*sunuz

Reconstruction

The word is *sunuz in Ringe, Orel and Wiktionary,^[1][2][3] and the stem *sunu- in Kroonen and Köbler.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *suHnús (“son”),^[3] which Kroonen writes *suH-nu- and derives from the root *suH- "to give birth to".^[4] Ringe writes it *suh₃nús "offspring".^[1]

Morphology

A masculine u-stem.^[4][5] Ringe gives the genitive singular *sunauz, the accusative *sunų and the nominative plural *suniwiz, from PIE *suh₃néwes.^[6][7][8] The short u of the root is the problem: Kroonen and Wiktionary explain it by Dybo's law, the shortening of a long vowel before the stress, which the end stress of the cognates supports;^[4][3] Orel too speaks of oxytonic shortening,^[2] while Ringe calls the reasons unclear.^[7] EWA takes the laryngeal to have been lost before the resonant, *suH-nú- > *su-Hnú- > *sunu-.^[9] In Old Norse the o of sonr spread from the genitive singular Old Norse sonar, where a-umlaut had lowered the u, from *sunauz.^[10]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌿𐍃 (sunus), Old Norse sunr or Old Norse sonr, Old English sunu, Old Frisian suno, Old Saxon sunu and Old High German sunu.^[4] The Gothic word is in Wulfila's Bible.^[11] Lehmann cites it from the late runic inscriptions of Sparlösa and Sölvesborg.^[12] Its cognates include Lithuanian sūnùs and Proto-Slavic *synъ.^[4][2]

Competing analyses

Casaretto notes that the short-vowel forms, found outside Germanic also in Avestan, are not securely explained, and that they might belong to a root *seu- "to press out" rather than to *seuH- "to give birth".^[13]

Meanings

1. son^[4][2][5][3]

Old English also used the word for "descendant" and "young of an animal",^[14] and Middle High German also for "crown prince".^[10]

Derivatives

• In Orel, the compound *steupa-sūnuz "stepson".^[15]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌿𐍃 (sunus, “son”)^[16]
• Old Norse: sonr (“son”), also sunr^[17]
• Old English: sunu (“son, descendant, young”)^[14]
• Old Frisian: sune (“son”), also sunu^[18]
• Old Saxon: sunu (“son”)^[19]
• Old High German: sunu (“son”), later sun, which went over to the i-stems^[10]

References

1. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 97
2. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *sunuz
3. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sunuz
4. ^ a b c d e f g Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 492
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sunu-
6. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 151
7. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 104
8. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 149
9. ^ 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. got
10. ^ a b c 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. sun
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sunus
12. ^ 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. sunus
13. ^ Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. sunus
14. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sunu
15. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *steupa-sūnuz
16. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. sunus
17. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. sonr
18. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sune
19. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. SUNU