*sagjaz

Reconstruction

The noun is *sagjaz in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *saʒwjaz in Orel,^[3] and the stem *sagja- in Kroonen and Köbler, Köbler also writing *sagwja-.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sokʷh₂ṓy (“retainer, follower”).^[2] Kroonen derives it from an ablauting i-stem, nominative *sokʷH-ōi, genitive *sokʷH-i-os, to the root Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow”).^[4] Ringe traces it from PIE *sókwh₂oy- through a thematised *sokwyós, the form of Latin socius, to *sogwjós and *sagjaz.^[6] Kroonen and Wiktionary also set up a homonymous word for "sedge".^[4][2]

Morphology

A masculine noun,^[4] a ja-stem in Old English.^[7] In Ringe's view it shows that *gʷ lost its labial element before *j.^[6] Kroonen dates the loss of the labial before Verner's law.^[4] Fulk explains the nominative Old English secg as replacing an expected *sege from *saʒi, *saʒjaz, the geminate of the other cases having been extended to the nominative.^[8]

Evidence

The word is attested in North and West Germanic: Old Norse seggr, Old English secg,^[4] and Old Saxon segg.^[9] It survives in the compound Old High German beinseggo, which Köbler glosses "foot-follower, servant".^[5] Gothic may show it only in personal names such as Sagildus and Sagulfus.^[10][11]

Competing analyses

Kroonen, Ringe and Köbler derive the noun from the PIE root for "to follow",^[4][1][5] and Kroonen identifies this root with that of *sehwaną "to see".^[4] Wiktionary, at *sehwaną, calls the noun possibly related, with the literal sense "follower".^[12] Bammesberger notes that *sag-ja- could in theory be a primary formation to *sehw-, but holds that Sanskrit सखा (sákhā, “friend, companion”) points to a more complex prehistory, a yo-derivative *sokʷ-h-yo-.^[13] Orel calls it identical with Latin socius (“fellow, companion”).^[3] Köbler keeps a separate weak noun *sagjō- "summoner", which he connects with the root for "to notice, to say" and with Medieval Latin saio (“court messenger”), a Gothic title recorded by Cassiodorus.^[14][15] Holthausen, by contrast, put saio "royal official" with Old Norse seggr, Old English secg and Old Saxon segg "man".^[11]

Meanings

1. man, hero^[4][3]
2. retainer, warrior^[2][1]
3. companion^[5]

The Old Norse and Old English words mean "man, warrior",^[16][7] the Old Saxon word "man".^[9]

Reflexes

• Old Norse: seggr (“man, warrior”)^[16]
• Old English: secg (“man, warrior”)^[7]
• Old Saxon: segg (“man”)^[9]
• Old High German: beinseggo (“foot-follower, servant”), in Köbler's list^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 130
2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sagjaz
3. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *saʒwjaz
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 420
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sagja-
6. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 132
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. secg
8. ^ Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins
9. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sėg
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sag-
11. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Gotisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 83
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sehwaną
13. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 66
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sagjō-
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. saio
16. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. seggr