*skabaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *skabaną in Wiktionary,^[1] *skaƀanan in Orel,^[2] *skaban in Köbler^[3] and *skaban- in Kroonen;^[4] Seebold heads it SKAB-A-^[5] and Mailhammer +skaba-.^[6]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to scratch”), through a present *skábʰ-e-;^[1] Kroonen writes the present *skh₂bʰ-e-.^[4]

Morphology

A strong verb of class VI.^[6][3] Seebold gives full strong principal parts for Old Norse and Old English;^[5] Old Saxon has only the present.^[5] Mailhammer counts its Indo-European etymology as inexact.^[6]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽 (skaban), Old Norse skafa, Old English scafan and Old High German scaban, with Middle Dutch schaven.^[4] The Gothic verb occurs at 1 Corinthians 11:6, as the infinitive and a passive optative, for Ancient Greek κείρεσθαι (keíresthai, “to be shorn”); the compound Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽 (biskaban) is in the verse before.^[7][8] LÄGLOS takes Finnish kaapia (“to scrape, to scratch”) from *skaban-, with Proto-Norse *skaban, and finds the derivation sound in meaning; others hold the Finnish word native.^[9]

Competing analyses

Kroonen compares Ancient Greek σκάπτω (skáptō, “to dig”), Latin scabō (“to scratch”) and Lithuanian skóbti (“to hollow out”).^[4] Orel instead relates the Greek verb with Lithuanian skõpti (“to cut”) and Proto-Slavic *skopiti (“to castrate”), and lists Bickell's comparison with Latin.^[2] De Vries thought the Indo-European root alternated its labial.^[10]

Meanings

1. to shave, to scrape^[4][1]
2. to scratch^[3]

Gothic uses the verb for "to shear" hair;^[5] Feist explained this from "to shave", pointing to the razors found from the Stone and Bronze Ages.^[11] Old Norse also has "to smooth",^[5] and Old High German also "to erase" and "to shave bald".^[12]

Derivatives

• *skapp/bōn- "to shave, to scrape", an iterative.^[13]
• Orel's *skaƀōn "scraper, plane", Köbler's *skabōn,^[14][15] Orel's *skaƀlaz "snowdrift, scraper"^[16] and *skōƀō(n) "scale",^[17] the last with the ō of the preterite.^[8]
• Probably *skēpą "sheep".^[18]
• Perhaps *skapjaną "to shape", through the iterative, a derivation that Kroonen tentatively supports after Lehmann.^[19]
• With prefixes: *biskaban "to scrape off",^[20] *gaskaban and *uzskaban "to scrape out".^[21][22]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽 (skaban, “to shear, to shave”)^[11]
• Old Norse: skafa (“to scrape”)^[10]
• Old English: sceafan (“to scrape, to scratch, to smooth”)^[23]
• Old Saxon: skaƀan (“to scrape, to scratch”)^[24]
• Old High German: skaban (“to scratch, to rub, to erase, to shave bald”)^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skabaną
2. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *skaƀanan
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *skaban
4. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 438
5. ^ a b c d e Seebold, Elmar (1970), Vergleichendes und etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen starken Verben, The Hague / Paris: Mouton, p. SKAB-A-
6. ^ a b c 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
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. skaban
8. ^ a b Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. skaban
9. ^ 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. 1
10. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. skafa
11. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. skaban
12. ^ 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. skaban
13. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 439
14. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *skaƀōn
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *skabō-
16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *skaƀlaz
17. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 342
18. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 443
19. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skapjaną
20. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *biskaban
21. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *gaskaban
22. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *uzskaban
23. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sceafan
24. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. skavan