*missa-

Reconstruction

Wiktionary gives a prefix *missa- "mis-, badly, wrongly" and derives it from the adjective *missaz "wrong; divergent".^[1][2] Orel heads the adjective *missaz,^[3] Köbler *missa-, *missaz, with the ja-stem variants *missja-, *missjaz,^[4] and Heidermanns *missa-.^[5]

Etymology

Wiktionary has the adjective from Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- (“to change, exchange”), through a PIE verbal adjective *mith₂-tó-s,^[2] and EWA likewise traces *missa- to PIE *mith₂-tó-.^[6] Orel calls it an adjective in *-to- based on IE *meit-, comparing Latin mūtō (“to change”).^[3]

Morphology

An adjective, in origin an old verbal adjective in *-to- beside the strong verb *mīþaną "to avoid", whose meaning goes back to "to change, exchange".^[5][7] The double s comes from *-tt-.^[8] Beside the inherited a-stem, Old High German alone has a ja-stem, which EWA takes as an analogical new formation; the two stem types often stand side by side in Germanic.^[9] Only Gothic and Old High German still attest the word on its own; elsewhere it survives as a prefix.^[5]

Evidence

The word is found in all three branches: Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐍃𐍃𐍉 (misso, “each other, mutually”) and compounds with Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐍃𐍃𐌰- (missa-), Old Norse miss (“wrong, false”) and Old Norse ýmiss (“different, alternating”), and the prefix Old English mis-, Old Frisian mis-, Old Saxon mis- beside Old High German missi (“different, various”).^[5][3][10] Heidermanns cites a Proto-Norse dative meaning "misdoer" from the Eggjum stone.^[5] The prefix was borrowed into Medieval Latin, from the 9th century on.^[9]

Competing analyses

Köbler, after Pokorny, starts from an IE *mitto "mutual, each other", related to *meit- "to change, exchange".^[4] Feist and Lehmann compare Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐍃𐍃𐍉 (misso) with Sanskrit and Avestan words for "alternately" and "falsehood" and with the Old Church Slavonic word for "alternately",^[11][12] which Orel writes Proto-Slavic *mitě.^[13] Köbler calls the Gothic prefix of unclear origin.^[14] Kögel, as Orel reports, had connected Latin mittō (“to send”) instead.^[3]

Meanings

1. alternating, mutual^[5][4]
2. different, divergent^[5][2]
3. wrong; as a prefix, mis-, badly, wrongly^[2][1]

Heidermanns takes "alternating" as the starting point, from which "different" and "wrong" developed, comparing German tauschen (“to exchange”) beside German täuschen (“to deceive”).^[5] EWA glosses the Proto-Germanic verbal adjective "alternating, different, wrong".^[15]

Derivatives

• *missadēdiz "misdeed", with *dēdiz;^[16] Orel writes *missa-đēđiz.^[3]
• *missalīkaz "diverse, various";^[17] Orel's *missa-līkaz, Köbler's *missalīka-.^[3][18]
• *missijaną "to go wrong, to miss";^[19] Orel's *missjanan.^[3] EWA derives the verb from the verbal adjective.^[15]
• In Orel, *missō(n) "loss" and the compound *missa-jērjan "season, half-year".^[3]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌼𐌹𐍃𐍃𐍉 (misso, “each other, mutually”)^[11] and the prefix 𐌼𐌹𐍃𐍃𐌰- (missa-, “mis-, different”)^[14]
• Old Norse: miss (“wrong, false”), ýmiss (“different, alternating”)^[10][20]
• Old English: mis- (“mis-”)^[8]
• Old Frisian: mis- (“mis-, un-, bad”)^[21]
• Old Saxon: mis- (“mis-”)^[22]
• Old High German: missi (“different, various”), prefix missi-^[9]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *missa-
2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *missaz
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 272
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *missa-
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. missa-
6. ^ 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. mîdan
7. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 249
8. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. mis-
9. ^ 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. missi
10. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 388
11. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 216
12. ^ 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. 285
13. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 273
14. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. missa-
15. ^ 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. missen
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *missadēdiz
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *missalīkaz
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *missalīka-
19. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *missijaną
20. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 678
21. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. mis-
22. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. mis-