*tō

Reconstruction

A preposition *tō in Orel, Köbler and Wiktionary.^[1][2][3]

Etymology

Wiktionary has it inherited from Proto-Indo-European *doh₁ (“to”), the instrumental singular of PIE *de "to, towards".^[3] Schaffner likewise derives *tō from a Pre-Germanic *dó, from *do-h₁ "hither", an instrumental of extent.^[4] Köbler starts from an IE adverb *dō- "hither", with a question mark.^[2]

Morphology

A preposition,^[1][2] used also as an adverb in Old English and Old Saxon.^[5][2] Beside the long-vowel forms, West Germanic has forms with a different vowel, Old English te, Old Frisian te, Old Saxon te and Old High German zi.^[1] Schaffner thinks that Old High German zi and ze are most likely weak-stress developments of Old High German zuo inside Old High German, not old ablaut variants.^[4] Köbler sets up a separate verbal prefix *te "to, apart", which he refers to *tō.^[6]

Evidence

The word is attested only in West Germanic: Old English tō, Old Frisian tō, Old Saxon tō and Old High German zuo.^[1][2] As the infinitive marker, the Scandinavian languages use prepositions going back to Old Norse at, the West Germanic languages reflexes of *tō.^[7] Outside Germanic, Orel finds it close to Latin dōnec (“up to”), Latvian da and Proto-Slavic *do.^[1] Holthausen also compares Lithuanian da and Old Irish do.^[5]

Competing analyses

Whether Gothic 𐌳𐌿 (du, “to, towards”) belongs here is disputed.^[8][7] Feist called it wholly isolated, so that a loan from Slavic had been considered, and found Delbrück's view that it is the proclitic form of *tō very doubtful.^[8] Lehmann, on the other hand, thought the proclitic explanation the most likely of the proposed etymologies,^[9] and Orel cites J. Schmidt for deriving it from *tō.^[1] Harbert holds that, despite the resemblance, it cannot be related to *tō for phonological reasons.^[7] Holthausen and Köbler call its origin unknown.^[10][11]

Meanings

1. to^[1][2][3]

Old English also used it as an adverb, "thereto",^[5] and Old Frisian also for "until, up to", "as, for" and "concerning".^[12]

Reflexes

• Old English: tō (“to, thereto”)^[5]
• Old Frisian: tō (“to, at, until”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: tō (“to”), in Orel's and Köbler's lists^[1][2]
• Old High German: zuo (“to, in, at”), in Orel's and Köbler's lists^[1][2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 408
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *tō
3. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *tō
4. ^ a b Schaffner, Stefan (2001), Das Vernersche Gesetz und der innerparadigmatische grammatische Wechsel des Urgermanischen im Nominalbereich, Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft 103, Innsbruck, p. 259
5. ^ a b c d Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. tō
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *te
7. ^ a b c Harbert, Wayne (2007), The Germanic Languages, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
8. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. du
9. ^ 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. s.v. du
10. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Gotisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. du
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. du
12. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. tō