*aiwaz

Reconstruction

The noun is *aiwaz in Orel and Wiktionary,^[1][2] and Orel also writes *aiwaz ~ *aiwiz.^[3] Köbler has *aiwa- and *aiwi- "eternity",^[4][5] Kroonen *aiwa/ō- "eternity, age", masculine or feminine.^[6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂óyu, made into a thematic a-stem.^[2] Kroonen traces the Latin and the Germanic forms to a thematic *h₂ei-uo-, and the word itself to an athematic u-stem, nominative *h₂ói-u, genitive *h₂i-éu-s, as in Avestan.^[6]

Morphology

A masculine noun.^[1] The Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (aiws) is an a-stem with an i-stem accusative plural Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌹𐌽𐍃 (aiwins) at Matthew 6:13;^[7][8] Bammesberger sees the i-stem *aiwi- also in Old Norse ævi, while Casaretto takes the i-inflection there to be secondary.^[7][9] EWA reconstructs *aiwi-, perhaps also *aiwī- and *aiwa-.^[10] The Old Norse word continues *aiwīn.^[1][11] The accusative singular became an adverb "ever": Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍅 (aiw), Old Norse æ, Old English ā, Old Saxon ēo and Old High German io.^[1]

Evidence

The word "age, eternity" is clearest in Gothic, where Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (aiws) is in Wulfila's Bible,^[8] and in Old Frisian ēwe, Old Saxon ēwa and Old High German ēwa.^[6] In West Germanic the same forms mostly mean "law": Old English ǣ, Old Frisian ēwe, Old Saxon ēo and Old High German ēwa.^[6] Outside Germanic, Kroonen and Orel compare Latin aevum (“period of time”) and Ancient Greek αἰών (aiṓn, “lifetime, eternity”).^[6][1] A Germanic origin of Finnish aika (“time”) has been rejected on phonetic grounds, revived by T. Itkonen, and judged uncertain by Häkkinen, LÄGLOS reports.^[12]

Competing analyses

Kroonen sets up a second *aiwa/ō- "law", probably related to Latin iūs (“law”) and etymologically the same word, and thinks it hardly related to Latin aequus (“level, equal”) or to a Sanskrit word for "custom" from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- (“to go”).^[6] Casaretto reports that Bammesberger separates the West Germanic legal terms and derives them from *h₁ei- "to go".^[9] Köbler, too, has a separate *aiwa- "law" and *aiwi "law", from a PIE noun "custom, law".^[13] Feist asked whether the West Germanic words, which he glosses as "law, religious order" and in Old English and Old High German also "marriage", meant "eternal order", or should be kept apart.^[14] Orel and Wiktionary keep one word for both senses.^[1][2]

Meanings

1. age, long time^[6][2]
2. eternity^[6][2][4]
3. law^[2][4]

Gothic used the word for "time",^[14] and Old Norse ævi also means "lifetime".^[11]

Derivatives

• *aiwukiz "eternal",^[15] Kroonen's *ajuki-, with a different outcome of the PIE *u,^[16] Orel's *ajukaz.^[17]
• *aiwiþō "eternity".^[18][3]
• *lanʒa-aiwaz "long-lasting", which Orel thinks might be the same as Latin longaevus (“long-lived”).^[19]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (aiws, “time, age, eternity”)^[14][8]
• Old Norse: ævi (“eternity, lifetime”)^[11] and the adverb æ (“always”)^[20]
• Old English: ā (“ever, always”)^[21] and ǣ (“law, religion, marriage”)^[22]
• Old Frisian: ēwe (“law; eternity”)^[23]
• Old Saxon: ēo (“law”)^[24] and ēwa (“eternity”)^[25]
• Old High German: ēwa (“eternity, lifetime; law”)^[10][26]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *aiwaz
2. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *aiwaz
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *aiwiþō
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *aiwa-
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *aiwi-
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 16
7. ^ a b Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 68
8. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. aiws
9. ^ a b Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ 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. êwa
11. ^ a b c de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. ævi
12. ^ 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. 10
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *aiwi
14. ^ a b c Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. aiws
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *aiwukiz
16. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 17
17. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ajukaz
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *aiwiþō
19. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *lanʒa-aiwaz
20. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. æ
21. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. ā
22. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ǣ
23. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. ēwe
24. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. êo
25. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. êwa
26. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ēwa