*stadiz

Reconstruction

The word is *stadiz in Wiktionary and Ringe,^[1][2] *stađiz in Orel,^[3] and the stem *stadi- in Kroonen, Köbler and Schaffner.^[4][5][6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂tis (“standing, position”).^[1] Ringe starts from PIE *stáh2ti- ~ *sth2téy- "act of standing, place to stand", remodelled as *sth2tís;^[2] Orel compares a Sanskrit word for "location, rank", Ancient Greek στάσις (stásis, “station”) and Latin statim (“standing firmly”), and relates it to *standaną.^[3]

Morphology

A ti-stem,^[4] originally feminine and secondarily masculine:^[6] it is masculine in Gothic and Old Norse, feminine in West Germanic.^[4] Schaffner treats it among the words with grammatical change by Verner's law.^[6] The laryngeal between consonants became a vowel that merged with *a,^[2] and the accusative singular was *stadį.^[7]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌸𐍃 (staþs) in Gothic, Old Norse staðr in Old Norse, and Old English stede, Old Frisian sted, Old Saxon stad and Old High German stat in West Germanic.^[4] A Crimean Gothic word for "earth, land" belongs here too.^[8] Middle English borrowed the Norse word as stad.^[9]

Competing analyses

Wiktionary analyses the word as *stāną and *-þiz and calls it a doublet of *stassiz, a re-creation within Germanic from *standaną.^[1][10] Köbler connects it with an Indo-European *stādʰo- "stand".^[5] Schaffner thinks that a feminine n-stem, continued in Old Norse and Old Frisian words for "site, landing place", may be a related formation.^[6]

Meanings

1. place, location^[4][3][1][2]
2. standing^[5]
3. town^[4]

Old Norse also had the sense "standing";^[9] Old Frisian also used the word for "homestead", "town" and "shore",^[11] and Old High German for "dwelling" and "town".^[12]

Derivatives

• Orel's adjectives *stađi-fastaz "steadfast", *stađi-lausaz "unsteady" and *stađiʒaz "steady".^[13]
• Compounds in Orel: *kaupa-stađiz "market town", *xufa-stađiz "sanctuary" and *xauxa-stađiz "high place".^[14][15][16]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌸𐍃 (staþs, “place, spot, region”)^[8]
• Old Norse: staðr (“standing, place”)^[9]
• Old English: stede (“place, position, steadiness”)^[17]
• Old Frisian: stede (“place, homestead, town”)^[11]
• Old Saxon: stedi (“place”)^[18]
• Old High German: stat (“place, dwelling, town”)^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *stadiz
2. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 98
3. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 369
4. ^ 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. 472
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *stadi-
6. ^ a b c d Schaffner, Stefan (2001), Das Vernersche Gesetz und der innerparadigmatische grammatische Wechsel des Urgermanischen im Nominalbereich, Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft 103, Innsbruck, p. 159
7. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 104
8. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. staþs
9. ^ a b c de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. staðr
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *stassiz
11. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. stede
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. stat
13. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 368
14. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 211
15. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 190
16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 166
17. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. stėde
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. stėdi