*hwar

Reconstruction

The adverb is *hwar in Kroonen, Köbler and Wiktionary,^[1][2][3] and *xwar in Orel.^[4]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *kʷo- (“who, what”): Kroonen calls it an adverb created to the PIE root *kʷo- with the locative suffix *-r, *kʷo-r, like *þar "there".^[1] Wiktionary derives it within Germanic from *hwaz "what" and the locative suffix *-r.^[3]

Morphology

An adverb, the pronominal stem with a locative suffix *-r.^[1][4] Kroonen sees the same suffix in *gestra- "yesterday" and in *gadur "together".^[5][6] Orel derives Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐍂𐌾𐌹𐍃 (ƕarjis, “which”) and Old Norse hverr (“who”) from *xwar jaz, with a second part from the relative *jaz.^[4]

Evidence

The adverb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐍂 (ƕar), Old Norse hvar, Old English hwǣr, Old Frisian hwēr, Old Saxon hwār and Old High German wār.^[4] The Gothic word is in Wulfila's Bible, for instance at Matthew 8:20.^[7][8] Kroonen compares Latin cūr (“why”) and Albanian kur (“when”) from *kʷor.^[1] Orel also names the Old Latin form quōr (“why”).^[4]

Competing analyses

The West Germanic forms point to a long vowel: Lehmann and Köbler set up a variant with *-ē-, Köbler as *hwēr.^[8][9] Kroonen holds that these forms do not continue a Proto-Germanic *hwēr, but got their long vowel by lengthening in a monosyllable, as in Latin cūr from quōr.^[1] De Vries describes the West Germanic forms as ablaut variants.^[10] Bammesberger considers a vṛddhi derivative of *h(w)ar as the source of Gothic 𐌷𐌴𐍂 (hēr, “here”).^[11]

Meanings

1. where, in what place^[1][2][3]

Old Norse also used it for "everywhere",^[10] and Old Saxon also for "whither" and "when".^[12]

Derivatives

• *hwargin "somewhere, anywhere", with *-gin.^[13]
• *hwaruh "anywhere, everywhere", with *-hw.^[14]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍈𐌰𐍂 (ƕar, “where”)^[7]
• Old Norse: hvar (“where, everywhere”)^[10]
• Old English: hwǣr (“where, somewhere”)^[15]
• Old Frisian: hwēr (“where, whither”)^[16]
• Old Saxon: hwār (“where, whither”)^[17]
• Old High German: wār, wā and hwār, in Kroonen's list^[1]

References

1. ^ 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. 263
2. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hwar
3. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hwar
4. ^ a b c d e Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 198
5. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 163
6. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 175
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ƕar
8. ^ 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. 226
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hwēr
10. ^ a b c de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 269
11. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 258
12. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hwār
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hwargin
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hwaruh
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hwǣr
16. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hwēr
17. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. hwār