*brūkaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *brūkaną in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *ƀrūkanan in Orel^[3] and *brūkan in Köbler.^[4]

Etymology

Wiktionary has it from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewHg- (“to make use of”), cognate with Latin fruor (“to enjoy”).^[2] Ringe derives it from post-PIE *bʰruHgʷ- "use, enjoy", which lost the laryngeal with compensatory lengthening, so that the labiovelar came to stand after ū and lost its labial element.^[5]

Morphology

Orel and Köbler give it as a strong verb,^[3][4] and Mailhammer puts it in class II.^[6] Ringe holds that it was not a strong verb in Proto-Germanic, but one of at most three weak verbs with a simple thematic present, with the past *brūhtē and the participle *brūhtaz; Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌿𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (brūkjan) was remodelled on the weak past.^[1][5] Lehmann likewise thinks the strong verb was a West Germanic reformation.^[7]

Evidence

The verb is found in Gothic and West Germanic: Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌿𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (brūkjan) beside Old English brūcan, Old Frisian brūka, Old Saxon brūkan and Old High German brūhhan.^[3][4] Orel lists no Norse form, though Feist cites Old Norse brúka.^[3][8] In Old English the verb is strong, with the past brēac.^[1]

Competing analyses

Mailhammer rates its IE etymology as uncertain.^[6] Orel relates it to Lithuanian braũkti (“to smear”) and the Slavic verb Proto-Slavic *brusiti (“to whet”).^[3] Feist and Holthausen compared Latin frūx (“fruit”) and fruor, from *frūgvor;^[8][9] Lehmann finds no further cognates and calls a derivation from PIE *bʰrew- "cut off" possible.^[7] Köbler compares a PIE *bʰrūg- "fruit, to enjoy, to use".^[4]

Meanings

1. to use, to make use of^[3][2]
2. to consume^[2]
3. to need^[4][1]
4. to enjoy^[10]

Old English also used the verb for "to possess" and "to eat",^[9] and Old Frisian also for "to sell".^[11]

Derivatives

• *brūkiz "useful", a vṛddhi gerundive,^[12] which Orel writes *ƀrūkiz or *ƀrūkjaz.^[3]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌱𐍂𐌿𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (brūkjan, “to use”), a weak verb^[8][7]
• Old English: brūcan (“to use, to enjoy, to possess, to eat”)^[9]
• Old Frisian: brūka (“to use, to make use of”)^[11]
• Old Saxon: brūkan (“to enjoy”)^[13]
• Old High German: brūhhan (“to use, to exercise, to enjoy”)^[14]

References

1. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 262
2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *brūkaną
3. ^ a b c d e f g Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 60
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *brūkan
5. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 112
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. 216
7. ^ a b c 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. 109
8. ^ a b c Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 77
9. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. brūcan
10. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 254
11. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. brūka
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *brūkiz
13. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. brūkan
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. brūhhan