*aldaz

Reconstruction

The word is *aldaz in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *alđaz in Orel,^[3] and the stem *alda- in Kroonen and Köbler.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós (“grown”), the old participle of the root *h₂el- "to grow, nourish";^[2] Kroonen writes *h₂el-tó-.^[4]

Morphology

An adjective continuing the original participle of the verb *alan- "to grow; to bring up".^[4][6] Ringe reconstructs the paradigm *aldaz, comparative *alþizō-, superlative *alþistaz, with the same Verner's law alternation as *jungaz "young", its antonym, on which it was probably modelled.^[1]

Evidence

The positive is West Germanic: Old English eald, Old Frisian ald, Old Saxon ald and Old High German alt,^[4] and it is in Crimean Gothic as alt.^[3][6] Gothic has the ja-stem Gothic 𐌰𐌻𐌸𐌴𐌹𐍃 (alþeis) instead, and Old Norse only the comparative ellri, from *alþiza.^[1][7] In Ringe's account Gothic remodelled the positive on the other forms, West Germanic remodelled the comparison on the positive, and Old Norse replaced the positive by Old Norse gamall.^[1] Cognates outside Germanic include Latin altus (“high”) and Old Irish alt (“height, cliff”).^[4] LÄGLOS takes Finnish altis (“ready, inclined”) from *alþija-, or from *alda-, following Hofstra.^[8]

Competing analyses

Heidermanns holds that *alþja- is the older formation, kept outside Gothic only in the comparative and elsewhere replaced by *alda-, since an old accent shift in a to-participle would be without parallel; he rejects Bammesberger's view.^[9] EWA explains the Gothic positive as a ja-stem perhaps after Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐍃 (niujis, “new”), or with the þ of the comparative, and the missing Norse positive by a merger of a form *alþir with Old Norse allr (“all”).^[6]

Meanings

1. old, grown up^[4][3][2]

Ringe glosses the word etymologically as "fully grown".^[1] Old Saxon also used it for "venerable",^[10] and Old Frisian also for "of that time".^[11]

Derivatives

• *alþį̄ "old age, age", from *aldaz;^[2] Kroonen writes *alþīn-,^[4] Orel *alđīn.^[12]
• *aldijaną "to make old, to delay";^[2] Orel writes *alđjanan.^[13]
• *alđa-dōman "old age", in Orel,^[14] behind Gothic 𐌰𐌻𐌳𐍉𐌼𐍉 (aldomo), which EWA calls unexplained.^[15]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌰𐌻𐌸𐌴𐌹𐍃 (alþeis, “old”), a ja-stem^[16]
• Old Norse: only the comparative ellri (“older”)^[7]
• Old English: eald (“old”)^[17]
• Old Frisian: ald (“old”)^[11]
• Old Saxon: ald (“old, aged, venerable”)^[10]
• Old Dutch: ald (“old”), in Köbler's list^[5]
• Old High German: alt (“old”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 317
2. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *aldaz
3. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *alđaz
4. ^ 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. 20
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *alda-
6. ^ a b c d 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. alt
7. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 101
8. ^ 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. 24
9. ^ Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. alþja-
10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ald
11. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. ald
12. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *alđīn
13. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *alđjanan
14. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *alđa-dōman
15. ^ 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. alttuom
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. alþeis
17. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. eald