*blīkaną

Reconstruction

The verb is *blīkaną in Wiktionary,^[1] *blīkan- in Kroonen,^[2][3] *ƀlīk(j)anan in Orel^[4] and *bleikan in Köbler.^[5] LÄGLOS writes *bleikan- becoming *blīkan-, Proto-Norse *blīkan.^[6]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ- (“to shine”):^[1] Kroonen derives it from the thematic present *bʰléiǵ-e- and classes it as a North European word.^[3]

Morphology

A strong verb of class I.^[7][8] Mailhammer gives it an uncertain Indo-European etymology.^[7] Kroonen takes Old Norse blíkja as a weak verb from *blīkjan-,^[3] while de Vries and Köbler class it as strong;^[9][10] Orel's *ƀlīk(j)anan allows both.^[4]

Evidence

The verb is attested only in North and West Germanic, with no Gothic form: Old Norse blíkja, Old English blīcan, Old Frisian blīka, Old Saxon blīkan and Old High German bi-blīhhan.^[4] Outside Germanic, Kroonen compares Old Church Slavonic and Lithuanian verbs for "to shine" from *bʰliǵ-sk-, such as Lithuanian blyškéti (“to shine”),^[3] and Orel Proto-Slavic *bliskati (“to shine”).^[4] LÄGLOS considers Finnish pilkottaa (“to shimmer through, to sparkle”) a probable loan, either from this verb or from *blikō(ja)n-.^[6]

Competing analyses

Orel calls the verb a suffixal formation related to his *blīþjaz.^[4]

Meanings

1. to shine, to gleam^[3][1][5]

In Old Frisian the verb means "to be visible", in Dutch "to appear".^[3] Old High German also used it for "to be pale, to be white".^[11]

Derivatives

• *blaikaz "pale", an o-grade adjective.^[2][12]
• *blaikijaną "to bleach, to make pale".^[13]
• *blinkaną "to shine, to blink", a nasalised variant,^[14][15] and the adjective *blanka- "shining, white" formed to it.^[14]
• *bliką "shine, metal";^[16] Orel's *ƀlikan, with the verb *ƀlikōjanan and the noun *ƀlikōn.^[4]

Reflexes

• Old Norse: blíkja (“to shine”)^[9]
• Old English: blīcan (“to shine, to glitter, to appear”)^[8]
• Old Frisian: blīka (“to be visible, to be bare”)^[17]
• Old Saxon: blīkan (“to shine”)^[18]
• Old High German: blīhhan (“to be white, to shine”)^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *blīkaną
2. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 66
3. ^ a b c d e f Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 69
4. ^ a b c d e f Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 49
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *bleikan
6. ^ a b 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. 63
7. ^ 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. 213
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. blīcan
9. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 44
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. blīkja
11. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. blīhhan
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *blaikaz
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *blaikijaną
14. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 67
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *blinkaną
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *bliką
17. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. blīka
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. blīkan