*fleutaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *fleutaną in Wiktionary,^[1] *fleutanan in Orel^[2] and *fleutan in Köbler;^[3] Kroonen cites the stem *fleutan-,^[4] Seebold the root FLEUT-A-.^[5]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *plewd- (“to flow, run”);^[1] Kroonen calls it a strong verb to the PIE root *pleud-,^[4] and Orel takes *pleud- as an extension of IE *pleu-.^[2]

Morphology

A strong verb of class II.^[3][6] Mailhammer puts it among the verbs with an inexact Indo-European etymology.^[6]

Evidence

The verb is found in North and West Germanic: Old Norse fljóta, Old English flēotan, Old Frisian fliāta, Old Saxon fliotan and Old High German fliozan.^[4][2] Neither Kroonen nor Orel lists a Gothic form of the verb,^[4][2] but Orel derives Gothic 𐍆𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍄𐍃 (flauts, “boastful”) from it.^[7] EWA adds Old Dutch flietan.^[8] Outside Germanic, Orel compares Lithuanian plū́sti (“to flow, to stream”) and Old Irish luaidid (“to move”).^[2]

Meanings

1. to float, to stream^[4][1]
2. to flow^[3]

Old English also used the verb for "to swim, to drift, to sail",^[9] Old Frisian for "to discharge", of wounds, and "to travel by water",^[10] and Old High German for "to spring forth" and "to be liquid".^[8]

Derivatives

• *fleutaz "nimble, quick",^[11][2] and Kroonen's *fleuta- "stream", an a-stem to the verb.^[12]
• *flutą "flowing, a body of water",^[13] Kroonen's *fluta-, a zero-grade neuter.^[14]
• *flutōną "to float, to drift", the iterative,^[15] Kroonen's *flut(t)ōn-.^[14]
• *flautijaną "to make float, to make flow",^[16] Orel's causative *flautjanan.^[7]
• *flutô "float, raft, boat",^[17] Orel's *flutōn.^[18]
• *flauti- "cream".^[19]

Reflexes

• Old Norse: fljóta (“to flow”)^[20]
• Old English: flēotan (“to flow, swim, drift, sail”)^[9]
• Old Frisian: fliāta (“to flow; to travel by water”)^[10]
• Old Saxon: fliotan (“to flow, swim”)^[21]
• Old Dutch: flietan (“to flow, stream”)^[8]
• Old High German: fliozan (“to flow, stream forth, swim”)^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fleutaną
2. ^ a b c d e f Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 107
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *fleutan
4. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 147
5. ^ Seebold, Elmar (1970), Vergleichendes und etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen starken Verben, The Hague / Paris: Mouton, p. FLEUT-A-
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 Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 106
8. ^ a b c d 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. fliozan
9. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fléotan
10. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. fliāta
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fleutaz
12. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 146
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *flutą
14. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 149
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *flutōną
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *flautijaną
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *flutô
18. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 109
19. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 145
20. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 132
21. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fliotan