*witaną

Reconstruction

The verb is *witaną in Ringe and Wiktionary^[1][2] and the stem *witan- in Kroonen.^[3] Orel heads it by the preterite-present form *waita.^[4] Köbler lists it as *weitan (1), *wītan "to see, to know", together with the forms of the related strong verb.^[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *wóyde (“to have seen, to know”):^[2] Kroonen derives it from a PIE primary perfect, third person singular *uoid-e, plural *uid-nt, giving Proto-Germanic *waite, *witun.^[3] Orel likewise starts from the IE perfect *u̯oida of *u̯eid-.^[4]

Morphology

A preterite-present verb.^[3] Ringe gives its principal parts as *witaną, *wait, *wissē, *wissaz.^[1] The second person singular was *waist, with *s replacing the root-final dental before *-t.^[6] Ringe holds that past forms such as *wissēdun "they knew" come from remodelling, not from haplology.^[7] The infinitive has the weak grade of the present, as in *witan- beside *wit-u-.^[8]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (witan) in Gothic, Old Norse vita in Old Norse, and Old English witan, Old Frisian wita, Old Saxon witan and Old High German wizzan in West Germanic.^[3] The Gothic verb is in Wulfila's Bible.^[9] LÄGLOS records a suggestion that Finnish viitata (“to point, to mark a way”) was borrowed from it, but finds a derivation from Finnish viitta (“way-mark”), itself a Germanic loan, sufficient.^[10] Its cognates include Ancient Greek οἶδα (oîda, “I know”) and the Slavic perfect *vědě.^[4]

Competing analyses

Kroonen explains the meaning: the root Proto-Indo-European *weyd- meant "to see", and in perfective use came to mean "to know" through "to have seen"; he derives the related strong verb *wītaną from a thematic present *uéid-e-.^[3]

Meanings

1. to know^[3][4][2]

Old Norse also used it for "to show, to perceive, to be conscious",^[11] and Old Frisian for "to swear, to testify".^[12]

Derivatives

• *wissaz "certain", the old past participle, from *uid-to-,^[13] with *gawissaz "certain, sure" and *unwissaz "uncertain".^[14][15]
• *witōþą "law", an inherited t-stem built on the root,^[16] continued in Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐍄𐍉𐌸 (witoþ).^[17]
• *witją "knowledge, understanding, wit",^[18] which Orel writes *witjan.^[17]
• A noun for "one who knows", Orel's *witōn, with *unwitô "ignorant person";^[19] it is continued in Gothic 𐌿𐌽𐍅𐌹𐍄𐌰 (unwita) and Old English wita (“wise man”).^[17]
• *witraz "knowing, wise", a ro-stem adjective.^[20]
• *witāną "to know, to see",^[21] which Ringe glosses "to observe, to pay attention to".^[22]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍅𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (witan, “to know”)^[9]
• Old Norse: vita (“to know, to show, to perceive”)^[11]
• Old English: witan (“to know, to understand, to feel”)^[23]
• Old Frisian: wita (“to know, to swear, to testify”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: witan (“to know”)^[24]
• Old High German: wizzan (“to know”), in Kroonen's cognate list^[3]

References

1. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 290
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *witaną
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. 589
4. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 441
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *weitan
6. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 247
7. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 193
8. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1986), Der Aufbau des germanischen Verbalsystems, Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. witan
10. ^ 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. 405–406
11. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 669
12. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. wita
13. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 588
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gawissaz
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *unwissaz
16. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 590
17. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 464
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *witją
19. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *unwitô
20. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *witraz
21. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *witāną
22. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 289
23. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. witan
24. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. witan