*gebaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *gebaną in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *ʒeƀanan in Orel^[3] and *geban in Köbler;^[4] Kroonen cites it by its stem *geban-.^[5]

Etymology

Wiktionary has it from Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ- (“to give, move”), through a thematic present *gʰebʰ-e-ti, the root being traditionally written *gʰabʰ-.^[2] The origin is disputed (see Competing analyses), and Mailhammer files the verb among the strong verbs with an uncertain Indo-European etymology.^[6]

Morphology

A strong verb of class V,^[6][4] one of the simple thematic presents with an e-grade root.^[1] Ringe gives the principal parts *gebaną, *gab, *gēbun, *gebanaz, as in Gothic 𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (giban), 𐌲𐌰𐍆 (gaf), 𐌲𐌴𐌱𐌿𐌽 (gebun), 𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽𐍃 (gibans).^[1] Before the ending *-t the labial became *f: past second singular *gaft "you gave".^[7] The receiver stands in the dative.^[2]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (giban), Old Norse gefa, and Old English giefan, Old Frisian jeva, Old Saxon geban and Old High German geban in West Germanic.^[5] De Vries cites two runic forms: a first person present on a bracteate from Zealand of about 550, and a third person preterite on the Stentoften stone of about 620.^[8] Wiktionary gives the bracteate form as Proto-Norse ᚷᛁᛒᚢ (gibu).^[2] Köbler notes personal names with the stem from the 3rd century.^[4]

Competing analyses

Orel connects Latin habeō (“to hold, to have”) and Old Irish gaibid (“to take”), from an IE *ghabh- whose vowel was adapted to the Germanic strong verb system; in his view the verb replaced the inherited *dō- "give".^[3] Köbler likewise starts from *gʰabʰ- "to grasp, take".^[4] Kroonen rejects the comparison with the Old Irish verb, a *gʰHbʰ-ie- with a laryngeal that he calls formally impossible, and finds the semantics of LIV's link with Lithuanian gebéti (“to be able; to be used to”) problematic.^[5] He prefers Kortlandt's explanation: a remodelled *ga-ef- from *ko(m)-h₁ep-, related to Hittite epzi (“to take, seize”), Latin apīscor (“to seize, obtain”) and Albanian jap (“to give”), and directly to Latin coēpī (“seized”).^[5] Wiktionary adds that some Leiden scholars reject a root *gʰebʰ- without a laryngeal.^[2] De Vries had already called the connections with Latin uncertain guesses.^[8]

Meanings

1. to give^[5][3][4][2]

Old Norse also used the verb for "to allow, to determine",^[8] Old English for "to give in marriage",^[9] and Old Frisian also for "to grant" and "to bequeath".^[10]

Derivatives

• *gebō "gift", also the name of the rune ᚷ.^[11][3]
• *giftiz "giving, gift", a ti-stem;^[12][13] Orel writes it *ʒeftiz.^[3]
• *gēbiz "given, having been given", a vṛddhi gerundive,^[14][15] and *gēbōn- "gift; giving".^[14]
• In Orel: *ʒeƀōn "giver", *ʒeƀulaz "generous", *ʒaƀiʒaz "rich" and *ʒaƀīn "riches".^[16]
• With prefixes: *fragebaną "to give, grant; to forgive", *uzgebaną "to give up, give back" and *abagebaną "to give up, give away".^[2]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (giban, “to give”)^[17]
• Old Norse: gefa (“to give, to allow, to determine”)^[8]
• Old English: giefan (“to give, to hand over, to give in marriage”)^[9]
• Old Frisian: jeva (“to give, to grant”)^[10]
• Old Saxon: geƀan (“to give”)^[18]
• Old Dutch: gevan (“to give”)^[4]
• Old High German: geban (“to give, to hand over, to grant”)^[19]

References

1. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 273
2. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gebaną
3. ^ a b c d e Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 130
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *geban
5. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 172
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. 222
7. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 247
8. ^ a b c d de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 160
9. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. giefan
10. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. jeva
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gebō
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *giftiz
13. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 135
14. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 173
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gēbiz
16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 121, 130
17. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. giban
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gevan
19. ^ 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. geban