*lausaz

Reconstruction

The word is *lausaz in Orel, Wiktionary and Ringe,^[1][2][3] the stem *lausa- in Kroonen, Köbler and Heidermanns,^[4][5][6] and *lausa-z, Proto-Norse *lausaR, in LÄGLOS.^[7]

Etymology

It is an o-grade adjective formed to the verb *leusaną "to lose",^[4][2][1] and so, through that verb, from Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- (“to cut, to sever, to loosen”).^[8] LIV writes the root *leu̯H- "to cut off, to solve" and takes the verb Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽 (fraliusan, “to lose”) as a possible s-desiderative to it.^[9] Bammesberger traces it to a PIE *lews-, an s-extension of the root,^[10] and Antonsen gives PIE *low-s-o-s.^[11]

Morphology

An a-stem adjective.^[11][12] Schaffner sets up a PIE *lóuso- with the accent on the root,^[13] as EWA also does.^[14] It was the base of the factitive *lausijaną "to release".^[3] In Old Norse the ending was assimilated to the s: Old Norse lauss from *lausaz.^[15]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍃 (laus) in Gothic, Old Norse lauss in Old Norse, and Old English lēas, Old Frisian lās, Old Saxon lōs and Old High German lōs in West Germanic.^[4] The suffix appears in two Swedish runic inscriptions that Antonsen dates to 600–650: ⟨hAerAmAlAusz⟩ on the Björketorp stone, which he translates "protectionless",^[16] and which Looijenga reads ⟨haeramalausz⟩ "restless";^[12] and ⟨herAmAlAsAz⟩ on the Stentoften stone, whose second part he takes as Proto-Germanic *-laus-a-z.^[11] De Vries dates the Björketorp stone to the 7th century.^[17] LÄGLOS gives *lausa-z as a source of Finnish lauha (“mild, soft”) and of dialectal Finnish lausas (“brittle, soft, mild”).^[18] Finnish löysä (“loose, slack”), which de Vries also lists as a loan,^[17] is usually taken from later Swedish, though Tunkelo traced it to a Proto-Germanic *leusaz.^[19]

Competing analyses

Orel records van Helten's derivation from *leuđanan instead of *leusanan.^[1]

Meanings

1. loose, free^[5][6][3][2]
2. empty, devoid^[4][3][2]
3. idle^[4]
4. false, untrue^[2]
5. as the second member of compounds, lacking, -less^[20]

Old English also used it for "vain, false, deceitful",^[4] and Old High German for "light-minded, wicked".^[1]

Derivatives

• *lausijaną "to loosen, to release, to set free", a factitive.^[21][3][4]
• *-lausaz "-less, lacking".^[20]
• Compounds: *andijalausaz "endless", *bōtalausaz "getting no redress", *helpōlausaz "helpless" and *mōdērlausaz "motherless";^{[22][23][24][25]} in Orel, *friþu-lausaz "outlawed" and *ʒuđ(a)-lausaz "godless", probably a calque of Ancient Greek ἄθεος (átheos).^[26][27]
• Abstract nouns: *lausī- "carelessness" and *lausiþō "lack".^[28][29]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍃 (laus, “loose, empty, vain”)^[30]
• Old Norse: lauss (“free, unbound”)^[31]
• Old English: lēas (“loose, free; deprived of; false, faithless; vain”)^[32]
• Old Frisian: lās (“free; deprived of; false”)^[33]
• Old Saxon: lōs (“loose, free”)^[34]
• Old High German: lōs (“loose, free, frivolous, wicked, deceitful”)^[35]

References

1. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *lausaz
2. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *lausaz
3. ^ a b c d e Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 283
4. ^ a b c d e f g Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 329
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *lausa-
6. ^ a b Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. lausa-
7. ^ 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. 184
8. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *leusaną
9. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *leu̯H-
10. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 237
11. ^ a b c Antonsen, Elmer H. (1975), A Concise Grammar of the Older Runic Inscriptions, Sprachstrukturen A 3, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. no. 119
12. ^ a b Looijenga, Tineke (2003), Texts and Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 177
13. ^ Schaffner, Stefan (2001), Das Vernersche Gesetz und der innerparadigmatische grammatische Wechsel des Urgermanischen im Nominalbereich, Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft 103, Innsbruck, p. 296
14. ^ 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. hôh
15. ^ Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins
16. ^ Antonsen, Elmer H. (1975), A Concise Grammar of the Older Runic Inscriptions, Sprachstrukturen A 3, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. no. 120
17. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 348
18. ^ 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. 177, 184
19. ^ 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. 236
20. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *-lausaz
21. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *lausijaną
22. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *andijalausaz
23. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *bōtalausaz
24. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *helpōlausaz
25. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *mōdērlausaz
26. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 115
27. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 145
28. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *lausī-
29. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *lausiþō
30. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. laus
31. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. lauss
32. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. lēas
33. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. lās
34. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. lôs
35. ^ 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. lôs