*frijaz

Reconstruction

The adjective is *frijaz in Orel, Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2][3] *frīja-, *frījaz in Köbler^[4] and *frija- in Heidermanns.^[5] Kroonen cites the stem *fri(j)a-.^[6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *priHós (“beloved”):^[2][3] Kroonen writes the PIE form *priH-o-.^[6]

Morphology

An adjective with the stem *frija-, which Gothic inflects as a ja-stem.^[2][7] Ringe takes it as an example of a semivowel developing between a high vowel and a following laryngeal in hiatus,^[2] and of *j preserved between *i and a following vowel.^[8] Kroonen argues that the short *i of *friþuz shows the tu-stem was derived from the adjective only after *-īa- and *-ija- had merged;^[9] EWA, after Specht, explains it by a root *fri- abstracted from *fri-ja-.^[10]

Evidence

The adjective is attested in East and West Germanic: Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃 (freis), and Old English frēo, Old Frisian frī, Old Saxon frī and Old High German frī.^[6] The Gothic word is in Wulfila's Bible, for example at 1 Corinthians 7:21.^[7] In North Germanic the simple adjective is recorded only in Old Gutnish, Old Danish and Middle Swedish.^[5] West Norse and the rest of North Germanic know only the old compound *frijahalsa-, as in Old Norse frjáls.^[5] Lombard has it in Lombardic fulcfree (“freeborn, of the common people”).^[11] Outside Germanic the closest match is Welsh rhydd (“free”).^[5] Lehmann notes that only Germanic and Celtic share the meaning "free".^[12]

Competing analyses

Kroonen thinks "free" arose from "related", pointing to a clan-based society,^[6] and Wiktionary similarly suggests an original "from one's own clan".^[3] Heidermanns takes "own" as the oldest sense, preserved only in a few fixed compounds, leading through "familiar" to "dear" and through "independent" to "free", and dates the change to "free" before the separate languages because of the Welsh word.^[5] De Vries, after Porzig, sees "dear" > "free" as an innovation shared by Germanic and Celtic: the free were the friends, the members of the tribe.^[13] Lehmann reports Polomé's view that the Welsh and Germanic meaning replaced an older term for the privileged class, and the proposal of d'Arbois de Jubainville, and tentatively Benveniste, that the Germanic word was borrowed from Celtic like other legal terms.^[12] Orel lists Froehde's comparison with Latin prīvus (“single, private”);^[1] Torp likewise denied any link with the root for "to love" and preferred the Latin word.^[14]

Meanings

1. free^[6][1][4][3]
2. dear^[4][5]
3. own, as the first member of compounds^[5]

Heidermanns finds "dear" only in derivatives, such as Old English frīge (“love”), and "own" only in a few fixed compounds.^[5][15] Old English also used frēo for "noble, glad".^[16]

Derivatives

• *frijōną "to love";^[17] Orel derives his *frijōjanan from the adjective,^[1] while Kroonen calls *fri(j)ōn- an old PIE verbal formation, cognate with the adjective.^[6]
• *friþuz "peace", a tu-stem from the adjective.^[9][18]
• *frijahalsaz "free; freedom", literally "having a free neck",^[19][1] a bahuvrihi compound with *halsaz.^[20]
• *Frijjō, the goddess Frigg.^[21] Orel takes *frijjō as the substantivised feminine of the adjective.^[1]
• Orel's *frijađwō "love", with Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌾𐌰𐌸𐍅𐌰 (frijaþwa);^[1] Köbler's *frijadōma- "freedom".^[22]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃 (freis, “free”)^[23]
• Old Norse: only in the compound frjáls (“free”), contracted from *fri-hals^[13]
• Old English: frēo (“free, noble, glad”)^[6][16]
• Old Frisian: frī (“free, freeborn, independent”)^[24]
• Old Saxon: frī (“free”), in Kroonen's list^[6]
• Old High German: frī (“free, freeborn, freed”)^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *frijaz
2. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 90
3. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *frijaz
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *frīja-
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. frija-
6. ^ 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. 155
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. freis
8. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 157
9. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 156
10. ^ 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. fridu
11. ^ a b 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. frî
12. ^ a b Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. freis
13. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. frjáls
14. ^ Torp, Alf (1909), Wortschatz der germanischen Spracheinheit (Fick, Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der indogermanischen Sprachen, 4th ed., vol. 3), Göttingen, p. 247
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. frīge
16. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. frío
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *frijōną
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *friþuz
19. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *frijahalsaz
20. ^ Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. hals
21. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *Frijjō
22. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *frijadōma-
23. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. freis
24. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. frī