*werþaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *werþaną in Wiktionary and Ringe,^[1][2] *werþanan in Orel^[3] and *werþan in Köbler.^[4] Kroonen cites the stem *werþan-,^[5] Mailhammer +werþa-.^[6]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn”):^[2] Ringe starts from the PIE present *wért-e/o- "to be turning", which in pre-Proto-Germanic came to mean "to turn into".^[7] LIV sets up the full-grade present *u̯ért-e- of the root *u̯ert- "to turn around" for the Gothic verb,^[8] and Wiktionary the PIE third person *wért-e-ti.^[1]

Morphology

A strong verb of class III.^[6][4] Mailhammer puts it among the strong verbs with an accepted Indo-European etymology.^[6] Ringe counts it among the about fifteen securely reconstructable verbs of its subclass, with the principal parts *werþaną, *warþ, *wurdun, *wurdanaz; the past plural and the participle have d.^[9] The past *warþ "it became" continues the PIE perfect *wewórte "it has turned into".^[7] In North Germanic the þ was voiced, so that *werþanan gave Old Norse verða.^[10] Kroonen explains the West Norse preterites with t from a word-final þ in the Old Norse preterite, from Proto-Germanic *warþe.^[5]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌰𐌽 (wairþan) in Gothic, Old Norse verða in Old Norse, and Old English weorðan, Old Frisian wertha, Old Saxon werthan and Old High German werdan in West Germanic.^[5] The Gothic verb is in Wulfila's Bible.^[11] Outside Germanic, Orel compares Tocharian A wart- (“to throw”), Latin vertō (“to turn”) and Proto-Slavic *vьrtěti (“to turn, to spin”),^[3] and Ringe also the Latin verb.^[2]

Meanings

1. to become^[5][3][2][1]
2. to come about, to happen, to come into existence^[5][1]
3. to turn^[4]
4. with a past participle, forming the passive voice^[1]

Kroonen thinks that the original meaning "to turn" developed into "to become" in Germanic, and that Old High German wurst (“sausage”) may keep the older "to twist".^[5] Harbert finds that the earliest Germanic had periphrastic passives with "be" and "become" as competing auxiliaries.^[12] Gothic also used the verb for "to be born" and "to arise".^[11]

Derivatives

• *wardijaną "to destroy, to ruin", originally its causative;^[13] Kroonen's *wardjan- "to cause to degenerate", from *uort-éie-,^[14] Orel's *warđjanan.^[15]
• *frawerþaną "to perish", with *fra-.^[16]
• *wurdi- "fate, chance", an i-stem to the root of the verb.^[17]
• The adjectives *werđaz, as in 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐍃 (anawairþs, “future”), and *warđaz, both derived from the verb in Orel.^[18][19] Orel also derives *werþaz "worth" from it.^[20]
• *werduz "host" may belong here through a meaning "turn" or "participation".^[21][22] Kroonen gives this as the alternative to a root *(H)uer-.^[21]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌰𐌽 (wairþan, “to become”)^[23]
• Old Norse: verða (“to become, to come forth, to happen”)^[24]
• Old English: weorþan (“to become, to arise, to happen”)^[25]
• Old Frisian: wertha (“to become, to happen, to fall to”)^[26]
• Old Saxon: werthan (“to become”)^[27]
• Old Dutch: werthan (“to become, to come forth, to arise”)^[4]
• Old High German: werdan (“to become”)^[28]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *werþaną
2. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 116
3. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *werþanan
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *werþan
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. 581
6. ^ a b c 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. 221
7. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 181
8. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *u̯ert-
9. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 270
10. ^ Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins
11. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. waírþan
12. ^ Harbert, Wayne (2007), The Germanic Languages, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wardijaną
14. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 574
15. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *warđjanan
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *frawerþaną
17. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 600
18. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *werđaz
19. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *warđaz I
20. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *werþaz
21. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 579
22. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *werduz
23. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. wairþan
24. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. verða
25. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. weorþan
26. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. wertha
27. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. werthan
28. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. werdan