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*habjaną

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Etymology and origin of the Proto-Germanic word *habjaną

Wiktionary has two verbs *habjaną, "to have, to hold" and "to lift", built on the same root.[1][2]

*habjaną1 to have, to hold

Confidence
Established
From
Proto-Indo-European *kap-

Reconstruction

The verb for "to have" is *habjaną in Wiktionary and Ringe;[1][2] Kroonen writes *habēn-,[3] Orel *xaƀēnan[4] and Köbler *habēn.[5] Ringe gives the present stem as *habai- ~ *habja-, with the past participle *habdaz.[6]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to seize”), an innovated stative present.[1] Kroonen sets up *kh₂p-éh₁-, a stative verb to the European root *kh₂p-.[3]

Morphology

A weak verb of class III, a stative.[2][7] Ringe reconstructs a post-PIE present *kh₂péh₁- "be holding", with the suffix of Latin habeō but the root of Latin capiō, and a participle *kapətós "held"; from the participle a new present *kapəyé- ~ *kapəyó- was formed, which gave *habai- ~ *habja-.[6] The loss of the *ə in *habədaz gave *habdaz, as in Old Norse hafðr and Old English hæfd.[8] It is one of the few statives that kept the present in *-ai- ~ *-ja-: Old English habban and Old Saxon hebbian against Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽 (haban) and Old Norse hafa.[2]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽 (haban), Old Norse hafa, and Old English habban, Old Frisian hebba, Old Saxon hebbian and Old High German habēn in West Germanic.[3] The Gothic verb is in Wulfila's Bible, at Matthew 5:23 among other places.[9]

Competing analyses

Orel takes it as a durative of the verb for "to lift".[4] The comparison with Latin habeō (“I have”) is old: Feist noted that a common *habheian fails because IE *kh would have given Latin c, rejected Luft's loan from Latin, and allowed that both Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽 (haban) and 𐌷𐌰𐍆𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hafjan) come from a common root *kap- "to seize".[10] Holthausen still asked whether the Old English verb belonged to hebban or was borrowed from Latin,[11] and de Vries found the relation to the Latin verb hard to judge.[12] Ringe notes that the basic verb for "to have" was originally the preterite-present *aiganą, while *habai- meant "to hold".[13]

Meanings

  1. to have[3][4][5][1]
  2. to hold[5][1][2]

Gothic also used it for "to be (in a state)" with adverbs,[10] and Old Norse for "to use, to seize".[12]

Derivatives

  • *gahabjaną "to hold on to, to retain".[14]
  • *xaƀiþō "property"[15] and the adjective *xaƀan III, as in Old Norse handhafi (“having in hand”).[16]

Reflexes

  • Gothic: 𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽 (haban, “to have, to hold”)[10]
  • Old Norse: hafa (“to have, to use, to seize”)[12]
  • Old English: habban (“to have, to hold, to keep”)[11]
  • Old Frisian: hebba (“to have, to own, to hold”)[17]
  • Old Saxon: hebbian (“to have, to hold”)[18]
  • Old High German: habēn (“to have, to hold”)[19]

*habjaną2 to lift

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
Inherited from
Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti
Etymology tree of *habjaną2
inherited borrowed derived
Proto-Germanic *habjaną
Proto-West Germanic *habbjan
Dutch hebben
German haben
Old English hebban
English heave
From the same root · *habjaną2
English hefty ← heave

Reconstruction

The verb for "to lift" is *habjaną in Wiktionary and Ringe;[1][20] Kroonen writes *hafjan- ~ *habjan-,[21] Orel *xafjanan[22] and Köbler *hafjan.[23] Mailhammer heads it +hafja-.[24]

Etymology

Wiktionary has it inherited from Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti, from the root *kap- "to seize".[1] Kroonen sets up *kh₂p-ie- and compares, with a query, Greek "to gulp down" and Latin capiō (“to take”).[21]

Morphology

A strong verb of class VI with a j-present.[25][24] Ringe reconstructs the principal parts *habjaną, *hōf, *hōbun, *habanaz.[20] Kroonen explains the alternation of geminated and simple forms by a paradigm in which the j-suffix did or did not touch the root-final consonant, perhaps an original i-present, as has been proposed for Latin capiō; the accent must have moved to the root in some forms to account for the roots *haf- and *hab-.[21] Mailhammer counts it among the verbs with an accepted IE etymology.[24]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐍆𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hafjan), Old Norse hefja, and Old English hebban, Old Frisian heva, Old Saxon hebbian and Old High German heffen in West Germanic.[21][22] The Gothic verb is in Wulfila's Bible, in the participle at Mark 2:3 and in compounds.[26]

Competing analyses

Orel compares Latin capiō (“to seize”), Albanian kap (“to seize, to grasp”) and the Latvian verb for "to seize", continuants of IE *kap-.[22] De Vries adds Ancient Greek κάπτω (káptō, “I snap”) and the Sanskrit word for "two handfuls".[27]

Meanings

  1. to lift, to raise, to heave[21][22][23][1]

Gothic used compounds of it for "to answer" and "to take down",[28] and Old High German also for "to take, to rise".[29]

Derivatives

  • *habą "lift, elevation",[30] Orel's *xaƀan II, as in Old Norse upphaf (“beginning”).[31]
  • *habilaz "lifter";[32] Orel's *xafilaz.[33]
  • *habīgaz "heavy", which Orel bases on a noun *xaƀiz "weight".[34][35]
  • *gahabjaną "to raise".[14]
  • *xafnōjanan, whence Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐌰𐍂𐌷𐌰𐍆𐌽𐌰𐌽 (ufarhafnan, “to be exalted”).[36]

Reflexes

  • Gothic: 𐌷𐌰𐍆𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hafjan, “to lift, to raise”)[28]
  • Old Norse: hefja (“to lift”)[27]
  • Old English: hebban (“to lift, to raise”)[37]
  • Old Frisian: heva (“to lift”), also hebba[38]
  • Old Saxon: hebbian (“to lift up, to exalt”)[39]
  • Old High German: heffen (“to lift, to raise”)[40]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *habjaną
  2. ^ a b c d e Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 287
  3. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 197
  4. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *xaƀēnan
  5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *habēn
  6. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 189
  7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. hafa
  8. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 163
  9. ^ 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. haban
  10. ^ a b c Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. haban
  11. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. habban
  12. ^ a b c de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. hafa
  13. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 206
  14. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gahabjaną
  15. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *xaƀiþō
  16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *xaƀan III
  17. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hebba
  18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hėbbian
  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. habên
  20. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 276
  21. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 198
  22. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *xafjanan
  23. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hafjan
  24. ^ a b c 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. 223
  25. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 208
  26. ^ 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. *hafjan
  27. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. hefja
  28. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. hafjan
  29. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. heffen
  30. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *habą
  31. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *xaƀan II
  32. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *habilaz
  33. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *xafilaz
  34. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *habīgaz
  35. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *xaƀiʒaz
  36. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *xafnōjanan
  37. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hebban
  38. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hebba
  39. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. hebbian
  40. ^ 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. heffen

Related etymologies

  • *stainaz · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *beraną · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *fadēr · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *watōr · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *ga- · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *frijaz · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *fallaną · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *standaną · also from Proto-Indo-European
Cite this entry

“*habjaną.” Etymologically, 16 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/gem-pro/*habjan%C4%85. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·