*getaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *getaną in Wiktionary,^[1] *ʒetanan in Orel^[2] and *getan in Köbler.^[3] Kroonen cites the stem *getan-.^[4]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- (“to take, to seize”):^[1] Kroonen derives it from a thematic present *gʰéd-e-, where most other languages form nasal presents from the root.^[4] Mailhammer gives it an uncertain IE etymology.^[5]

Morphology

A strong verb of class V.^[5][6][7]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches, in Gothic and West Germanic mostly with prefixes: Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌲𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (bigitan, “to find, to discover”), Old Norse geta, Old English begietan (“to beget”), Old Frisian urjeta (“to forget”), Old Saxon bigetan (“to find”) and Old High German bigezzan (“to obtain”).^[4][8][9] The simple verb occurs in Old High German only once in the glosses and in an 8th-century stylus gloss; since the other West Germanic languages attest almost only compounds, EWA allows that a prefix was dropped in the manuscripts.^[10] Outside Germanic, Kroonen compares Ancient Greek χανδάνω (khandánō, “to hold, to include, to contain”) and Latin prehendō (“to grasp, to seize”).^[4]

Competing analyses

Kroonen thinks the original meaning was "to seize an opportunity" or "to find a way", which allows him to connect *gatwǭ "road, way" and *gatą "hole", usually considered obscure.^[4] Feist derived the Germanic verb from an IE root *ghed- without nasal, against the nasalised *ghend- of Greek, Latin and Albanian, and did not consider the Lithuanian word for "greedy" a secure comparison.^[11] Lehmann sees a lengthened grade in Old Norse gáta (“riddle”), comparing a Russian word for "riddle".^[12] Orel lists Zupitza's comparison with Lithuanian goda (“honour”).^[2]

Meanings

1. to find a way, to be able^[4][1]
2. to get, to attain, to reach^[3][1]
3. to acquire, to receive, to hold^[1]

With a prefix the verb came to mean "to forget" in West Germanic, as in Old English forgietan, Old Saxon fargetan and Old High German firgezzan.^[13] Old Norse also used it for "to beget", "to learn", "to name" and "to guess".^[14]

Derivatives

• *bigetaną "to reach, to find; to beget", with *bi-.^[15]
• *fargetan "to forget", with the prefix *far-.^[16]
• *getulaz "acquisitive";^[17] Orel's *ʒetalaz, *ʒetulaz "guessing; forgetful".^[18]
• Orel's *ʒetōn "guess, understanding" and *ʒētiz "famous, plausible".^[19][20]

Reflexes

• Gothic: only the compound 𐌱𐌹𐌲𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (bigitan, “to find, to attain”)^[11]
• Old Norse: geta (“to get, to reach, to beget, to learn, to guess”)^[14]
• Old English: gietan (“to get, to obtain, to find”)^[13]
• Old Frisian: only in compounds, such as forjeta (“to forget”)^[9]
• Old Saxon: bigetan (“to seize”)^[21]
• Old High German: gezzan (“to attain, to reach”)^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *getaną
2. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ʒetanan
3. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *getan
4. ^ 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. 175
5. ^ 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
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. geta
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gietan
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *bigetan
9. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *jeta
10. ^ 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. gezzan
11. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. bi-gitan
12. ^ 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. bi-gitan
13. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. gietan
14. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. geta
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *bigetaną
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *fargetan
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *getulaz
18. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ʒetalaz
19. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ʒetōn
20. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ʒētiz
21. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. bigetan