*sunjō

Reconstruction

The word is *sunjō in Orel, Köbler and Wiktionary,^[1][2][3] and Köbler also gives a form *sunþō.^[2] Bammesberger writes *sun-jō,^[4] Casaretto the stem *sunjō-.^[5] Kroonen has no article for the noun, but under the adjective *sunjaz he traces the Gothic, Norse, Saxon and High German nouns to an n-stem *sunjōn-.^[6]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (“to be”): Köbler and Feist connect it with the PIE root for "to be",^[2][7] and Bammesberger starts from the present participle of that root, PIE *s-ont- / *s-n̥t-.^[4]

Morphology

A feminine jō-stem.^[8][4] Bammesberger and Casaretto take it as the oblique stem of the feminine of that participle: its nominative would give Proto-Germanic *sundī, while in the oblique cases the dental was lost before *-j-, giving *sunj-.^[4][5] The paradigm was then levelled both ways: on the nominative a stem *sund-ijō- was made, continued as the word for "sin", and on the oblique stem a new nominative *sunjō.^[4] Kroonen likewise assumes that the dental was regularly lost between *n and *j.^[6] Orel thinks the noun replaces an expected but unattested *sunđjaz from PIE *sn̥ti̯ó-, a zero-grade form related to *sanþaz.^[1]

Evidence

The noun is attested in Gothic, Old Norse and continental West Germanic: Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰 (sunja), Old Norse syn, Old Saxon sunnea and Old High German sunna.^[6][7] The Gothic word is common in Wulfila's Bible, where it renders Greek "truth".^[8] Köbler finds the Old High German word in capitularies of 511–558, in formularies and in laws, and in Latin texts as ⟨sunnis⟩.^[9] Bammesberger counts it among the terms of law and cult whose meaning changed in ways hard to follow in detail.^[4]

Competing analyses

Whether Old English synn (“sin”) belongs here is disputed.^[4][10] Bammesberger derives it from the new nominative *sunjō,^[4] and Wiktionary lists it among the descendants;^[3] Orel instead puts the Old English word, with the Norse, Frisian, Saxon and High German words for "sin", under a separate *sunđjō, related to *sunjaz and *sanþz;^[10] Kroonen sets up *sundjō- "transgression, sin" from PIE *h₁s-nt-ieh₂-, a stem formed on the same base as *sanþaz and *sunjaz.^[6] Feist doubted that the words for "sin" belong with Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌹𐍃 (sunjis, “true”) at all, and noted that if they do, Latin sōns (“guilty”) can be compared.^[7] Orel cites older comparisons with Ancient Greek ἐτεός (eteós, “true”), with sōns and with Ancient Greek ὅσιος (hósios, “holy”).^[1]

Meanings

1. truth^[2][3]
2. an actual situation, reality^[3]
3. excuse; denial, protest against a charge^[2][3]

The senses split in the daughters: Gothic kept "truth", Old Norse has "denial", Old Saxon "plight" and Old High German "lawful excuse".^[6] Old Saxon also used it for misery or illness,^[11] and Old High German for a legally recognised ground for not appearing in court.^[9] De Vries reports Rossell's view that the development ran from "what is, the truth" to "the true state of affairs".^[12]

Derivatives

• *sunjōną "to deny a charge, to excuse oneself", continued in Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌾𐍉𐌽 (sunjon) and Old Norse synja.^[13][6] Kroonen writes it *sunjōjan-.^[6]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰 (sunja, “truth”)^[7]
• Old Norse: syn (“denial; in the plural, need”)^[12]
• Old English: synn (“sin, guilt, crime”), if it belongs here^[14][4]
• Old Saxon: sunnia (“plight”)^[15]
• Old High German: sunna (“truth, excuse, justification”)^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 387
2. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sunjō
3. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sunjō
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 114
5. ^ a b Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter
6. ^ a b c d e f g Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 492
7. ^ a b c d Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. sunja
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sunja
9. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sunna
10. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 386
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sunnia
12. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 573
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sunjōną
14. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. synn
15. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. sunnia