*būaną

Reconstruction

The verb is *būaną in Wiktionary and Ringe,^[1][2] *bōan- ~ *būan- in Kroonen,^[3] *bōw(w)anan in Orel^[4] and *būwan in Köbler.^[5]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to become, to be”): Ringe derives it from an innovative present *bhuH-ye/o- to PIE *bhuH- "become",^[6][2] and Wiktionary from PIE *bʰúHt.^[1]

Morphology

A strong verb in Kroonen and Orel,^[3][4] and of class VII in Lehmann; the Gothic verb has a strong present and a weak past.^[7] Ringe counts it, with doubt, among the few weak verbs with an unsuffixed thematic present and a past without a vowel before the suffix, past *būdē.^[8] The long *ū arose when the laryngeal was lost with lengthening of the preceding vowel.^[6] Ringe thinks the reflex of the PIE root split into *bū- "dwell" and *bu- "be".^[9]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐌰𐌽 (bauan), Old Norse búa, Old English būan, Old Saxon būan and Old High German būan.^[3] The Gothic verb is in Wulfila's Bible, with the strong present 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐌹𐌸 (bauiþ) at Romans 7:20 and the weak past 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌰 (bauaida) at 2 Timothy 1:5.^[7] Outside Germanic, Kroonen compares Ancient Greek φύομαι (phúomai, “to grow, to arise”), Latin fuī and Old Irish biid (“is wont to be”).^[3]

Competing analyses

Kroonen starts from a root Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂u- and explains the two Germanic stems as an ablauting root present, third person singular *bʰéh₂u-ti, plural *bʰh₂u-énti: the full grade gave *bō- through *bōw-, with loss of u after *ō, and *bū- came from *bʰh₂u- by laryngeal metathesis.^[3] Orel compares the same cognates and refers to his *ƀewwanan "to be".^[4] Lehmann takes the verb from the zero grade of the root lengthened by the laryngeal, and Old English bōgian (“to dwell”) possibly from the o-grade.^[7]

Meanings

1. to dwell, to live, to reside^[3][1][2]
2. to build^[5]

Old Norse also used the verb for "to prepare, to fix", and Old High German also for "to build".^[3] Gothic had the phrase "ald bauan" for "to lead a life".^[7]

Derivatives

• *būą "building, dwelling" and *būraz "dweller, inhabitant".^[10][11] Kroonen has a neuter *būra- "cabin, hut" related to the verb.^[12]
• *bōþō "building, hut".^[13]
• *būwijaną and *būwāną "to settle, to inhabit".^[14][15] Kroonen sets up *buwwēn- "to dwell; to form, build", perhaps a stative, or *buwwjan-.^[16]
• Kroonen relates the neuter *bewwa- "yield; barley".^[17]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐌰𐌽 (bauan, “to dwell, to inhabit”)^[18]
• Old Norse: búa (“to dwell, to prepare, to adorn”)^[19]
• Old English: būan (“to dwell, to inhabit, to cultivate”)^[20]
• Old Frisian: būwa (“to build, to cultivate, to inhabit”),^[21] which Orel lists here^[4] and Wiktionary under *būwijaną^[14]
• Old Saxon: būan (“to dwell, to stay, to inhabit”)^[22]
• Old High German: būan (“to dwell, to inhabit, to farm”)^[23]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *būaną
2. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 120
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 52
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *būwan
6. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 97
7. ^ a b c d Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. 91
8. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 262
9. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 221
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *būą
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *būraz
12. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 84
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *bōþō
14. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *būwijaną
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *būwāną
16. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 86
17. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 63
18. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. bauan
19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. búa
20. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. būan
21. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. būwa
22. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. būan
23. ^ 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. būan