*ainaz

Reconstruction

The numeral is *ainaz in Orel, Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2][3] cited by its stem *aina- in Kroonen and Köbler.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos (“one”).^[3] Ringe takes it from PIE *óynos "single (?)", which is also the usual word for "one" in Italic, Celtic and probably Balto-Slavic;^[2] Kroonen writes *Hoi-Hn-o-.^[4]

Morphology

Ringe says the numeral was inflected like an ordinary strong adjective.^[6] The inherited PIE word *sem- "one" does not survive in Germanic.^[2] The negative suffixes Old Norse -a and -at of Old West Norse poetry go back to the masculine and neuter forms of "one", *aina and *ainata.^[7]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (ains), Old Norse einn, Old English ān, Old Frisian ān, Old Saxon ēn and Old High German ein.^[4] In Gothic it had not yet become an indefinite article.^[8] The Finnic loan Finnish aina (“always”) and its relatives were borrowed from this word.^[9][10]

Competing analyses

Kroonen calls *ainaz a West Indo-European numeral built on a root *Hoi-, which also underlies the Sanskrit word for "one", from *Hoi-ko- and the Avestan word for "one" from *Hoi-uo-; the Germanic word is identical to Latin ūnus.^[4] Orel likewise equates it with Latin, Old Irish óen and Old Prussian ains, and relates it further to the Sanskrit and Avestan words and to Ancient Greek οἶος (oîos).^[1] Feist split PIE *oinos into *oi- and a suffix *-no-.^[11] Bammesberger counts *aina- among the words for unity in which innovation is to be expected, since the related languages show other consonants in place of its -n-.^[12]

Meanings

1. one^[4][1][3]
2. some^[3]

Ringe notes that several daughters use plural forms for "some" and weak forms for "alone", and that both uses may already have existed in Proto-Germanic.^[6] Old Frisian also used the word as an indefinite article and, with numerals, for "about".^[13]

Derivatives

• *ainalif "eleven", with *-lif "left over";^[14] Kroonen *ainalifa-.^[4]
• *ainagaz "only, sole", like Latin ūnicus;^[15] Orel *ainaʒaz.^[16] Kroonen has *ainahan- "single", formally close to the Latin word.^[4]
• Compounds: *ainafalþaz "onefold, simple",^[17] *ainaugijaz "one-eyed"^[18] and *ainahandijaz "one-handed".^[19]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (ains, “one”)^[11]
• Old Norse: einn (“one; alone; any”)^[10]
• Old English: ān (“one, alone, only, single”)^[20]
• Old Frisian: ēn (“one; a”)^[13]
• Old Saxon: ēn (“one, the same, alone, only, single”)^[21]
• Old High German: ein (“one, some, a certain, the same, only”)^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ainaz
2. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 229
3. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ainaz
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. 11
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *aina-
6. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 318
7. ^ Harbert, Wayne (2007), The Germanic Languages, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
8. ^ a b 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. ein
9. ^ Kylstra, A. D.; Hahmo, Sirkka-Liisa; Hofstra, Tette; Nikkilä, Osmo (1991–2012), Lexikon der älteren germanischen Lehnwörter in den ostseefinnischen Sprachen, 3 vols, Amsterdam / Atlanta / New York: Rodopi, p. 14
10. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. einn
11. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. ains
12. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 227
13. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. ēn
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ainalif
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ainagaz
16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ainaʒaz
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ainafalþaz
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ainaugijaz
19. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ainahandijaz
20. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. ān
21. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. ēn