Etymology and origin of the Proto-Germanic word *tīdiz
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Inherited
- Inherited from
- Proto-Indo-European *déh₂itis
Etymology tree
From the same root
Reconstruction
The word is *tīdiz in Wiktionary,[1] *tīđiz in Orel,[2] and the stem *tīdi- in Kroonen and Köbler.[3][4]
Etymology
Wiktionary has it inherited from Proto-Indo-European *déh₂itis, from *deh₂y- with the suffix *-tis.[1] Kroonen derives it from a root *dh₂-ei- "to divide", which he also finds in *tīman- "time" and in *tila- "goal, occasion".[5] Bammesberger takes *tī- as the zero grade of a root with a laryngeal, IE *deyh-.[6]
Morphology
A feminine i-stem,[3][4] formed with the suffix *-di- on the root *tī-.[6] Old High German zīt is both a feminine i-stem and a neuter a-stem, and the Isidor translation has forms of both genders with the grammatical-change variant in þ; the other languages continue only the feminine i-stem.[7]
Evidence
The word is attested only in North and West Germanic: Old Norse tíð, Old English tīd, Old Frisian tīd, Old Saxon tīd and Old High German zīt.[3][2] Neither Kroonen nor Orel lists a Gothic form.[3][2] Outside Germanic, Kroonen compares an Armenian word for "age, time" and the verbs for "to divide" in Sanskrit and Greek.[3]
Competing analyses
Orel finds the word close to the Armenian word for "age" and Albanian ditë (“day”), from *dī-ti-, and asks whether a Sanskrit word for "brightness" belongs here.[2] Köbler gives an IE *dīt- "period of time", with a question mark, beside a root *dā-, *dī- "to divide, to cut up".[4] Holthausen connected Old Norse tína (“to pick, to sort out”).[8] Kroonen thinks the related verb, Old Norse tíða (“to strive”) and Old Frisian tīdia (“to strive”), keeps the oldest meaning, "to strive".[3]
Meanings
Old English also used it for "season" and "hour",[3][8] and Old Norse and Old High German for "divine service" or "time of prayer".[3]
Derivatives
- *tīdijaz "frequent, often"[9] and *tīdijaną "to strive for; to happen".[10] Orel writes the verb *tīđjanan.[2]
- In Orel, the compound *sumera-tīđiz "summer time".[11]
Reflexes
- Old Norse: tíð (“time, hour, prayer”)[12]
- Old English: tīd (“time, period, season, hour”)[8]
- Old Frisian: tīd (“time, occasion, hour”)[13]
- Old Saxon: tīd (“time, hour”)[14]
- Old Dutch: tīt[1]
- Old High German: zīt (“time, age, hour, time of prayer”)[15]
References
- ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *tīdiz
- ^ a b c d e f Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 407
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 516
- ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *tīdi-
- ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 516–517
- ^ a b Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 145
- ^ Schaffner, Stefan (2001), Das Vernersche Gesetz und der innerparadigmatische grammatische Wechsel des Urgermanischen im Nominalbereich, Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft 103, Innsbruck
- ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. tīd
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *tīdijaz
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *tīdijaną
- ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 386
- ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. tīð
- ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. tīd
- ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. tīd
- ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. zīt
Related etymologies
- *stainaz · also from Proto-Indo-European
- *beraną · also from Proto-Indo-European
- *fadēr · also from Proto-Indo-European
- *watōr · also from Proto-Indo-European
- *ga- · also from Proto-Indo-European
- *frijaz · also from Proto-Indo-European
- *fallaną · also from Proto-Indo-European
- *standaną · also from Proto-Indo-European
Cite this entry
“*tīdiz.” Etymologically, 16 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/gem-pro/*t%C4%ABdiz. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.
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