*mann-

Reconstruction

Wiktionary's title is the stem *mann-;^[1] Ringe also writes *mann-,^[2] Orel *mannz,^[3] Kroonen *mannan-^[4] and Köbler *manna-, *mannaz beside an n-stem *manōn.^[5]

Etymology

Ringe has it inherited from Proto-Indo-European *mánu-s ~ *mánw- (“person”), the word continued by the Sanskrit word for "man", with *nw becoming *nn as in *minn- "less".^[6] The PIE source is disputed: see below.^[7]

Morphology

A masculine noun, one of the few masculine monosyllabic consonant stems, with *fōt- "foot" and *tanþ- "tooth".^[2] Kroonen describes it as an n-stem in the singular and a root noun in the plural: an original *mannō, plural *mannaniz, became *mannō, *manniz by regular syncope in the sequence *-nnan-, and the n-stem endings were then removed from the singular everywhere except Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌽𐌰 (manna) and Old English manna.^[7] Feist set the weak stem beside a consonant stem, seen in the genitive Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐍃 (mans).^[8] Casaretto prefers two words, a consonant stem *man- and an n-stem *man-an-, mixed before the separate languages.^[9] Boutkan notes that the handbooks usually take it as an old n-stem with the stem *man-n- generalised.^[10]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌽𐌰 (manna), Old Norse maðr, Old English mann, Old Frisian mon, Old Saxon man and Old High German man.^[4][3] The Old Norse form comes from a Proto-Norse *mannR.^[11] Tacitus names Mannus as the ancestor of the Germans,^[3] a Latinisation of a West Germanic nominative *mann, from *man-n.^[12]

Competing analyses

Kroonen rejects the link with the Sanskrit word, because *men-u- would regularly give *minn- in Germanic, and thinks the word split off from the PIE word for "man", *dʰǵʰm-on-, also behind *gumô: the accusative stem lost its initial stops, since the cluster could not stand in Germanic, and the geminate arose in an analogical paradigm, after Berneker.^[7] Wiktionary gives Proto-Indo-European *mon- (“man”) or Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to mind”) and reports Kroonen's view as the alternative.^[1] Bammesberger holds that the formation cannot be settled, but that there is hardly any doubt that the word belongs to the root *men-.^[13] Casaretto traces the connection with *men- "to think", originally "thinker", to Bopp.^[9] Orel relates it to the Sanskrit word, to Avestan manuš-, found in proper names, and to Proto-Slavic *mǫžь.^[3]

Meanings

1. man^[4][3]
2. human being, person^[1]
3. the name of the rune ᛗ, m^[1][5]

Old English also used the word for "hero" and "servant",^[14] Old Frisian for "husband" and "vassal",^[15] Old High German for "husband, servant, soldier, retainer, hero".^[12]

Derivatives

• *manniskaz "human", with the suffix *-iskaz;^[16][7] from it Kroonen's *manniskan- "man, mankind".^[7]
• *manakunją "mankind".^[17]
• Compounds: *harjamann- "warrior"^[18] and *skipamann- "sailor";^[19] in Orel, *kaupa-mannz "merchant", *akra-mannz "farmer" and *ala-mannz "mankind", which he compares with the tribal name Latin Alamanni.^[3]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌽𐌰 (manna, “man, human being”)^[8]
• Old Norse: maðr (“man, human being”)^[11]
• Old English: mann (“human being, man; hero, servant”)^[14]
• Old Frisian: mon (“man, human being, husband, vassal”)^[15]
• Old Saxon: man (“man, human being, youth, servant”)^[20]
• Old High German: man (“human being, husband, servant, warrior, hero”)^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *mann-
2. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 105
3. ^ a b c d e f Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *mannz
4. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 353
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *manna-
6. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 165
7. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 354
8. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. manna
9. ^ a b Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ Boutkan, Dirk (1995), The Germanic 'Auslautgesetze', Leiden Studies in Indo-European 4, Amsterdam / Atlanta: Rodopi, p. § 3.2.16
11. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. maðr
12. ^ 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. man¹
13. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 200
14. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. mann
15. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. mon
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *manniskaz
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *manakunją
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *harjamann-
19. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skipamann-
20. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. man