*finþaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *finþaną in Wiktionary and Ringe,^[1][2] *fenþanan in Orel,^[3] and *fenþan or *finþan in Köbler.^[4] Kroonen cites it by its stem *finþan-, Mailhammer as *fenþa-.^[5][6]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *pent- (“to go, to pass”):^[1][4] Kroonen derives it from a PIE thematic present *pént-e-, beside the noun *pónt-eh₁-s "path".^[5]

Morphology

A strong verb of class III,^[6][4] one of about twenty verbs of the type with a nasal after the root vowel.^[2] Ringe gives the principal parts *finþaną, *fanþ, *fundun, *fundanaz.^[2] Mailhammer classes its Indo-European etymology as inexact.^[6]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍆𐌹𐌽𐌸𐌰𐌽 (finþan) in Gothic, Old Norse finna in Old Norse, and Old English findan, Old Frisian finda, Old Saxon findan, Old Dutch findan and Old High German findan in West Germanic.^[5] The Gothic verb is in Wulfila's Bible, with the past Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌽𐌸 (fanþ) at John 12:9.^[7] Old Saxon has fīthan beside findan.^[8]

Competing analyses

Kroonen compares the PIE word for "path", as in Ancient Greek πάτος (pátos, “road”), Ancient Greek πόντος (póntos, “sea”) and Latin pōns (“bridge, path”).^[5] Orel calls the verb a secondary formation from *pontHo- "path", and thinks that the older meaning survives in the West Germanic noun for "foot soldier", which reflects a verb of motion.^[3] Wiktionary also compares Proto-Slavic *pętiti.^[1] Köbler names a second possible root, PIE *pet- "to fall, to fly".^[4]

Meanings

1. to find; to feel^[5]
2. to find, to discover, to come upon^[1]
3. to go, in Köbler's tentative gloss^[4]

The Gothic verb means "to find out, to recognise, to learn",^[3][7] and Old Norse also used it for "to visit" and "to perceive".^[9]

Derivatives

• *fandōną "to seek, to examine", an o-grade iterative,^[10][11] which EWA builds on the sense "to visit".^[12]
• *fanþjan- "foot soldier", with the agentive jan-suffix,^[13] Orel's *fanþjōn.^[3]
• *fundiz "a find", and an adjective of the same form "findable".^[14]
• *funsaz "ready to go, hastening", from a pre-Proto-Germanic *pn̥tstós derived from the same source as this verb.^[15]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍆𐌹𐌽𐌸𐌰𐌽 (finþan, “to find out, to recognise”)^[7]
• Old Norse: finna (“to find, to visit, to perceive”)^[9]
• Old English: findan (“to find, to meet, to discover”)^[16]
• Old Frisian: finda (“to find, to judge”)^[17]
• Old Saxon: findan (“to find”)^[8]
• Old Dutch: findan (“to find”), as Kroonen lists it^[5]
• Old High German: findan (“to find, to discover, to perceive”)^[18]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *finþaną
2. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 269
3. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *fenþanan
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *fenþan
5. ^ 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. 142
6. ^ a b c 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. 218
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. finþan
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. findan
9. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. finna
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fandōną
11. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 127
12. ^ 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. fantôn
13. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 128
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fundiz
15. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 106
16. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. findan
17. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. finda
18. ^ 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. findan