*skūmaz

Reconstruction

The word is *skūmaz in Wiktionary,^[1] *skūma- in Köbler^[2] and *skuman, with a short vowel, in Orel.^[3] EWA reconstructs West Germanic *skūma(n)-.^[4]

Etymology

Wiktionary has it from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to cover, to hide”);^[1] Orel likewise derives it from *skeu-, comparing a Sanskrit verb "to cover".^[3]

Morphology

A masculine a-stem in Köbler;^[2] Orel gives it as neuter or masculine.^[3] The Old High German noun is masculine, but its records do not show its stem class for certain.^[4]

Evidence

The word is recorded in West Germanic: Old High German skūm, from the 11th century in glosses, and Middle Low German and Middle Dutch forms.^[4] Köbler reconstructs a Gothic *skūms from the Romance words Italian schiuma and French écume.^[5] The Scandinavian words for "foam" are often taken as loans from Middle Low German, but EWA allows that they could be inherited, the short u being a secondary shortening before m.^[4] Middle Dutch schom seems to continue a short-vowelled West Germanic *skuma-.^[4]

Meanings

1. foam^[2][3][1]
2. film, scum, froth, grime, yeast^[1]

In Old High German the word also meant "spray",^[4] and Middle High German also used it for "slag".^[4]

Reflexes

• Old High German: skūm (“foam, spray”)^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skūmaz
2. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *skūma-
3. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 345
4. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. skûm
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *skūms