*fragebaną

Reconstruction

The verb is *fragebaną in Wiktionary,^[1] and *fargeban in Köbler, who sets it up from the West Germanic forms.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from Proto-Germanic *fra- + *gebaną (“to give”).^[1] Köbler likewise analyses it as *far- and *geban.^[2]

Morphology

A prefixed strong verb of class V, like its base: the Gothic, Old English, Old Saxon and Old High German verbs are all strong.^[3][4][5][6] Seebold lists it among the prefixed forms of *gebaną, with the senses "to grant, to forgive" in Gothic and "to grant" in West Germanic.^[7]

Evidence

The verb is found in Gothic and West Germanic: Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (fragiban),^[3] Old English forgiefan, Old Frisian urjeva, Old Saxon fargevan and Old High German firgeban.^[2] The Gothic verb is in Wulfila's Bible, where it renders Greek verbs for "to give" and "to grant as a favour".^[3] Gothic also has the abstract noun Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌹𐍆𐍄𐍃 (fragifts, “grant; in the plural, betrothal”).^[7]

Competing analyses

Wiktionary thinks the verb may be a calque of Late Latin perdōnō, or the Latin verb a calque of it.^[1] Köbler marks the Old High German verb as possibly influenced by Latin, and lists the Latin verb among the words it glosses.^[6]

Meanings

1. to give, to grant^[1][2]
2. to forgive^[1]

Old Frisian also used the verb for "to remit a debt" and "to poison",^[8] and Old Saxon for "to promise".^[7]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (fragiban, “to give, to grant, to forgive”)^[3]
• Old English: forgiefan (“to give, to grant, to allow, to forgive sins”)^[4]
• Old Frisian: urjeva (“to forgive, to remit, to give away, to poison”)^[8]
• Old Saxon: fargevan (“to give, to forgive, to promise”)^[5]
• Old High German: firgeban (“to give away, to bestow, to grant, to forgive”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fragebaną
2. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *fargeban
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fragiban
4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. forgiefan
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fargevan
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. firgeban
7. ^ a b c Seebold, Elmar (1970), Vergleichendes und etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen starken Verben, The Hague / Paris: Mouton, p. GEB-A-
8. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. urjeva