Etymologically

Etymology and origin of the Proto-Germanic word *beudaną

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
Inherited from
Proto-Indo-European *bʰéwdʰeti
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Proto-Germanic *beudaną
Old Norse bjóða
Proto-West Germanic *beudan
German bieten
Old English bēodan
From the same root
German anbieten ← bieten

Reconstruction

The verb is *beudaną in Ringe and Wiktionary,[1][2] *ƀeuđanan in Orel[3] and *beudan in Köbler;[4] Kroonen cites it by the stem *beudan-.[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéwdʰeti (“to be awake, aware”):[2] Kroonen derives it from the thematic present *bʰéudʰ-e- and calls it a strong verb of IE origin.[5]

Morphology

A strong verb of class II,[6][4] with the principal parts *beudan-, *baud, *budum.[7] Mailhammer puts it among the strong verbs with an accepted Indo-European etymology.[6] The second person singular of the preterite was *baust, with *s for the root-final dental before *-t.[1]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches.[5] Gothic has only compounds, Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌱𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌽 (anabiudan, “to command”) and Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌱𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌽 (faurbiudan, “to forbid”); the simple verb is found in Old Norse bjóða, Old English bēodan, Old Frisian biāda, Old Saxon biodan and Old High German biotan.[8][9] Gothic anabiudan is in Wulfila's Bible.[10] The derived noun *beuda- "plate, table" was borrowed, probably from Gothic, as Proto-Slavic *bljudo (“plate, dish”).[11] Its cognates include Tocharian B pautā- (“to honour, to flatter”) and Ancient Greek πεύθω (peúthō, “to give notice”).[5]

Competing analyses

Kroonen sets beside the thematic present a nasal present *bʰu-n-dʰ- in Ancient Greek πυνθάνομαι (punthánomai, “to find out, to inquire”) and Lithuanian bùsti (“to awake”).[5] Orel adds a nasalised Old Irish verb "to announce", after Meyer.[3]

Meanings

  1. to offer, to bid[5][2][4]
  2. to command, to announce[5][4]

Old Norse also used the verb for "to invite",[5] and Old Frisian for "to threaten" and "to publish the banns".[12] Pronk-Tiethoff describes the sense of the noun *beuda- as shifting from "to serve" to "that on which something is served".[11]

Derivatives

  • *budą "offer", Kroonen's *buda-; the West Germanic words for "command, commandment", as Old English gebod, come from the perfective *ga-beudan-.[13]
  • *budô "messenger", Kroonen's *budan-.[13]
  • *beudaz "table",[14] continued in Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌿𐌸𐍃 (biuþs) and Old English bēod.[3]
  • *būsniz "something offered", from earlier *budsniz,[15] continued in Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌱𐌿𐍃𐌽𐍃 (anabusns, “command”).[16]
  • With prefixes: *anabeudaną "to command" and *furibeudaną "to forbid".[17][18]

Reflexes

  • Gothic: only compounds, as 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌱𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌽 (anabiudan, “to command, to order”)[8]
  • Old Norse: bjóða (“to offer”)[19]
  • Old English: bēodan (“to bid, to command, to offer, to announce”)[20]
  • Old Frisian: biāda (“to offer, to threaten, to command”)[12]
  • Old Saxon: biodan (“to offer”)[21]
  • Old High German: biotan (“to offer, to proclaim”)[22]

References

  1. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 247
  2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *beudaną
  3. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 43
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *beudan
  5. ^ 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. 61
  6. ^ a b Mailhammer, Robert (2007), The Germanic Strong Verbs: Foundations and Development of a New System, Trends in Linguistics 183, Berlin / New York: Mouton de Gruyter, p. 215
  7. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1986), Der Aufbau des germanischen Verbalsystems, Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 41
  9. ^ 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. 58
  10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. anabiudan
  11. ^ a b Pronk-Tiethoff, Saskia (2013), The Germanic Loanwords in Proto-Slavic, Leiden Studies in Indo-European 20, Amsterdam / New York: Rodopi, p. s.v. *bljudo
  12. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. biāda
  13. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 81
  14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *beudaz
  15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *būsniz
  16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 65
  17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *anabeudaną
  18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *furibeudaną
  19. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 40
  20. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. beodan
  21. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. biodan
  22. ^ 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. biotan

Related etymologies

  • *stainaz · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *beraną · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *fadēr · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *watōr · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *ga- · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *frijaz · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *fallaną · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *standaną · also from Proto-Indo-European
Cite this entry

“*beudaną.” Etymologically, 16 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/gem-pro/*beudan%C4%85. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·