*legrą

Reconstruction

The word is *legrą in Wiktionary,^[1] *leʒran in Orel,^[2] and *legra- in Köbler and Casaretto.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”):^[1][3] Bammesberger derives it from the Germanic root *leg- of *ligjaną "to lie", from PIE *legh-.^[5]

Morphology

A neuter a-stem;^[3][2] the Gothic word is masculine,^[2][4] and Hofmann and Popkema give the Old Frisian one as masculine too.^[6] Bammesberger and Casaretto class it with the primary formations in *-ra-,^[5][4] and EWA calls the Old High German word a deverbal derivative with this suffix.^[7] Wiktionary takes it as the substantivised adjective *legraz "lying with someone", from a pre-Germanic *legʰrós.^[8]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐍂𐍃 (ligrs), Old Norse legr, and Old English leger, Old Frisian legor, Old Saxon legar and Old High German legar in West Germanic.^[2] The Gothic word renders Greek words for "bed" in Wulfila's Bible.^[9] De Vries compares Tocharian A lake and Tocharian B leke, both "bed".^[10]

Competing analyses

Orel cites Meillet for the view that the word was dissimilated from *leʒlan.^[2]

Meanings

1. a lying; a place where one lies, a bed, a camp^[1][3]

Old English, Old Saxon and Old High German also used the word for a sickbed or illness,^[11][12] Old English and Old Norse for a grave, and Old Norse, Gothic and Old High German for a lying together.^{[12][10][9][7]} Falk thought the Old Norse sense "grave" was taken over from Old English in Christian times.^[10]

Derivatives

• *galigriją "a lying together, sexual intercourse", with *ga- and *-ją;^[13] Bammesberger writes it *legr-ija-, the source of Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌹𐌲𐍂𐌹 (galigri).^[14]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐍂𐍃 (ligrs, “bed, couch”)^[11]
• Old Norse: legr (“grave, lying together”)^[10]
• Old English: leger (“couch, bed, grave, illness”)^[12]
• Old Frisian: leger (“a lying, position, military camp”)^[6]
• Old Saxon: legar (“couch, sickness”)^[15]
• Old High German: legar (“resting place, a lying, lying together, position”)^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *legrą
2. ^ a b c d e Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *leʒran
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *legra-
4. ^ a b c Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. ligrs
5. ^ a b Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 74
6. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. leger
7. ^ a b c 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. legar
8. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *legraz
9. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ligrs
10. ^ a b c d de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. legr
11. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. ligrs
12. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. leger
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *galigriją
14. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 66
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. legar