*wardāną

Reconstruction

The verb is *wardāną in Wiktionary,^[1] *warđōjanan in Orel,^[2] and *wardōn in Köbler, who also heads it *wardēn, *wardǣn, *wardōn.^[3] LÄGLOS writes Proto-Germanic *warđō(ja)n-, from an early Proto-Germanic *warđā-.^[4]

Etymology

Orel has it from Proto-Germanic *warđaz (“guard”) or from *warđō(n) "watch, guard";^[2] Wiktionary likewise from *warduz "a guard" or *wardō "protection", both from the same root.^[1] Köbler compares PIE *u̯er- "to perceive, to heed".^[5]

Morphology

A weak verb, whose class differs by source.^[2][1] Orel's *-ōjanan and Köbler's *wardōn are of the second class, as are Old Norse varða, Old English weardian, Old Frisian wardia and Old Saxon wardon.^[2][5][6] The Old High German wartēn is of the third class.^[7] Wiktionary forms the verb with the suffix *-āną.^[1]

Evidence

The verb is attested in North and West Germanic: Old Norse varða, Old English weardian, Old Frisian wardia, Old Saxon wardon and Old High German wartēn.^[2][4] Gothic has no record of it.^[8] Holthausen and Köbler set up a Gothic *wardōn "to watch" from Italian guardare, French garder and Spanish guardar.^[9][8] The Finnish varrota (“to wait, to await”) is an early loan, which Koivulehto took from the early Proto-Germanic *warđā-.^[4]

Meanings

1. to guard, to protect, to watch over^[1]
2. to wait, to guard, to watch^[3][5]

Old Norse also used the verb for "to warrant, to be answerable",^[2][10] Old English for "to inhabit",^[11] and Old High German for "to look, to watch".^[7]

Reflexes

• Old Norse: varða (“to mark out, to protect, to guard”)^[10]
• Old English: weardian (“to guard, to keep, to protect”)^[11]
• Old Frisian: wardia (“to watch, to observe, to take care of”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: wardon (“to beware, to take care of, to protect”)^[6]
• Old High German: wartēn (“to look, to watch, to guard”)^[7]

No Gothic form is recorded.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wardāną
2. ^ a b c d e f Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *warđōjanan
3. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *wardēn
4. ^ a b c Kylstra, A. D.; Hahmo, Sirkka-Liisa; Hofstra, Tette; Nikkilä, Osmo (1991–2012), Lexikon der älteren germanischen Lehnwörter in den ostseefinnischen Sprachen, 3 vols, Amsterdam / Atlanta / New York: Rodopi, p. 377
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *wardōn
6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wardon
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wartēn
8. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *wardōn
9. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Gotisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 121
10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. varða
11. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. weardian
12. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. wardia