Etymologically

Etymology and origin of the Proto-Germanic word *daudaz

Confidence
Established
From
Proto-Indo-European *dʰew-
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Proto-Germanic *daudaz
Proto-West Germanic *daud
Dutch dood
German tot

Reconstruction

The adjective is *daudaz in Ringe and Wiktionary,[1][2] *đauđaz in Orel,[3] and the stem *dauda- in Kroonen, Heidermanns and Köbler, who also gives *dauþa-.[4][5][6]

Etymology

Köbler and Bammesberger derive it from Proto-Indo-European *dʰew- (“to die, to vanish”).[6][7] Kroonen sets up a preform *dʰou(H)-tó-,[4] Wiktionary a Pre-Germanic *dʰowHtós.[2]

Morphology

The old past participle of *dawjaną "to die", Kroonen's *daujan-:[4][2] Heidermanns calls it an old verbal adjective of the strong verb, with the basic meaning "having died".[5] Ringe counts it among the lexicalised adjectives in PIE *-tó-, mostly formed to verb roots.[8] The d is the Verner variant expected in such an oxytone verbal adjective;[9] Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃 (dauþs) has þ after the noun Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌸𐌿𐍃 (dauþus, “death”).[10][5] Fulk explains it rather as a generalised stem with root accent, *dáuþa-, against *dauðá- in the other languages.[11]

Evidence

The adjective is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃 (dauþs), Old Norse dauðr, Old English dēad, Old Frisian dād, Old Saxon dōd and Old High German tōt.[4] Heidermanns calls it common Germanic,[5] and the Gothic word is in Wulfila's Bible.[12] Heidermanns takes the d of the runic compound "treacherous death" on the Björketorp and Stentoften stones as proof that Old Norse dauði (“death”) is built on the adjective.[5]

Competing analyses

On the disputed root, Kroonen thinks LIV's causative cannot be reconciled with the strong verb of Norse and starts from an o-grade intensive; he prefers a link with Hittite tuḥḥušzi (“to end”) from *dʰuh₂/₃-s- to the comparisons with *dʰeu- "to run" and *dʰueh₂- "to blow, smoke", and thinks the Germanic verb became a euphemism for dying.[4] Orel derives the adjective from *đewanan, and Gothic þ from the influence of the noun *đauþaz ~ *đauþuz.[3] Köbler sets up a separate *dauda- "mobile" for Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃 (usdauþs, “eager”),[6] which Heidermanns explains as an exocentric compound of the noun "death".[5]

Meanings

  1. dead[4][6][2]

Old English also used the word for "stiff", "numb" and "sluggish",[13] and Old Frisian also for "invalid" and "settled".[14]

Derivatives

  • *daudijaną "to kill", a factitive verb, Orel's *đauđjanan.[1][15][16]
  • *halbadaudaz "half-dead", Orel's *xalƀa-đauđaz.[17][18]
  • With the suffix -nō-: Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌸𐌽𐌰𐌽 (gadauþnan, “to die”).[5]
  • Related is *dauþuz "death", a tu-stem to the verb in Kroonen,[19] the adjective made a noun in Orel.[20]

Reflexes

  • Gothic: 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃 (dauþs, “dead”)[12]
  • Old Norse: dauðr (“dead, killed”)[21]
  • Old English: dēad (“dead, stiff, numb”)[13]
  • Old Frisian: dād (“dead”)[14]
  • Old Saxon: dōd (“dead”)[22]
  • Old Dutch: dōd (“dead”)[6]
  • Old High German: tōt (“dead”)[23]

References

  1. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 283
  2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *daudaz
  3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *đauđaz
  4. ^ 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. 90
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. § 149
  6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *dauda-
  7. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 249
  8. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 326
  9. ^ Schaffner, Stefan (2001), Das Vernersche Gesetz und der innerparadigmatische grammatische Wechsel des Urgermanischen im Nominalbereich, Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft 103, Innsbruck, p. 279
  10. ^ Schaffner, Stefan (2001), Das Vernersche Gesetz und der innerparadigmatische grammatische Wechsel des Urgermanischen im Nominalbereich, Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft 103, Innsbruck, p. 259
  11. ^ Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins
  12. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dauþs
  13. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. dēad
  14. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. dād
  15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *daudijaną
  16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *đauđjanan
  17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *halbadaudaz
  18. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *xalƀa-đauđaz
  19. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 91
  20. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *đauþaz
  21. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. dauðr
  22. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dôd
  23. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. tōt

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

“*daudaz.” Etymologically, 16 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/gem-pro/*daudaz. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·