*haifstiz

Reconstruction

The word is *haifstiz in Wiktionary,^[1] *xaifstiz in Orel,^[2] and the stem *haifsti- in Kroonen and Köbler;^[3][4] Köbler also gives *haifti- and *haisti-.^[4] Casaretto writes *haif-s-ti-,^[5] EWA *χai̯fsti-.^[6]

Etymology

Wiktionary takes it as likely from PIE *ḱoyp-sti-s, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱeyp- (“to ridicule, anger”).^[1] Kroonen gives a pre-form only with a question mark and calls the word Northern European.^[3]

Morphology

A feminine i-stem,^[3][7] formed with the suffix *-s-ti-.^[8][6] EWA sets beside it a ti-stem *χai̯fti- "quarrel", continued in Old Norse heift and Old Norse heipt.^[6] Casaretto notes that the root has the a-grade throughout, which points to a strong verb of class VII.^[5]

Evidence

The word is attested in Gothic, Old Norse, Old English and Old Frisian: Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃𐍄𐍃 (haifsts), Old Norse heifst, Old English hǣst and Old Frisian hāst.^[3][2] The Gothic word is in Wulfila's Bible, where it renders Greek words for contest and strife.^[7] The consonant cluster was simplified differently in West Germanic: the f was lost in Ingvaeonic, the s in the other West Germanic dialects.^[3] It is the source, through Old Low Franconian, of Old French haste, which was borrowed back into the Germanic languages as Dutch haast and German Hast.^[6]

Competing analyses

Kroonen tentatively connects Lithuanian šaipýtis (“to snarl”) and Lithuanian šaĩpas (“derision, mockery”).^[3] Orel compares instead Lithuanian kaĩpti (“to be dizzy, to ail”).^[2] The word has often been compared to a Sanskrit adverb meaning "fast", and Köbler follows Pokorny's root *ḱēibʰ- "fast, violent";^[3][4] Kroonen objects that the base this implies breaks the rules of PIE root structure,^[3] and Feist had already rejected it on grounds of sound and meaning.^[9] Feist and Lehmann found no certain etymology.^[9][10]

Meanings

1. conflict, struggle^[3][1]
2. quarrel^[4]

Gothic used the word for "contest, rivalry, conflict", Old Norse for "hatred, feud, war", Old English for "ferocity" and Old Frisian for "anger; rush".^[3] The French loan has the sense "haste".^[6]

Derivatives

• Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (haifstjan, “to contend, to fight”).^[9]
• An adjective "violent": Kroonen's *haifstja-, in Old English hǣste, Old Frisian hāst and Old High German heisti;^[3] Heidermanns sets it up as an a-stem *haifsta- and takes it as *haif-s-ta- beside the abstract noun.^[8] EWA writes *χai̯fstii̯a-.^[6]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃𐍄𐍃 (haifsts, “strife, quarrel”)^[9]
• Old Norse: heifst (“quarrel, enmity”), also heipt^[11]
• Old English: hǣst (“violence, strife”)^[12]
• Old Frisian: hāst (“rashness, anger; haste”)^[13]

The adjectives Old High German heisti and Old High German heifti stand in place of the noun.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *haifstiz
2. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 151
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 200
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *haifsti-
5. ^ a b Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter
6. ^ a b c d e f g 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. heifti
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. haifsts
8. ^ a b Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. 266
9. ^ a b c d Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. haifsts
10. ^ 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. 197
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. heifst
12. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hǣst
13. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hāst