*grīpaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *grīpaną in Wiktionary and Ringe,^[1][2] *ʒrīpanan in Orel,^[3] and *greipan or *grīpan in Köbler.^[4] Kroonen and Bammesberger cite the verb by its stem *grīpan-,^[5][6] Seebold as GREIP-A-.^[7]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreyb- (“to grab, to grasp”);^[1] Ringe calls that root post-PIE, comparing Lithuanian griẽbti (“to make a grab for”).^[2] EWA finds outside comparisons only in Baltic.^[8]

Morphology

A strong verb of class I.^[9][8][10] Bammesberger gives the Proto-Germanic forms *grīpan-, *graip, *gripum, matched by Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍀𐌰𐌽 (greipan), 𐌲𐍂𐌰𐌹𐍀 (graip), 𐌲𐍂𐌹𐍀𐌿𐌼 (gripum).^[6] Mailhammer puts it among the strong verbs with an uncertain Indo-European etymology.^[9]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍀𐌰𐌽 (greipan) in Gothic, Old Norse grípa in Old Norse, and Old English grīpan, Old Frisian grīpa, Old Saxon grīpan and Old High German grīfan in West Germanic.^[5] The Gothic verb occurs in Wulfila's Bible, at Mark 14:44–51.^[10] EWA calls it a word with equivalents in all the Germanic languages.^[8]

Competing analyses

Kroonen argues that the root-final *p must come from a Pre-Germanic *-pp-, in view of an Alsatian iterative, so that the strong verb is likely a back-formation to the iterative *gripp/bōn- "to grasp".^[5] Wiktionary instead derives the iterative *grippōną as a zero-grade formation to the root of *grīpaną.^[11] Feist found the root in Lithuanian griebiu (“I grasp”), graibýti (“to grope about”) and Latvian words for "will" and "to want".^[12] EWA thinks it unclear how this family relates to the synonymous *ghrebh-, found from Indo-Iranian to Slavic; both may be extensions of a root *gher- "to grasp".^[8] Orel reports that Kuhn compared Sanskrit गृभ्णाति (gṛbhnā́ti, “to seize”) and the Slavic verb for "to rob".^[3]

Meanings

1. to grab, to grasp^[1][5]
2. to seize^[5][4]

Old Saxon also used the verb for "to touch",^[3] and Old High German for "to feel, to perceive by touch, to stroke".^[8]

Derivatives

• *gripiz "grip, grasp",^[13] in Old Norse "property, valuable".^[14]
• *gripą "gripping, holding", a zero-grade action noun.^[15][16]
• *gripjaną "to grip, to keep holding", an intensive.^[17]
• *firigrīpaną "to take hold of", in Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍀𐌰𐌽 (fairgreipan).^[18]
• *ʒraipō "space between the thumb and the other fingers" and the adjective *ʒraipiz, in Old English æt-grǣpe (“grasping, seizing”).^[19]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌲𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍀𐌰𐌽 (greipan, “to grasp”)^[12]
• Old Norse: grípa (“to grasp”)^[20]
• Old English: grīpan (“to grip, to seize, to comprehend”)^[21]
• Old Frisian: grīpa (“to grip, to seize, to grasp”)^[22]
• Old Saxon: grīpan (“to grip, to touch”)^[23]
• Old High German: grīfan (“to feel, to grasp, to touch, to stroke”)^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *grīpaną
2. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 109, 118
3. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ʒrīpanan
4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *greipan
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. 190
6. ^ a b Bammesberger, Alfred (1986), Der Aufbau des germanischen Verbalsystems, Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ Seebold, Elmar (1970), Vergleichendes und etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen starken Verben, The Hague / Paris: Mouton, p. GREIP-A-
8. ^ a b c d e f 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. grîfan
9. ^ 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. 213
10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. greipan
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *grippōną
12. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. greipan
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gripiz
14. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ʒripiz
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gripą
16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *ʒripan
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gripjaną
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *firigrīpaną
19. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 139
20. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. gripa
21. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. gripan
22. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. grīpa
23. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. grīpan