*hringaz

Reconstruction

The word is *hringaz in Wiktionary,^[1] cited by its stem *hringa- in Kroonen^[2] and as *hrenga-, *hrengaz, *hringa-, *hringaz in Köbler.^[3] Orel writes *xrenʒaz.^[4]

Etymology

Wiktionary has it from Proto-Indo-European *(s)krengʰ- (“ring, circle”), through an earlier *hrengaz, and takes the root to be a nasalised extension of Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”) formed after the Indo-European period.^[1] Kroonen calls it an exclusively Slavic and Germanic root that breaks the Indo-European rule against plain stops beside voiced aspirates, and so probably post-Indo-European; he sets up *kringh-o-.^[2]

Morphology

A masculine a-stem.^[2][3][4]

Evidence

The word is attested in North and West Germanic: Old Norse hringr, Old English hring, Old Frisian hring, Old Saxon hring and Old High German ring.^[2] Biblical Gothic lacks it, but Crimean Gothic has ⟨rinck⟩, ⟨ringo⟩, glossed "annulus".^[5][6] An early form was borrowed into Finnic as Finnish rengas (“ring”): Ringe dates the loan before the raising of *e before a nasal,^[7] and LÄGLOS derives it from Proto-Germanic *χrenga-z, later *χringaz.^[8] De Vries traces the Finnic word to a Proto-Norse *hrengaz.^[9] A compound with *auzō "ear" was borrowed into Proto-Slavic as *userędźь "earring".^[10]

Competing analyses

Kroonen compares the Old Church Slavonic and Serbo-Croatian words for "circle", from *krongh-o-, and calls Greek Ancient Greek κρίκος (kríkos, “ring”) unrelated.^[2] Orel relates the Slavic *kręgъ "mountain ridge" and Proto-Slavic *krǫgъ (“circle”), from *krengho- and *krongho-.^[4] Lehmann derives the word from PIE *(s)ker- "turn, bend", extended with a nasal infix to *(s)krengh-.^[6] Orel calls the relation to *krenʒaz, which has an irregular onset, unclear,^[11] while Kroonen refers to the same word, *kringa-, as related.^[2]

Meanings

1. ring, circle^[2][3][1]
2. curve^[1]

Old Norse also used the word for "sword", "snake" and "ship",^[9] Old English for "fetter", "rim" and "sphere",^[12] and Old Saxon for a ring of mail.^[13] Wiktionary sets up a second *hringaz "sound", of uncertain origin, continued only in Old English;^[1] Orel tentatively connects it with this word, as the noise of clashing rings.^[1]

Derivatives

• *hringijǭ "ringlet, loop; brooch, clasp", with a diminutive suffix,^[14] which Orel writes *xrenʒjōn "buckle".^[15]
• *hringōną and *hringijaną "to encircle, to make into a ring".^[16][17]
• *hringōdijaz "ringed", a denominal *-ōdija- formation continued by Old Saxon hringodi.^[18]
• *hrungō "rung", Kroonen's *hrungō-, which he takes as a zero-grade formation from the same root;^[19] Orel writes *xrunʒō(n).^[20]
• *ausôhringaz "earring", with *ausô "ear".^[21]

Reflexes

• Gothic: only Crimean Gothic ⟨rinck⟩, ⟨ringo⟩ "ring"^[5]
• Old Norse: hringr (“ring, circle; sword; snake; ship”)^[9]
• Old English: hring (“ring, fetter; circle, rim, sphere”)^[12]
• Old Frisian: hring (“ring, circle”)^[22]
• Old Saxon: hring (“ring of mail, link of a chain”)^[13]
• Old High German: ring (“ring, coil, circle, wreath, assembly”)^[23]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hringaz
2. ^ 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. 247
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hrenga-
4. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 185
5. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 235
6. ^ 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. 313
7. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 174
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. 145
9. ^ a b c de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 256
10. ^ Pronk-Tiethoff, Saskia (2013), The Germanic Loanwords in Proto-Slavic, Leiden Studies in Indo-European 20, Amsterdam / New York: Rodopi, p. s.v. *userędźь
11. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 221
12. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hring
13. ^ a b Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. HRING
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hringijǭ
15. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 186
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hringōną
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hringijaną
18. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 326
19. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 251
20. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 189
21. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ausôhringaz
22. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hring
23. ^ 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. ring