*burgz

Reconstruction

The word is *burgz in Wiktionary and Bammesberger,^[1][2] the stem *burg- in Kroonen, Ringe and Bammesberger,^[3][4][5] *ƀurʒz in Orel^[6] and *burg in Köbler.^[7]

Etymology

Ringe has it from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“high”), through a post-PIE root noun *bʰr̥ǵʰ- "hill";^[8] Bammesberger likewise sees the zero grade of PIE *bʰergʰ- "high, lofty" generalised through the paradigm.^[5]

Morphology

A feminine root noun.^[3][4][5] Ringe counts it among the root nouns that generalised a zero-grade stem, with *dur- "door" and *furh- "furrow".^[4] In Bammesberger's account, root nouns in a voiced consonant marked the nominative singular with *-z added to the stem of the oblique cases, so that *burgz gave Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌲𐍃 (baurgs).^[2] Old Norse, Old Saxon and Old High German also show i-stem forms.^[6][9]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌲𐍃 (baurgs) in Gothic, Old Norse borg in Old Norse, and Old English burg, Old Frisian burch, Old Saxon burg and Old High German burg in West Germanic.^[3] In Gothic and in the oldest Old High German glosses its main meaning is already "town", rendering Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis) and Latin cīvitās or Latin urbs; since the early Germanic peoples had no towns, EWA thinks this sense grew out of an earlier one, perhaps "refuge fort".^[9]

Competing analyses

Kroonen leaves open whether the root noun belongs with *bergaz "mountain", from *bʰerǵʰ-o-, or with the verb *berganą "to keep safe", from *bʰérgʰ-e-, since both fit in form and in meaning.^[3] Wiktionary likewise offers PIE *bʰérǵʰs "something high up and fortified" or *bʰergʰ- "to take care of, to protect".^[1] Orel compares Avestan bərəz- (“high”) and Old Irish brí (“hill”).^[6] EWA rejects every attempt to trace "fort", "mountain" and "to keep safe" to one root, and finds the original meaning unclear.^[9] The likeness to Latin burgus (“small fort, tower”) and Ancient Greek πύργος (púrgos, “tower”) has long been discussed: EWA thinks the Latin word most probably a loan from Greek and the Germanic one possibly an unrelated native word, while Feist suspected all three of being a non-Indo-European wandering word.^[9][10] De Vries assumed that a Germanic word of the family of Old Norse bjarg merged with the Latin word, borrowed in the sense "watchtower".^[11]

Meanings

1. fortified place, stronghold, castle^[3][1][7]
2. town, city^[3][1]

Ringe glosses it "hill-fort" and "fortress, walled city".^[12] Old Norse also used the word for a small hill or a wall,^[3][11] and Old Frisian for a fortification, also against the sea.^[13]

Derivatives

• *erþaburgz "earthwork"^[14] and *skelduburgz "wall of shields";^[15] Orel writes *erþa-ƀurʒz and *skelđu-ƀurʒz.^[16]
• Orel's compounds *saiwi-ƀurʒz "sea town" and *staina-ƀurʒz "stone castle".^[17]
• *ƀurʒjan "enclosure", which Orel derives from the noun.^[6]
• The words for "surety", Old English byrga, Old Saxon burgio and Old High German burigo, Kroonen traces to *burgjan-, which he groups with the verb *bergan- rather than with this noun.^[3]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌲𐍃 (baurgs, “town”)^[10]
• Old Norse: borg (“hill, wall, castle, town”)^[11]
• Old English: burg (“castle, town”)^[18]
• Old Frisian: burch (“castle, fortification, town”)^[13]
• Old Saxon: burg (“castle, place, town”)^[19]
• Old Dutch: burg (“castle, town”)^[7]
• Old High German: burg (“town, settlement”)^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *burgz
2. ^ a b Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter
3. ^ 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. 85
4. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 222
5. ^ a b c Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 195
6. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 63
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *burg
8. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 101, 222
9. ^ 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. burg
10. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. baurgs
11. ^ a b c de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. borg
12. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 121, 190
13. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. burch
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *erþaburgz
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skelduburgz
16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 85, 337
17. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 314, 369
18. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. burg
19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. burg