*friskaz

Reconstruction

The adjective is *friskaz in Orel and Wiktionary,^[1][2] and the stem *friska- in Köbler and Heidermanns.^[3][4] EWA calls it a West Germanic *friska-.^[5]

Etymology

Wiktionary has it inherited from Proto-Indo-European *preyskos (“fresh, unsalted”), but notes phonetic difficulties in the comparison with Balto-Slavic.^[2] Köbler calls its origin unknown,^[3] and Orel relates it to *frijaz.^[1]

Morphology

A primary adjective with an a-stem.^[4][3] Heidermanns sets it up as Pre-Germanic *prisko-, isolated in Germanic with this root grade.^[4]

Evidence

Heidermanns holds that the adjective belonged originally to West Germanic only, and that the North Germanic forms are loans, on the evidence of their sound shape and their late date.^[4] It is attested in Old English fersc, Old Frisian fersk, in the Old Saxon compound ferscang (“young animal”), and in Old High German frisc, partly with metathesis of the r.^[5] EWA and de Vries take Old Norse ferskr from Middle Low German versch, not from Old English or Old Frisian;^[5][6] Köbler marks it as a loan from Middle Low German too.^[7] The Old High German adjective is found only in glosses, from about 1000.^[5] Köbler sets up an unattested Gothic *𐍆𐍂𐌹𐍃𐌺𐍃 (*frisks) on the evidence of Italian fresco and Spanish fresco, after Holthausen.^[8] According to EWA, Romance took the word from Old High German: Old French freis, French frais.^[5]

Competing analyses

Heidermanns compares first Lithuanian prėskas (“unleavened, fresh, tasting flat”) and the Russian adjective for "unleavened", but if the Slavic word has an inherited long ē, it agrees with Lithuanian and not with Germanic, and if it goes back to a diphthong, the Lithuanian word must be an early loan and the Germanic one a hard-to-motivate ablaut variant.^[4] Orel lists Būga against the Baltic and Slavic comparison.^[1] Mentz connected Latin prīscus (“former, ancient”), as "having an origin" against Germanic "near the origin", hence "fresh".^[4][1] Heidermanns notes that the vowel difference stays unexplained here too, and suggests that the words, if related, are parallel secondary formations.^[4] Torp took the basic sense to be "free of, without addition", hence "unsalted, unleavened".^[9]

Meanings

1. fresh^[1][3][2]
2. unsalted^[3][2]
3. newly arisen^[4]

Old English used it of fresh, sweet water and of unsalted food, Old Frisian of a crime just committed, and Old High German of raw meat.^[4]

Derivatives

• *friskinga "young animal", in Old Saxon ferscang and Old High German frisking (“sacrificial animal, wether, young animal”).^[10][4]

Reflexes

• Old Norse: ferskr (“fresh”), a loan from Middle Low German^[6]
• Old English: fersc (“fresh, unsalted”)^[11]
• Old Frisian: fersk, only in the phrase "ferska dēda", in the act^[12]
• Old Saxon: ferscang (“young animal”)^[5]
• Old High German: frisc (“fresh, new, raw”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 115
2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *friskaz
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *friska-
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. friska-
5. ^ a b c d e f g 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. frisc
6. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 118
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. ferskr
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *frisks
9. ^ Torp, Alf (1909), Wortschatz der germanischen Spracheinheit (Fick, Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der indogermanischen Sprachen, 4th ed., vol. 3), Göttingen, p. 248
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *friskinga
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fersc
12. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. fersk