*kaupōną

Reconstruction

The verb is *kaupōną in Wiktionary^[1] and *kaupōn in Köbler and Pronk-Tiethoff, who also set up a jan-verb *kaupjan beside it.^[2][3] Lehmann writes Proto-Germanic *kaup-ōn ~ -jan,^[4] and LÄGLOS *kaupō(ja)n- beside *kaupe(ja)n-.^[5] Orel has no separate ō-verb and puts the Gothic verb under his *kaupjanan.^[6]

Etymology

Wiktionary forms it from Proto-Germanic *kaupô (“merchant”) + *-ōną.^[1] The noun behind it is a loan from Latin: EWA takes Old High German koufo (“merchant”) from Latin caupō (“innkeeper”), and calls the verb certainly a denominal derivative of that noun.^[7][8] Feist likewise derives the Gothic verb from that Latin noun, which he glosses "innkeeper, shopkeeper".^[9]

Morphology

A weak verb of the second class, in *-ōn-.^[10][8] Lehmann lists the weak verbs Old English cīepan, Old Saxon kōpian and Old High German koufen beside the ō-verbs,^[4] and de Vries, after Sturtevant, takes the past tense Old Norse keypta as a sign of a Germanic *kaupjan beside *kaupōn.^[11]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍀𐍉𐌽 (kaupon), Old Norse kaupa, Old English cēapian, Old Frisian kāpia, Old Saxon kōpon and Old High German koufōn.^[8] The Gothic verb occurs only once, as a second person plural imperative at Luke 19:13, rendering a Greek verb for "to do business".^[4] Lehmann puts it in the oldest layer of Germanic borrowings from Latin.^[4] Proto-Slavic *kupiti (“to buy”) is generally regarded as a borrowing from the Gothic verb.^[3][9] In Finnic, Finnish kaupita (“to offer for sale, to trade”) may be a direct loan of a Germanic verb, though it may also be a derivative of kauppa (“trade”).^[5] LÄGLOS adds that the Germanic verbs are probably fairly young, being derived from a word that most scholars take as a Latin loan.^[5]

Competing analyses

Kluge derived the verb directly from Latin caupōnor (“to haggle”).^[3] Green objected that the Latin verb is hardly found in Gaul, and took the Germanic verb as a new formation to a noun *kaupo "trader" borrowed from Latin caupō;^[3] Pronk-Tiethoff reports both views.^[3] EWA also finds a borrowing of the Latin verb unlikely, because it is rarely attested.^[8] Köbler, on the other hand, marks the jan-verb *kaupjan as a loan from the Latin verb.^[2] Orel derives the verb from his noun *kaupaz, whose reflexes mean "purchase, sale", and takes that noun as a modification of the same Latin word.^[6] De Vries notes that the past Dutch kocht could point to a Germanic origin, unless it was formed by analogy.^[11] The Latin noun is usually connected with Ancient Greek κάπηλος (kápēlos, “huckster, shopkeeper”); neither has a secure etymology, and both are usually taken as loanwords,^[7] perhaps from an unknown Mediterranean language.^[3]

Meanings

1. to buy, to purchase^[1][2]
2. to trade^[1][3]

Gothic used the verb for "to do business, to trade",^[4] Old High German for "to buy" and "to sell" as well,^[8] and Old Saxon also for "to atone".^[12]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍀𐍉𐌽 (kaupon, “to trade, to do business”)^[9]
• Old Norse: kaupa (“to buy, to trade, to exchange”)^[11]
• Old English: cēapian (“to buy, to sell, to trade”)^[13]
• Old Frisian: kāpia (“to buy, to purchase, to sell”)^[14]
• Old Saxon: kōpon (“to buy, to acquire, to atone”)^[12]
• Old High German: koufōn (“to buy, to acquire by purchase, to trade”)^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kaupōną
2. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *kaupōn
3. ^ a b c d e f g Pronk-Tiethoff, Saskia (2013), The Germanic Loanwords in Proto-Slavic, Leiden Studies in Indo-European 20, Amsterdam / New York: Rodopi, p. s.v. *kupiti
4. ^ a b c d e 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. 244
5. ^ a b c Kylstra, A. D.; Hahmo, Sirkka-Liisa; Hofstra, Tette; Nikkilä, Osmo (1991–2012), Lexikon der älteren germanischen Lehnwörter in den ostseefinnischen Sprachen, 3 vols, Amsterdam / Atlanta / New York: Rodopi, p. 62
6. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 211
7. ^ 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. koufo
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. koufôn
9. ^ a b c Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. kaupon
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kaupōn
11. ^ a b c de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. kaupa
12. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kôpon
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. cíepan, céapian
14. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. kāpia