*sterbaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *sterbaną in Wiktionary,^[1] *sterƀanan in Orel^[2] and *sterban in Köbler;^[3] Kroonen cites the stem *sterban-,^[4] EWA *sterƀ-e/a-.^[5]

Etymology

Kroonen has it from Proto-Indo-European *sterbʰ- (“to become stiff”), a European root, from a present *stérbʰ-e-.^[4] Wiktionary gives the same root.^[1]

Morphology

A strong verb of class III.^[6][7] Mailhammer files it among the strong verbs with an uncertain Indo-European etymology.^[6]

Evidence

The verb is found only in West Germanic: Old English steorfan, Old Frisian sterva, Old Saxon sterƀan and Old High German sterban.^[4][2] EWA notes that the whole family is missing in East Germanic, and that North Germanic has no reflex of the verb itself, only nouns such as Old Norse stjarfi (“tetanus”) and the adjective stjarfr (“hard-mouthed”).^[5] Kroonen compares Ancient Greek στέρφνιος (stérphnios, “hard, firm”), a word in Hesychius, and dialectal Lithuanian strabnùs (“diligent”).^[4]

Competing analyses

Orel relates Old Irish ussarb (“death”) and Proto-Slavic *stьrbati (“to stiffen, to die”).^[2] Wiktionary reports another theory that derives the verb from PIE *(s)terp- "to become numb", connecting Latin torpeō (“to be stiff”).^[1] Köbler sets the root within the larger PIE family *ster- "stiff".^[3]

Meanings

1. to become stiff; to die^[4][3][1]

Kroonen explains "to die" as a development of "to become stiff".^[4] Old Frisian also used the verb for inherited goods of a dowry that fall back to the family.^[8]

Derivatives

• *sterbô "death, plague".^[9][10]
• *starbijaną "to kill", formed with *-janą.^[11][12]
• *starfą "labour", which Kroonen derives from the verb through a meaning "to withstand, to endure".^[13][14]
• *uzsterban "to die", with a prefix, in Köbler.^[15]

Reflexes

• Old English: steorfan (“to die”)^[16]
• Old Frisian: sterva (“to die”)^[8]
• Old Saxon: sterƀan (“to die”)^[17]
• Old High German: sterban (“to die”)^[5]
• Gothic and Old Norse have no reflex of the verb.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sterbaną
2. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *sterƀanan
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sterban
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. 477
5. ^ 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. sterban
6. ^ 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. 220
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. steorfan
8. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sterva
9. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sterbô
10. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *sterƀōn
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *starbijaną
12. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *starbjan
13. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 474
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *starfą
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *uzsterban
16. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. steorfan
17. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. stervan