*maganą

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *maganą in Ringe and Wiktionary, with the third person singular *mag and the past *mahtē;^[1][2] Kroonen heads it *mugan-, with the third person singular *mage and plural *mugunþ,^[3] Orel cites it by the third person singular *maʒa,^[4] and Köbler as *mag-.^[5]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- (“to be able”), from a PIE perfect *(me)mógʰe.^[2] Kroonen sets up *mógh-e, *mgh-ńt and compares a Sanskrit noun for "power, wealth, gift" and an Old Church Slavonic verb "to be able".^[3]

Morphology

A preterite-present verb.^[3] Ringe lists it among the few preterite-presents that had no ablaut in Proto-Germanic, and reconstructs the second person singular *maht "you can", with the root consonant replaced by *h before *t.^[1][6] Kroonen thinks the verb originally belonged to the PIE class of unreduplicated perfectives that correspond to the ḫi-verbs of Hittite;^[3] the dialects built their infinitives on either the a or the u of the paradigm, and the e of Old Norse mega is analogical.^[3] Orel notes that most of the forms belong to the fifth strong class.^[4]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌽 (magan), Old Norse mega, Old English magan, Old Frisian muga, Old Saxon mugan and Old High German magan or Old High German mugan.^[3] The Gothic infinitive is not recorded, but the verb is frequent, with the third person singular Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌲 (mag) at Matthew 6:24 and the past 𐌼𐌰𐌷𐍄𐌰 (mahta) at Matthew 8:28.^[7]

Competing analyses

Orel relates the verb to Tocharian B mokats (“mighty”), the Sanskrit noun, Ancient Greek μῆχος (mêkhos, “means, contrivance”), Old Irish do-for-maig (“to increase”), Lithuanian magėti (“to please”) and Slavic *mogti "to be able";^[4] he records Hirt's view that the Slavic verb was borrowed from Germanic.^[4] Lehmann calls the Indo-Iranian comparison problematic.^[7]

Meanings

1. to be able, may^[3][1][2]

Old English also used the verb for "to be allowed" and "to help, to avail",^[8] Old Frisian for "may, shall",^[9] and Old High German for "to like, to want".^[10]

Derivatives

• *mahtiz "power, ability", a ti-stem from the verb;^[11][12] Old Norse máttr continues a tu-stem *mahtu-.^[11]
• *maginą "ability, power, might";^[13] Bammesberger derives it from a primary n-stem *mag-an- to the root of the verb.^[14]
• *magaz "able, strong";^[15] Heidermanns sets up a verbal adjective "capable", recorded only in the negated Old High German unmag.^[16]
• *unmagô "dependent", a person who cannot support himself.^[17]
• *maganōną "to strengthen".^[18]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌼𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌽 (magan, “to be able”)^[19]
• Old Norse: mega (“to be able, can; may”)^[20]
• Old English: magan (“to be able, can; may; to help”)^[8]
• Old Frisian: muga (“to be able, may, to like, shall”)^[9]
• Old Saxon: mugan (“to be able, may”)^[21]
• Old High German: magan (“to be able, to be mighty, may, to like”)^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 292
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *maganą
3. ^ 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. 373
4. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *maʒa
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *mag-
6. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 247
7. ^ 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. s.v. *magan
8. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. magan
9. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. muga
10. ^ a b 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. magan¹
11. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 347
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *mahtiz
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *maginą
14. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 82
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *magaz
16. ^ Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. maga-
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *unmagô
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *maganōną
19. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. magan
20. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. mega
21. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mugan