Old English, vol. 1: Phonology, Oxford: Blackwell, p. § 6.32
4. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 365
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mōnaþ
6. ^ a b The Electronic Sawyer: Online Catalogue of Anglo-Saxon Charters, revised ed. by S. E. Kelly and R. Rushforth, King's College London / University of Cambridge, esawyer.lib.cam.ac.uk, p. S 1482
7. ^ a b c d e Healey, Antonette diPaolo; Price Wilkin, John; Xiang, Xin, eds. (2009), Dictionary of Old English Web Corpus, Toronto: Dictionary of Old English Project
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. 329
9. ^ a b The Electronic Sawyer: Online Catalogue of Anglo-Saxon Charters, revised ed. by S. E. Kelly and R. Rushforth, King's College London / University of Cambridge, esawyer.lib.cam.ac.uk, p. S 1197
10. ^ The Electronic Sawyer: Online Catalogue of Anglo-Saxon Charters, revised ed. by S. E. Kelly and R. Rushforth, King's College London / University of Cambridge, esawyer.lib.cam.ac.uk, p. S 1188
11. ^ a b Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. 696
12. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 225
13. ^ a b Liebermann, F. (1906), Die Gesetze der Angelsachsen, vol. II.1: Wörterbuch, Halle: Niemeyer, p. 149
14. ^ Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. Suppl. 641
15. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
16. ^ 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. 499