*waraz

Reconstruction

The word is *waraz in Ringe, Orel and Wiktionary,^[1][2][3] and *wara- in Kroonen, Köbler and Heidermanns.^[4][5][6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *worós (“attentive”), from *wer- "to heed, be watchful";^[3] Kroonen writes *uor-o-, an o-stem to the root *uer-.^[4]

Morphology

A thematic adjective, an o-stem to the root.^[4][7] Ringe sets beside it the verb *warāną "make aware".^[1]

Evidence

The adjective is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐍂𐍃 (wars) in Gothic, Old Norse varr in Old Norse, and Old English wær, Old Saxon war and Old High German giwar in West Germanic.^[4] Gothic has only the nominative plural Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹 (warai), in "let us be sober" at 1 Thessalonians 5:6.^[8] Kroonen compares Tocharian B wär- (“to smell”), Latin vereor (“to show respect, fear”) and Latvian vērt (“to watch, notice”), from *uer-e-.^[4][2] Orel compares Ancient Greek οὖρος (oûros, “watcher, warder”) and Old Irish coair (“equitable, appropriate”), from *kom-u̯ari-.^[2]

Competing analyses

Heidermanns finds no exact cognate of the adjective outside Germanic, and does not separate it with certainty from formations on a base *werz-.^[6] Kroonen leaves open whether the root of *werdu- "host" is the same.^[9]

Meanings

1. aware^[4][2]
2. cautious, wary, watchful^[5][3]

Heidermanns gives the basic meaning as "perceiving precisely", whence "attentive" and "on guard, cautious, shy", and in the adverb "exactly", then "scarcely".^[6] In Gothic the word meant "sober",^[8] and Old High German used it for "attentive, careful, prudent".^[10]

Derivatives

• *warōną "to watch, to protect".^[3]
• *waralīkaz "cautious, prudent";^[3] Orel writes *wara-līkaz.^[11]
• *warīn "wariness", in Orel, behind Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹 (warei).^[12]
• *warō(n) "care, attention", which Orel derives from *waraz.^[13]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐍂𐍃 (wars, “cautious, sober”)^[14][8]
• Old Norse: varr (“attentive, cautious”)^[15]
• Old English: wær (“aware, attentive, cautious, ready”)^[16]
• Old Saxon: war (“cautious”)^[17]
• Old High German: giwar (“attentive, careful, prudent”)^[10]

References

1. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 288
2. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *waraz
3. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *waraz
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. 574
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *wara-
6. ^ a b c Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. wara-
7. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 237
8. ^ a b c 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. W37
9. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 579
10. ^ 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. giwar
11. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *wara-līkaz
12. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *warīn
13. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *warō
14. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 328
15. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 647
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wær
17. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. WAR