Etymologically

Etymology and origin of the Proto-Germanic word *teuhaną

Confidence
Established
From
Proto-Indo-European *dewk-
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Proto-Germanic *teuhaną
Proto-West Germanic *teuhan
German ziehen

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *teuhaną in Ringe and Wiktionary,[1][2] cited by its stem *teuhan- in Kroonen[3] and as *teuxanan in Orel;[4] Köbler writes *teuhan.[5]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to pull, lead”):[2][6] Kroonen derives it from a West European present *déuk-e-, formally identical with Latin dūcō (“to lead, conduct”).[3]

Morphology

A strong verb of class II.[7][8] Ringe gives the principal parts *teuhaną, *tauh, *tugun, *tuganaz, with the grammatical change of *h to *g in the past plural and participle.[1] Mailhammer puts it among the strong verbs with an accepted IE etymology.[7]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍄𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌽 (tiuhan), the participle Old Norse toginn (“drawn”), and Old English tēon, Old Frisian tiā, Old Saxon tiohan and Old High German ziohan in West Germanic.[3][4] In Old Norse the strong verb survives only in the participle; the infinitive with the sense "to pull" is lost, and the weak Old Norse tjóa (“to help”) continues it.[9][10] The Gothic verb is in Wulfila's Bible, for instance at Luke 6:39 and John 18:28.[11] Outside Germanic, Kroonen and Orel compare Latin dūcō, Welsh dwyn (“to lead, carry”) and Albanian nduk (“to pull out”).[3][4]

Competing analyses

Koivulehto derived Proto-Finnic *johta-, the Finnic verb "to lead" (Finnish johtaa), from a Proto-Norse form of the verb, *tiuh- or *tioh-.[10] LÄGLOS points out that this requires the Germanic diphthong to have become rising already, and a substitution of a Finnic initial j for the Germanic cluster, for which there is no parallel.[10]

Meanings

  1. to pull[3][5][1]
  2. to lead[1][2]
  3. to pull behind oneself, to draw, to drag[2]

Köbler adds "to help", after the Old Norse verb.[5] Gothic used it for "to lead, to guide",[3] Old Saxon and Old High German also for "to educate, to bring up",[3] and Old Frisian also for "to support" and "to witness".[12]

Derivatives

  • *taumaz "rein, bridle, rope", a mo-stem from earlier *taugmaz.[13][14]
  • *tuhtiz "pulling", a ti-stem, continued in Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍄𐍃 (ustauhts, “completion”).[15][16]
  • *tukkōną "to pull, to jerk", the iterative, Kroonen's *tukk/gōn-.[15][17]
  • *taugō "pulling; cord, rope", an ō-stem with the o-grade of the root.[18][19]
  • *tugnaną "to be led, to be pulled", a verb in *-n-.[6][20]
  • *taugijaną "to stretch, to draw".[21] Orel writes the causative *tauʒjanan.[22]

Reflexes

  • Gothic: 𐍄𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌽 (tiuhan, “to pull, to lead”)[23]
  • Old Norse: toginn (“drawn”), the past participle[24]
  • Old English: tēon (“to pull, draw, lead”)[25]
  • Old Frisian: tiā (“to pull, to bring up, to support”)[12]
  • Old Saxon: tiohan (“to pull, to educate”)[8]
  • Old High German: ziohan (“to pull, to lead, to bring up”)[26]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 268
  2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *teuhaną
  3. ^ 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. 515
  4. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 405
  5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *teuhan
  6. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 246
  7. ^ 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. 217
  8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. tiohan
  9. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 592, 594
  10. ^ a b c 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. 140
  11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. tiuhan
  12. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. tiā
  13. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 511
  14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *taumaz
  15. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 525
  16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *tuhtiz
  17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *tukkōną
  18. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 247
  19. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *taugō
  20. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *tugnaną
  21. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *taugijaną
  22. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 402
  23. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. tiuhan
  24. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 594
  25. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. téon
  26. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ziohan

Related etymologies

  • *stainaz · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *beraną · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *fadēr · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *watōr · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *ga- · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *frijaz · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *fallaną · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *standaną · also from Proto-Indo-European
Cite this entry

“*teuhaną.” Etymologically, 16 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/gem-pro/*teuhan%C4%85. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·