Etymology and origin of the Proto-Germanic word *naudiz
- Confidence
- Established
- From
- Proto-Indo-European *neh₂w-
Reconstruction
The word is *naudiz in Wiktionary,[1] *nauđiz in Orel,[2] and *naudi- in Köbler, who also gives *nauþi-.[3] Kroonen heads it *nauþi-,[4] and Ringe writes *nauþi- ~ *naudi-.[5]
Etymology
Kroonen and Wiktionary derive it from Proto-Indo-European *neh₂w-, the root of *nawiz "corpse": Kroonen as a ti-stem *neh₂u-tí-, Wiktionary as *neh₂w-tí-s.[4][1]
Morphology
A feminine i-stem.[3][2] It is one of the i-stems with an alternation by Verner's law between *þ and *d: Gothic generalised the voiceless consonant in Gothic 𐌽𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃 (nauþs), but kept 𐌽𐌰𐌿𐌳𐌹- (naudi-) in compounds, while the other languages continue *d.[5][6] Casaretto reconstructs a PIE *náuH-ti-/*nuH-téi- whose root alternation was levelled early in favour of the full grade.[7]
Evidence
The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌽𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃 (nauþs), Old Norse nauð, and Old English nīed, Old Frisian nēd, Old Saxon nōd and Old High German nōt in West Germanic.[4] Gothic has the d-form only in the compounds Gothic 𐌽𐌰𐌿𐌳𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹 (naudibandi, “fetter”) and Gothic 𐌽𐌰𐌿𐌳𐌹𐌸𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍆𐍄𐍃 (naudiþaurfts, “necessity”).[8] Finnish nuotio "campfire" was borrowed from *naudi-, as in Old Saxon nōdfiur (“need-fire, fire made by friction”).[9] On the Lindholm amulet, from soon after 500, Krause and Jankuhn read four n-runes as probably standing for the rune name, Proto-Norse *naudiR.[10] Kroonen finds the same formation in Old Prussian nautin (“need”), an accusative.[4]
Competing analyses
De Vries connects the word, after Pokorny, with a root *nāu- "to exhaust, to torment; death, corpse", and lists earlier attempts to join it to Old Norse naumr (“narrow”) or to Old Norse gnúa (“to rub”).[11] Orel compares Lithuanian naudà (“need, advantage”) and Slavic words for "to cause" and "need", which reflect a *d or *dʰ.[2]
Meanings
Old English also used the word for "fetter", "duty" and "errand",[12] and Old Frisian for "self-defence", "lawful excuse" and "imprisonment".[13]
Derivatives
- *naudijaną "to compel, to force",[14] Orel's *nauþjanan, in Gothic 𐌽𐌰𐌿𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌽 (nauþjan), Old Norse neyða and Old English nīedan.[15]
- *naudīgaz "necessary; forced",[16] Orel's *nauđiʒaz.[17]
- Compounds in Orel: *nauđi-ƀanđjō "fetter", *nauđi-þurftiz "necessity", *nauđi-sunđjō "lawful impediment" and *nauđi-þarƀō "pressing need".[2]
Reflexes
- Gothic: 𐌽𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃 (nauþs, “compulsion, need, trouble”)[18]
- Old Norse: nauð (“need”)[11]
- Old English: nīed (“need, compulsion, fetter, duty”)[12]
- Old Frisian: nēd (“need, danger, necessity, compulsion, violence”)[13]
- Old Saxon: nōd (“need, distress in battle”)[19]
- Old High German: nōt (“need, compulsion, force, distress”)[8]
References
- ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *naudiz
- ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *nauđiz
- ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *naudi-
- ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 385
- ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 305
- ^ Schaffner, Stefan (2001), Das Vernersche Gesetz und der innerparadigmatische grammatische Wechsel des Urgermanischen im Nominalbereich, Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft 103, Innsbruck, p. 474
- ^ Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. nauþs
- ^ 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. nôt
- ^ 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. 304
- ^ Krause, Wolfgang; Jankuhn, Herbert (1966), Die Runeninschriften im älteren Futhark, Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen, phil.-hist. Klasse, 3. Folge 65, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, p. no. 29
- ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. nauð
- ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. nied
- ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. nēd
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *naudijaną
- ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *nauþjanan
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *naudīgaz
- ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *nauđiʒaz
- ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. nauþs
- ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. nôd
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
“*naudiz.” Etymologically, 16 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/gem-pro/*naudiz. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.
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