*sōkijaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *sōkijaną in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *sōkjanan in Orel^[3] and *sōkjan in Köbler;^[4] Kroonen cites the stem *sōkjan-.^[5]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂g- (“to seek out”), through a PIE *séh₂gyeti.^[2] Kroonen sets up *seh₂g-ie- and compares Ancient Greek ἡγέομαι (hēgéomai, “to direct, to lead”) and Latin sāgiō (“to perceive”).^[5]

Morphology

A weak verb of class I.^[4] Ringe counts it among the few class I weak verbs with an anomalous past: *sōkijaną, *sōhtē, *sōhtaz, citing the Gothic, Old Norse, Old English and Old High German forms.^[1] He uses it as his model weak verb of that class.^[6]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (sokjan), Old Norse sœkja, Old English sēcan, Old Frisian sēka, Old Saxon sōkian and Old High German suohhen.^[5] Fulk cites Old English sēcan, beside Gothic 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (sōkjan), for the Old English change of ō to ē.^[7] In Koivulehto's view Finnish hakea (“to fetch, to seek”) was borrowed from an early Proto-Germanic form of this verb.^[8] Hofstra pointed out that a source with a, like the strong verb *sakan-, is also possible.^[8]

Competing analyses

Kroonen relates the verb to the strong verb *sakan- "to charge", but thinks it is not a causative: it only looks like one, while the e-grades of the Greek and Latin cognates and the non-causative meaning speak against such a formation.^[5][9] Orel, by contrast, calls it a factitive of *sakanan, and relates it to Hittite šak- (“to know”), the Greek and Latin verbs and Old Irish saigim (“to seek out”).^[3] Feist set up a root *sag-.^[10]

Meanings

1. to seek, to look for^[1][2]
2. to find, to demand^[5]

Old Norse also used the verb for "to visit, to attack, to bring to court",^[11] Old Frisian for "to demand, to visit, to attack, to hold liable in court",^[12] and Old Saxon for "to claim".^[5]

Derivatives

• *sōkniz "investigation; dispute",^[13] Orel's *sōkniz, which he derives from the verb.^[14]
• *sōkīniz "a seeking, a search", continued by Gothic 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (sokeins).^[15]
• Orel's adjective *sōkiz, behind Gothic 𐌿𐌽𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃𐍉𐌺𐍃 (unandsoks, “indisputable”).^[16]
• With prefixes: *gasōkijaną "to seek out; to obtain" and *uzsōkijaną "to search for".^[17][18]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (sokjan, “to seek”)^[10]
• Old Norse: sœkja (“to seek, to visit, to attack, to bring to court”)^[11]
• Old English: sēcan (“to seek, to strive, to visit, to attack”)^[19]
• Old Frisian: sēka (“to seek, to demand, to visit, to attack”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: sōkian (“to seek, to visit, to demand, to sue”)^[20]
• Old High German: suohhen (“to seek, to inquire, to ask”)^[21]

References

1. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 281
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sōkijaną
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *sōkjanan
4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sōkjan
5. ^ a b c d e f Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 464
6. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 297–299
7. ^ Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins
8. ^ a b Kylstra, A. D.; Hahmo, Sirkka-Liisa; Hofstra, Tette; Nikkilä, Osmo (1991–2012), Lexikon der älteren germanischen Lehnwörter in den ostseefinnischen Sprachen, 3 vols, Amsterdam / Atlanta / New York: Rodopi, p. 68
9. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 423
10. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. sokjan
11. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. sækja
12. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sēka
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sōkniz
14. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *sōkniz
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sōkīniz
16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *sōkiz
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gasōkijaną
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *uzsōkijaną
19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sœ̄can
20. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sōkian
21. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. suohhen