*galīkaz

Reconstruction

The adjective is *galīkaz in Wiktionary^[1] and *galeika-, *galeikaz, *galīka-, *galīkaz in Köbler.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from Proto-Germanic *ga- + *līką, the noun for "body, shape": Heidermanns takes the adjective, which occurs only in compounds, as an exocentric formation to that noun, "having the same shape",^[3] and de Vries calls it a compound of the prefix and the noun.^[4] Wiktionary analyses it as *ga- with the suffix *-līkaz.^[1] Kroonen lists the prefixed forms under an adjective *līka- "similar, equal",^[5] and Orel under *līkaz.^[6]

Morphology

An a-stem adjective,^[7] built on a base that Heidermanns reconstructs as an unattested primary adjective *līka- "equal", which also underlies the uncompounded verbs; substantivised as "likeness", "image" and then "shape", it gave the noun from which the attested compounds were formed.^[3] Ringe derives the weak verb *galīkōną "to compare" from it.^[8]

Evidence

The adjective is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (galeiks) in Gothic, Old Norse glíkr beside Old Norse líkr in Old Norse, and Old English gelīc, Old Frisian gelīk, Old Saxon gilīk and Old High German gilīh in West Germanic.^[5][6] The Gothic word is in Wulfila's Bible, where it renders Greek Ancient Greek ὅμοιος (hómoios, “like”).^[7] De Vries notes that Old Norse líkr may go back to either *lika or *ga-lika.^[9]

Competing analyses

Kroonen calls the base a Baltic-Germanic isogloss, from *leig-o-, and compares Lithuanian lýgus (“flat, even, equal”) and other Baltic forms; he holds that the original meaning was "equal, even", and that Early Dutch forms with a geminate prove a root *lig- rather than *liHg-.^[5] Kroonen derives the noun *līka- "body" from the adjective,^[5] whereas Heidermanns derives the noun from an unattested simple adjective but the attested compound adjectives from the noun.^[3] Heidermanns also reports Seebold's derivation of the compounds from a half-suffix *-(a)lík(o)- of the parent language.^[3]

Meanings

1. alike, similar^[5][1][2]
2. equal^[5][1]

Heidermanns finds that the sense "similar" yields both "equal" and "fitting, fair" in the daughters.^[3] Old Frisian also used the word for "having equal rights",^[10] and Old High German for "of equal rank".^[11]

Derivatives

• *galīkōną "to be like, to resemble; to make alike",^[12] which Ringe glosses "to compare", continued in Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍉𐌽 (galeikon) and Old English gelīcian.^[8]
• *ungalīkaz "different, unlike".^[13]
• Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌹 (galeiki, “likeness”), a noun that Orel sets up as *līkjan.^[14]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (galeiks, “similar, equal”)^[7]
• Old Norse: glíkr (“equal”), also líkr^[4]
• Old English: gelīc (“equal, similar”)^[15]
• Old Frisian: gelīk (“equal, having equal rights, similar”)^[10]
• Old Saxon: gilīk (“equal”)^[16]
• Old High German: gilīh (“similar, equal, of equal rank”)^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *galīkaz
2. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *galeika-
3. ^ a b c d e Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. lika-
4. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 174
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. 336
6. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 247
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. galeiks
8. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 285
9. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 356
10. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. gelīk
11. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gilīh
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *galīkōną
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ungalīkaz
14. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 248
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gelic
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gilīk