*nemaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *nemaną in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *nemanan in Orel^[3] and *neman in Köbler;^[4] Kroonen cites the stem *neman-.^[5]

Etymology

Wiktionary has it, probably, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *németi (“to allocate”), the sense "to take" having grown out of a middle "to allocate to oneself".^[2] Mailhammer files it among the strong verbs with an inexact Indo-European etymology.^[6]

Morphology

A strong verb of class IV,^[6][4] with the principal parts *nemaną, *nam, *nēmun, *numanaz, as in Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (niman), 𐌽𐌰𐌼 (nam), 𐌽𐌴𐌼𐌿𐌽 (nemun), 𐌽𐌿𐌼𐌰𐌽𐍃 (numans).^[1] Boutkan uses it as the model verb for the Germanic present endings.^[7]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (niman), Old Norse nema, and Old English niman, Old Frisian niman, Old Saxon neman and Old High German neman in West Germanic.^[5] Gothic has it with many prefixes, from Gothic 𐌰𐍆𐌽𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (afniman, “to take off”) to Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌽𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (usniman, “to take away”).^[8]

Competing analyses

Orel relates the verb to Ancient Greek νέμω (némō, “to deal out, to distribute”),^[3] as did Holthausen.^[9] Kroonen calls it unrelated to the Greek verb, and follows Kortlandt: *neman- was back-formed from the perfective *ga-neman-, which started out as *gan-eman- from *kom-h₁em-e-, so that it belongs with Latin emō (“to take, to buy”) and Lithuanian im̄ti (“to take”).^[5] Wiktionary reports Kroonen's derivation as the alternative, from *h₁em- with the n- rebracketed from the prefix *ga-.^[2] Hirt had compared the Latin and Lithuanian verbs too.^[3] Köbler gives a root *nem- "to allot, take, arrange, count".^[4]

Meanings

1. to take^[5][3][4][2]

Old Norse also used the verb for "to touch" and "to learn",^[5][10] and Old English and Old Frisian also for "to marry".^[9][11]

Derivatives

• *nēmiz "takeable, acceptable", a vṛddhi gerundive.^[5][12]
• *nēmō "taking, acceptance";^[13] Orel has a neuter *nēman, a lengthened-grade derivative, as in Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽𐌴𐌼 (andanem, “receiving”).^[14]
• *numtiz "acceptance";^[15] and the agent nouns *numōn and *numjōn, as in Gothic 𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌹𐌽𐌿𐌼𐌾𐌰 (arbinumja, “heir”).^[15]
• With prefixes: *binemaną "to take away", *franemaną "to take away, plunder", *ganemaną "to take along; to learn" and *uznemaną "to take out".^[2]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌽𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (niman, “to take”)^[8]
• Old Norse: nema (“to take, to get, to understand, to learn”)^[10]
• Old English: niman (“to take, to accept, to seize, to marry”)^[9]
• Old Frisian: nima (“to take, to seize, to marry”)^[11]
• Old Saxon: niman (“to take, to get, to receive”)^[16]
• Old Dutch: niman (“to take”)^[4]
• Old High German: neman (“to take, to seize, to take away”)^[17]

References

1. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 272
2. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *nemaną
3. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 284
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *neman
5. ^ a b c d e f Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 387
6. ^ a b Mailhammer, Robert (2007), The Germanic Strong Verbs: Foundations and Development of a New System, Trends in Linguistics 183, Berlin / New York: Mouton de Gruyter, p. 221
7. ^ Boutkan, Dirk (1995), The Germanic 'Auslautgesetze', Leiden Studies in Indo-European 4, Amsterdam / Atlanta: Rodopi
8. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. niman
9. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. niman
10. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 407
11. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. nima
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *nēmiz
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *nēmō
14. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 286
15. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 289
16. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. niman
17. ^ 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. neman