*kuningaz

Reconstruction

The word is *kuningaz in Wiktionary and Ringe,^[1][2] *kuninga- ~ *kununga- in Kroonen,^[3] *kuninʒaz in Orel,^[4] *kuniŋgaz in Fulk,^[5] and *kununga-, *kuninga- or *kuniga- in Köbler.^[6] Wiktionary also lists *kunungaz as an alternative form.^[7]

Etymology

Through *kunją "clan", it is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget, to give birth”).^[6][8] Kroonen calls it a Germanic derivation with the personifying suffix *-inga- ~ *-unga-, probably formed to *kunja- "clan";^[3] Wiktionary analyses it as *kunją and *-ingaz, a suffix of belonging.^[1]

Morphology

A masculine a-stem.^[6][9] The suffix varied between *-inga- and *-unga-: EWA derives the West Germanic forms from *kuninǥa- and Old Norse konungr from a form with the ablauting suffix, its o being due to konr (“son, man”).^[9] Old English cyning keeps an unpalatalised c before the umlauted vowel, which shows that i-umlaut came after the palatalisation of k.^[10]

Evidence

The word is Northwest Germanic: Old Norse konungr, and Old English cyning, Old Frisian kening, Old Saxon kuning and Old High German kuning in West Germanic.^[3] There is no Gothic cognate;^[8] Wulfila's Bible uses Gothic 𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌽𐍃 (þiudans) for "monarch".^[8] It was borrowed into Finnic as Finnish kuningas (“king”), which LÄGLOS derives from *kuninga-z or a Proto-Norse *kuningaR, and which stands closest in sound to the West Germanic forms.^[11] The Finnish word keeps the Proto-Germanic ending *-az,^[12][5] and Ringe cites it as an example of the normal sound substitutions in such loans.^[2] Later the word was borrowed as Proto-Slavic *kъnędźь (“prince, ruler”), which Pronk-Tiethoff takes from West Germanic.^[8]

Competing analyses

Orel derives the word from *kuniz.^[4] Wiktionary describes the change of meaning as "someone of the family", then "one who inherits", then "king";^[1] EWA and Pronk-Tiethoff give the original meaning as "member of a (noble) lineage".^[9][8]

Meanings

1. king; ruler^[3][6][1]

Old High German also used the word for "God", "Christ" and the wren.^[9]

Derivatives

• *kuningadōmaz "realm, kingdom", with *-dōmaz, and *kuningarīkiją "kingdom", with *rīkiją;^[13][14] Orel writes *kuninʒa-đōmaz and *kuninʒa-rīkjan.^[4]
• *underkuningaz "underking, viceroy".^[15]
• *þeuđa-kuninʒaz "sovereign", in Orel.^[16]

Reflexes

• Old Norse: konungr (“king”)^[17]
• Old English: cyning (“king”)^[18]
• Old Frisian: kening (“king”)^[19]
• Old Saxon: kuning (“king”)^[20]
• Old Dutch: kunink (“king”)^[9]
• Old High German: kuning (“ruler, lord, king”)^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kuningaz
2. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 174
3. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 311
4. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 224
5. ^ a b Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *kununga-
7. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kunungaz
8. ^ a b c d e Pronk-Tiethoff, Saskia (2013), The Germanic Loanwords in Proto-Slavic, Leiden Studies in Indo-European 20, Amsterdam / New York: Rodopi, p. *kъnędźь
9. ^ 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. kuning
10. ^ Nielsen, Hans Frede (2000), The Early Runic Language of Scandinavia: Studies in Germanic Dialect Geography, Heidelberg: Winter
11. ^ 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. 122
12. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 38
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kuningadōmaz
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kuningarīkiją
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *underkuningaz
16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 422
17. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. konungr
18. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. cyning
19. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. kening
20. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kuning