*sakō

Reconstruction

The noun is *sakō in Orel, Köbler and Wiktionary,^[1][2][3] *sakō- in Kroonen and EWA,^[4][5] and *sak-ō- in Bammesberger.^[6]

Etymology

Köbler refers it from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂g- (“to seek, to track down”),^[2] through the strong verb *sakaną, which Kroonen derives from a PIE present *sh₂g-e-.^[7]

Morphology

A feminine ō-stem,^[4][2] derived from the strong verb *sakaną.^[4][1][6] That verb belongs to class VI;^[8] Mailhammer counts its Indo-European etymology as inexact.^[8]

Evidence

The noun is found in North and West Germanic: Old Norse sǫk, Old English sacu, Old Frisian seke, Old Saxon saka and Old High German sahha.^[4] Gothic has instead the related Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌺𐌾𐍉 (sakjo, “dispute, quarrel”), which Orel derives from *sakō.^[9] It was borrowed into Finnic as Finnish sakko (“fine, penalty”) from *sakō, with Proto-Norse *saku;^[10] LÄGLOS calls the derivation sound in form and sense, and it was proposed by the middle of the 19th century.^[10]

Meanings

1. case, lawsuit^[4][2][3]
2. quarrel, dispute; charge^[2][3]
3. thing, matter^[3]

Kroonen thinks the verb first meant "to charge" and later "to make a case".^[7] Old English has "strife, contention, dispute", Old Norse "lawsuit, accusation, trial" and Old High German "case, guilt".^[4] Old Norse also uses the word for "cause, reason",^[11] and Old Frisian for "cause" and "feud".^[12]

Derivatives

• *sakōną "to blame, to dispute",^[13] with Kroonen's *sakōjan- in Old Norse saka (“to fight, to do harm”).^[4]
• *sakōlausaz "free from accusation, innocent".^[14]
• Orel's *sakjō(n) "dispute", in Gothic, Old English and Old High German.^[9]
• The compound *wīʒa-sakō, in Old Norse vígsǫk (“prosecution for manslaughter”).^[15]

Reflexes

• Old Norse: sǫk (“lawsuit, charge; matter; cause”)^[11]
• Old English: sacu (“strife, war; persecution, lawsuit; sin”)^[16]
• Old Frisian: seke (“dispute, lawsuit, offence, matter, cause”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: saka (“matter, dispute, court, enmity, guilt”)^[17]
• Old High German: sahha (“case, guilt”), in Kroonen's list^[4]
• Gothic has no form of the word.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *sakō
2. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sakō
3. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sakō
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. 424
5. ^ 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. sacha
6. ^ a b Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 423
8. ^ 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. 224
9. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 315
10. ^ a b 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. 217
11. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. sǫk
12. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. seke
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sakōną
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sakōlausaz
15. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *wīʒa-sakō
16. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sacu
17. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. saka