*bōguz

Reconstruction

The word is *bōguz in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *ƀōʒuz in Orel,^[3] and the stem *bōgu- in Kroonen and Köbler.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂ǵʰús (“arm”);^[2] Ringe writes *bhāǵhus, perhaps with *-ah₂-.^[1]

Morphology

A masculine u-stem.^[4][5] Ringe takes it from PIE through *bāguz to *bōguz.^[6] Bammesberger thinks it first named the arm.^[7]

Evidence

The word is Northwest Germanic: Old Norse bógr and Old English bōg, Old Frisian bōch and Old High German buog, with no Gothic form.^[4][3] It is identical with Tocharian A poke (“arm”), Tocharian B poko (“arm”), Avestan bāzu- (“arm”) and Ancient Greek πῆχυς (pêkhus, “forearm”).^[4][3]

Meanings

1. shoulder, upper arm^[4][1][2]

Old English also used it for "arm" and "branch",^[8] and Old High German for "hip";^[4] Holthausen glosses the Old High German word as the upper joint of the arm, the foreleg or the thigh.^[8]

Derivatives

• *bōsmaz "bosom", a collective derived from it, with a question mark, in Kroonen;^[9] Wiktionary calls its origin unclear.^[10]
• *bōg-isla-, behind the Old Norse word for the front flipper of a whale.^[4]
• Kroonen also relates *bagmaz "beam, tree" to it.^[11]

Reflexes

• Old Norse: bógr (“shoulder, arm, bow”)^[12]
• Old English: bōg (“arm, shoulder, branch”)^[8]
• Old Frisian: bōch (“branch”)^[13]
• Old Saxon: bōg (“shoulder, fore-quarter”)^[14]
• Old High German: buog (“shoulder, hip”)^[15]

References

1. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 91
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *bōguz
3. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ƀōʒuz
4. ^ a b c d e f g Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 71
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *bōgu-
6. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 172
7. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 155
8. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. bōg
9. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 72
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *bōsmaz
11. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 47
12. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 47
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. bōch
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. bōg
15. ^ Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. buog