*teraną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *teraną in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *teranan in Orel^[3] and *teran in Köbler;^[4] Kroonen cites the stem *teran-,^[5] Seebold the root TER-A-.^[6]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *der- (“to flay, split”):^[2] Kroonen derives it from a PIE thematic present *dér(H)-e-, the source of Ancient Greek δέρω (dérō, “to skin, to flay”) and Lithuanian dérti.^[5]

Morphology

A strong verb of class IV, with the principal parts *teraną, *tar, *tērun, *turanaz.^[1][4] Ringe counts it among the very few class IV verbs that are securely reconstructable for Proto-Germanic.^[1] Mailhammer puts it among the verbs with an accepted Indo-European etymology.^[7]

Evidence

The verb is attested in East and West Germanic: Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (tairan), Old English teran and Old High German zeran.^[5] Gothic has it only with prefixes, as Gothic 𐌳𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (distairan) and 𐌲𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (gatairan).^[8][6][1] No Old Norse form is listed.^[5][3]

Competing analyses

Orel adds Sanskrit दृणाति (dṛṇā́ti, “to burst, to tear”) and a Tocharian verb "to be separated", and thinks Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐍂𐌼𐌾𐌰𐌽 (tarmjan, “to break forth”) may be based on a derived noun *tar-ma-, close to Ancient Greek δέρμα (dérma).^[3][9] Köbler calls the Gothic verb etymologically obscure, perhaps related.^[10] Kroonen relates the verb to *turnan- and Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍄𐌰𐍂𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gatarnjan, “to rob”).^[5]

Meanings

1. to tear^[5][4][2]
2. to snatch or pull off; to tug^[2]

Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (gatairan) meant "to tear down, to destroy, to abolish",^[11] and Old High German zeran "to cut off, to finish, to fight".^[5]

Derivatives

• *turþiz "destruction", a ti-stem in Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐍃 (gataurþs).^[12][13]
• *turnaz "bitter; anger",^[14] Kroonen's *turna- "anger, rage"^[12] and Orel's adjective *turnaz.^[15]
• *turnaną "to tear off, to depart",^[9] Kroonen's *turnan- "to separate oneself, tear oneself away".^[12]
• *tarjaną "to destroy, to consume".^[16]
• In Orel: *tarō(n) "war, fight" and the adjective *tarđaz, in Old High German zart (“delicate”).^[17]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌳𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (distairan, “to tear asunder”)^[18] and 𐌲𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (gatairan, “to tear down, destroy”)^[11]
• Old English: teran (“to tear apart”)^[19]
• Old High German: zeran (“to finish, to fight, to quarrel”)^[20]

References

1. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 271
2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *teraną
3. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 405
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *teran
5. ^ 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. 513
6. ^ a b Seebold, Elmar (1970), Vergleichendes und etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen starken Verben, The Hague / Paris: Mouton, p. TER-A-
7. ^ 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. 222
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *taíran?
9. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *turnaną
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. tarmjan
11. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gataíran
12. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 527
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *turþiz
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *turnaz
15. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 413
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *tarjaną
17. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 402
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. distaíran
19. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. teran
20. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. zeran