*watōr

Reconstruction

Ringe reconstructs the nominative-accusative singular *watōr, genitive *watiniz or *watinz, dative *watini, with a plural stem *wat-n-.^[1] Wiktionary's title is *watōr too.^[2] Kroonen heads the word *watar- ~ *watan-, but says that the Germanic material points straightforwardly to *watōr, *watenaz from *uód-ōr, *uod-én-os.^[3] Orel heads it *watnan beside *watar,^[4] Köbler *watar, *wedōr.^[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ (“water”), through the PIE collective *wédōr.^[6][2]

Morphology

A neuter r/n-stem: the r of the nominative and accusative alternated with the n of the other cases.^[4][7] It is one of the two PIE neuter r/n-stems that survived in Germanic, with "fire".^[6] In Ringe's account the PIE collective, nominative-accusative *wédōr, became the Germanic singular, and the o-grade root *wat- from *wod- was generalised.^[8]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches,^[3] but the dialects kept different halves of the paradigm: Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐍄𐍉 (wato) and Old Norse vatn were built on the n of the oblique cases, Old English wæter, Old Frisian weter, Old Saxon watar and Old High German wazzar on the r of the nominative.^[7][9] Kroonen finds a trace of an e-grade in the name of the Swedish lake Vättern.^[3]

Competing analyses

For the PIE paradigm, Ringe sets up a nominative-accusative Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ with an oblique stem *wédn̥-, replaced in most daughters by *udén-.^[6] Kroonen allows that the original paradigm may have been static, *uód-r, genitive *uéd-n-s.^[3] Orel compares Ancient Greek ὕδωρ (húdōr) and Lithuanian vanduõ, and "probably" Proto-Slavic *voda.^[4]

Meanings

1. water^[3][4][2]

Old English and Old High German also used it for "sea".^[10][11]

Derivatives

• *waskaną "to wash", an sḱe-present to the root.^[3][12]
• *wētaz "wet", a vṛddhi derivative.^[13][4]
• *utraz "otter", which Kroonen calls a direct derivation from the IE word for water.^[14][15]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐍄𐍉 (wato, “water”)^[9]
• Old Norse: vatn (“water”)^[16]
• Old English: wæter (“water, sea”)^[10]
• Old Frisian: weter (“water”)^[17]
• Old Saxon: watar (“water”)^[18]
• Old High German: wazzar (“water, sea, river”)^[11]

References

1. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 309
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *watōr
3. ^ 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. 575
4. ^ a b c d e Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *watnan
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *watar
6. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 308
7. ^ a b 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. wato
8. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 308–9
9. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. wato
10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wæter
11. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wazzar
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *waskaną
13. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 583
14. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 562
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *utraz
16. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. vatn
17. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. weter
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. watar