*rēdaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *rēdaną in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *rēđanan in Orel^[3] and *rēdan or *rǣdan in Köbler;^[4] Kroonen cites the stem *rēdan-,^[5] Seebold RÆD-A-.^[6]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₁dʰ- (“to think, arrange”), through a PIE present *Hréh₁dʰeti;^[2] Kroonen derives it from a thematic present to this root, which he analyses as *h₂reh₁- extended with the root *dʰeh₁-.^[5][7]

Morphology

A reduplicating strong verb, with the principal parts *rēdaną, *rerōd, *rerdun, *rēdanaz; the reduplication survives only in Gothic and in Mercian Old English.^[8][9] Seebold sees reflexes of the old reduplication in the Old English forms with rd, and notes that the verb mixed with the weak verb seen in Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (raidjan), so that in later Old English it inflects as a weak verb.^[6] Mailhammer classes its IE etymology as inexact.^[9]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic only in compounds such as Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌽 (garedan), and Old Norse ráða, Old English rǣdan, Old Frisian rēda, Old Saxon rādan and Old High German rātan.^[5][10] Looijenga reads one word of the Britsum inscription either as a present of a verb "to prepare" or as a past of this strong verb.^[11] Outside Germanic, Orel compares Old Irish imm-rádaim (“to think over, to consider”), Lithuanian ródyti (“to show”) and Proto-Slavic *raditi (“to think over, to care for”), and Kroonen Sanskrit and Old Avestan verbs meaning "to succeed" and "to fit".^[3][5]

Competing analyses

Kroonen takes *rōdijaną "to speak" as the causative of this verb, pointing to the meaning of the Old Irish verb,^[7] while Feist left open whether Gothic 𐍂𐍉𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (rodjan, “to speak”) belongs with it.^[12] Hill derived *razdō- "voice" from the same root, a reconstruction Kroonen finds formally difficult.^[13]

Meanings

1. to decide^[5][2]
2. to advise, to counsel^[2][4][8]
3. to plan^[1]
4. to interpret^[2]

Old Norse also used the verb for "to rule" and "to guess",^[14] and Old English for "to read".^[15][6] Kroonen thinks that the related *radō- "row" points to an original meaning "to order".^[16]

Derivatives

• *rēdaz "advice, counsel";^[17] Orel's *rēđan or *rēđaz.^[18]
• *rēswō "counsel, deliberation", with *-þwō.^[19]
• With prefixes: *garēdaną "to advise, to support" and *uzrēdaną "to guess".^[20][21]
• *radō- "row", probably related.^[16]
• Compounds in Orel: *rēđa-ʒebōn "counsellor" and *rēđa-lausaz "shiftless, ill-advised".^[18]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌽 (garedan, “to aim at, to be intent on”)^[10]
• Old Norse: ráða (“to advise, to rule, to guess”)^[14]
• Old English: rǣdan (“to advise, to plan, to decide, to rule, to read”)^[15]
• Old Frisian: rēda (“to advise, to protect, to help, to plan, to decide”)^[22]
• Old Saxon: rādan (“to consult, to guess, to take care of”)^[23]
• Old High German: rātan (“to advise, to consider, to help, to decide”)^[24]

References

1. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 215
2. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *rēdaną
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 304
4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *rēdan
5. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 408
6. ^ a b c Seebold, Elmar (1970), Vergleichendes und etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen starken Verben, The Hague / Paris: Mouton, p. RÆD-A-
7. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 415
8. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 278
9. ^ a b Mailhammer, Robert (2007), The Germanic Strong Verbs: Foundations and Development of a New System, Trends in Linguistics 183, Berlin / New York: Mouton de Gruyter, p. 225
10. ^ 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. 176
11. ^ Looijenga, Tineke (2003), Texts and Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 309
12. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 237
13. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 407
14. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 431
15. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. rǣdan
16. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 401
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *rēdaz
18. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 303
19. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *rēswō
20. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *garēdaną
21. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *uzrēdaną
22. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. rēda
23. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. RĀDAN
24. ^ 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. râtan