*lagjaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *lagjaną in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *laʒjanan in Orel and Fulk^[3][4] and *lagjan in Köbler;^[5] Kroonen cites the stem *lagjan-.^[6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *logʰéyeti (“to lay, to make lie”), the causative of *ligjaną "to lie".^[2] Kroonen reconstructs *logʰ-éie-.^[6]

Morphology

A weak verb of class 1,^[5][7] the causative to the strong verb *ligjaną.^[1][8] Ringe uses it as one of his representative weak verbs.^[7] Riecke classes Old High German leggen among the causatives formed from the o-grade of a class V strong verb.^[9]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (lagjan) in Gothic, Old Norse leggja in Old Norse, and Old English lecgan, Old Frisian ledza, Old Saxon leggian and Old High German leggen in West Germanic.^[3] The Gothic verb occurs 29 times in the Bible.^[10] De Vries cites a runic Norwegian third person plural optative from the Eggjum stone of about 700.^[11] LÄGLOS gives Germanic *lagjan- as one of the possible sources of Finnish laittaa (“to put, to set, to lay”).^[12]

Competing analyses

Orel derives the verb from *leʒjanan "to lie" and compares Proto-Slavic *ložiti (“to put, to lay”).^[3] Kroonen finds it formally identical with Hittite lāki (“to knock out; to fall”) and the Slavic verb.^[6]

Meanings

1. to lay, to put, to place in a resting position^[6][5][2]

Old English also used the verb for "to commission" and "to bury",^[13] Old Frisian for "to fix, to appoint" and "to bury",^[14] and Old Saxon for "to make".^[15]

Derivatives

• *lagīniz "a laying".^[16]
• With prefixes: *uzlagjaną "to lay down", *abalagjaną "to set aside", *analagjaną "to lay upon" and *uberlagjaną "to overlay, to cover".^[2]
• *lagiþō "situation".^[17]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (lagjan, “to lay”)^[8]
• Old Norse: leggja (“to lay, to place”)^[11]
• Old English: lecgan (“to lay, to set, to place; to commission; to bury”)^[13]
• Old Frisian: ledza (“to lay; to fix, to appoint; to bury”)^[14]
• Old Saxon: leggian (“to lay, to make”)^[15]
• Old High German: leggen (“to lay, to lay down, to put aside”)^[18]

References

1. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 282
2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *lagjaną
3. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 231
4. ^ Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *lagjan
6. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 322
7. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 297–299
8. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. lagjan
9. ^ Riecke, Jörg (1996), Die schwachen jan-Verben des Althochdeutschen: Ein Gliederungsversuch, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, p. 641
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. lagjan
11. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 349
12. ^ 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. 158
13. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. lecgan
14. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. ledza
15. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. lėggian
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *lagīniz
17. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *lagiþō
18. ^ 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. leggen