*blōþą

Reconstruction

The word is *blōþą in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *ƀlōđan in Orel,^[3] and the stem *blōda- in Kroonen.^[4] Ringe gives the stem as *blōþa- ~ *blōda-,^[5] and Köbler heads it *blōþa- beside *blōda-.^[6]

Etymology

Wiktionary has it, possibly, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (“to bloom”), as a neuter collective *bʰleh₃-tó-m.^[2]

Morphology

A neuter a-stem.^[4][7] Kroonen calls it a neuter collective.^[4] The stem alternated by Verner's law between *blōþa- and *blōda-: Gothic has þ before a vowel, Old English and Old High German d.^[5] EWA notes the same grammatical change in Gothic, nominative Gothic 𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌸 (blōþ), genitive Gothic 𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌸𐌹𐍃 (blōþis).^[8]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌸 (blōþ) in Gothic, Old Norse blóð in Old Norse, and Old English blōd, Old Frisian blōd, Old Saxon blōd and Old High German bluot in West Germanic.^[4][3] EWA says the word is confined to Germanic and found throughout it.^[8] The Gothic word is in Wulfila's Bible,^[7] and Crimean Gothic has plut.^[8][7]

Competing analyses

Ringe lists *blōþą among the Proto-Germanic words of doubtful or unknown origin.^[1] Kroonen takes it as a neuter collective formed to either *blēan- "to blow" or *blōan- "to flower": the second on the idea that the colour of blood gave the name, the first from a basic sense "to gush"; it might also have started from a sense "life" derived from "breath".^[4] Orel derives it from IE *bhlō-to-, a formation identical to Middle Irish bláth (“blossom”), and further connects it with *ƀlōanan.^[3] EWA thinks it most probably an old past participle with the suffix -to- of a root *bhlō- "to well up", and finds the derivation from *bhlō- "to bloom", for the red colour, less convincing.^[8] Wiktionary allows both roots and suggests a taboo replacement.^[2]

Meanings

1. blood^[4][3][1][2]

Old Frisian also used the word for "kinship, relatives",^[9] and Middle Dutch for "blushing".^[4]

Derivatives

• *blōdijaną "to bleed";^[10] Orel writes *ƀlōđjanan.^[11]
• *blōþagaz "bloody";^[12] Orel writes *ƀlōđaʒaz.^[13]
• Compounds: *blōþaraudaz "blood-red", *blōþarinnandz "bleeding", behind Gothic 𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌸𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (blōþarinnands), and *blōþarisaz "bruised, bloody".^[14][15][16]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌸 (blōþ, “blood”)^[7]
• Old Norse: blóð (“blood”)^[17]
• Old English: blōd (“blood”)^[18]
• Old Frisian: blōd (“blood, kinship”)^[9]
• Old Saxon: blōd (“blood”)^[19]
• Old High German: bluot (“blood”)^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 328
2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *blōþą
3. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ƀlōđan
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. 70
5. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 302
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *blōþa-
7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. blōþ
8. ^ a b c d e 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. bluot
9. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. blōd
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *blōdijaną
11. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ƀlōđjanan
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *blōþagaz
13. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ƀlōđaʒaz
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *blōþaraudaz
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *blōþarinnandz
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *blōþarisaz
17. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 44
18. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. blōd
19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. blōd