*skaiþaną

Reconstruction

The verb is *skaiþaną in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *skaiđanan beside *skaiþanan in Orel,^[3] and *skaidan beside *skaiþan in Köbler.^[4]

Etymology

Wiktionary derives it from Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to split, to dissect”), through a PIE *skóyt-e-ti, the o-grade of a t-extension of that root.^[2]

Morphology

A reduplicating strong verb of class VII.^[5][4] Ringe gives the principal parts *skaiþaną, *skeskaiþ, *skeskaidun, *skaidanaz, after Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽 (skaidan) with its past 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌹𐌸 (skaiskaiþ).^[1] The variation between þ and d is grammatical change;^[6] EWA, following the Dutch etymological dictionary, explains the variants *skai̯þ-e/a- and *skai̯đ-e/a- as the two Verner alternants of one paradigm, each generalised in different languages.^[7] Ringe cites zero-grade derivatives such as Old High German skidōn (“to separate”) and even an e-grade noun *skīdą "billet, shingle" among the class VII verbs that have them.^[8] Mailhammer lists it among the reduplicating verbs that he excludes from his study.^[9]

Evidence

The verb is attested in Gothic and West Germanic: Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽 (skaidan), Old English scēadan, Old Frisian skētha, Old Saxon skēthan and Old High German skeidan.^[3][6] The North Germanic languages have only nouns of the family, such as Old Norse skíð (“billet”) and Old Norse skeið (“while, stretch of way”), not the verb.^[7][6] Old Frisian inflects it mostly as a weak verb.^[10]

Competing analyses

Orel takes the verb from the zero grade of an IE *skēi-t-, after Brugmann, and relates it to *skīđanan.^[3] Lehmann sets up PIE *skey- "separate", with a zero grade in the Germanic present.^[5] Feist argued that the grammatical change requires a pre-Germanic root *skait-, whereas the other IE languages point to *skaid- or *skhaid-, as in Sanskrit छिनद्मि (chinádmi, “I split”), Ancient Greek σχίζω (skhízō, “to split”) and Latin scindō (“to split”).^[6] EWA sets up a root *skei̯(H)t-, perhaps an extension of the root that LIV gives as *sk̂heh₂(i̯)- "to cut open", in which case the verb has no cognates outside Germanic; outside Germanic only a root *sk̂hei̯d- "to split" is continued, and the Germanic forms can be joined to it only if a t-root had arisen.^[7]

Meanings

1. to separate^[1][2][4]
2. to divide^[3]

Old English also used the verb for "to distinguish, to decide",^[11] Old Frisian for "to depart, to exclude",^[10] and Old High German for "to distinguish, to allot".^[12]

Derivatives

• *skaiþiz "sheath", with the suffix *-þiz;^[13] Orel writes it *skaiþiz beside *skaiþō.^[14]
• *skaiþan, continued in Old Norse skeið (“race, course”) and Old Saxon skēth (“difference”), in Orel.^[15]
• *skīdą "billet, shingle", an e-grade noun.^[8]
• *-skaida- "discerning", a verbal adjective found only in Old English.^[16]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽 (skaidan, “to separate”)^[6]
• Old English: scēadan (“to separate, to distinguish, to decide”)^[11]
• Old Frisian: skētha (“to separate, to depart, to decide”)^[10]
• Old Saxon: skēthan (“to separate”), also skēdan^[17][18]
• Old High German: skeidan (“to separate, to divide, to distinguish”)^[7][12]

References

1. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 279
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skaiþaną
3. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *skaiđanan
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *skaidan
5. ^ 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. skaidan
6. ^ a b c d e Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. skaidan
7. ^ a b c d 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. skeidan
8. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 260
9. ^ 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. 229
10. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. skētha
11. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. scéadan
12. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. skeidan
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skaiþiz
14. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *skaiþiz
15. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *skaiþan
16. ^ Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. skaida-
17. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. skêthan
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. skêdan