*alaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *alaną in Wiktionary and Ringe,^[1][2] *alanan in Orel^[3] and *alan in Köbler;^[4] Kroonen cites the stem *alan-.^[5]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“to nourish, to raise”):^[6] Kroonen calls it a strong verb to that root, from *h₂el-e-,^[5] and Wiktionary starts from the PIE third person *h₂életi.^[1]

Morphology

A strong verb of class VI.^[7][8] Ringe thinks that in the vowel-initial verbs of this class, *akaną, *alaną and *ananą, the reduplicating syllable and the root syllable contracted.^[2] Mailhammer puts it among the strong verbs with an accepted Indo-European etymology.^[7] LIV lists Gothic 𐍉𐌻 (ol) as a newly formed perfect.^[6]

Evidence

The verb is attested in Gothic, Gothic 𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌽 (alan), in Old Norse, Old Norse ala, and in Old English, Old English alan.^[5][3] The Gothic verb occurs only as the present participle Gothic 𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (alands, “nourished”) at 1 Timothy 4:6.^[9] Outside Germanic it matches Latin alō (“to nourish”), Old Irish alid (“to feed”) and Welsh alu (“to bear young”).^[5] Lehmann notes that forms of the root are found only in the western Indo-European languages, Greek having them only in compounds.^[9]

Meanings

1. to grow up; to rear^[5]
2. to grow; to grow old, to mature; to breed^[1]
3. to nourish^[4]

Gothic used the verb for "to grow on, to feed on", Old Norse for "to give birth to, to nourish, to support",^[5] and Old English for "to nourish, to grow, to produce".^[3]

Derivatives

• *aldaz "old", the old past participle of the verb.^[10][11]
• *aldiz "age, generation", a ti-stem.^[10][12]
• *aldra- "age, lifespan", an instrumental formation.^[13]
• *aljan- "to make grow, to rear", the causative.^[14][6]
• *ōliz "nourishing", a vṛddhi gerundive.^[15]
• *aliskōną "to tend to, to care for", which Kroonen connects with the verb.^[16][17]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌽 (alan, “to grow, to be nourished”)^[9]
• Old Norse: ala (“to bring forth, to beget, to breed, to nourish”)^[18]
• Old English: alan (“to nourish, to bring forth”)^[19]
• Kroonen and Orel list no Old Frisian, Old Saxon or Old High German form.^[5][3]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *alaną
2. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 275
3. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *alanan
4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *alan
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. 19
6. ^ a b c Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *h₂el-
7. ^ a b 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. 223
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. alan
9. ^ 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. s.v. *alan
10. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 20
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *aldaz
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *aldiz
13. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 21
14. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 23
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ōliz
16. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 22
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *aliskōną
18. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. ala
19. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. alan