*augā

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct the nominative singular *augā for Proto-West Germanic,^[1][2] and Wiktionary has the same form;^[3] de Vaan writes West Germanic *augan-.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *augô (“eye”),^[3] which Ringe and Taylor and Kroonen cite by its stem *augōn-^[5][6] and Orel as *auʒōn.^[7] Ringe and Taylor note that the Proto-Germanic endings of the nominative singular cannot be securely reconstructed, because every daughter has remodelled them.^[2] The Proto-West Germanic *-ā of the feminine and neuter n-stems gave Old English ⟨-e⟩ through *-ǣ and ⟨-æ⟩, as in Old English ēage.^[8][9] Ringe and Taylor also cite the word for Proto-West Germanic *au, which appears in most Old English dialects as ⟨ēa⟩:^[5] West Saxon ⟨ēage⟩ became early Mercian ⟨ǣge⟩ and then Mercian ⟨ēge⟩, Northumbrian ⟨ēgo⟩.^[10]

Morphology

A neuter n-stem.^[1][11] Ringe and Taylor's Proto-West Germanic paradigm has the singular nominative and accusative *augā, genitive and dative-instrumental *augini, and the plural nominative and accusative *augōn, genitive *auganō, dative-instrumental *augum.^[1]

Evidence

The word is found in all the West Germanic languages: Old English ēage, Old Frisian āge, Old Saxon ōga and Old High German ouga;^[10] Ringe and Taylor note that Old Saxon attests it only in the plural.^[2] Old Dutch has ōga in the Psalms of the 10th century and in Williram's commentary of 1100.^[12] De Vaan lists it among the words in which *au became a monophthong in Old Dutch, as in Old Saxon, giving Modern Dutch oog.^[4] Old Frisian also has a form ⟨ōge⟩, which Boutkan and Siebinga take for a loan, since it shows the non-Ingvaeonic monophthongization of *au to ⟨ō⟩.^[11]

Meanings

1. eye^[1][3]

Old English also used the word for "opening, hole",^[13] and Old High German also for "look, glance" and "face".^[14]

Derivatives

• *augijan "to show", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[15] Orel derives Proto-Germanic *auʒjanan, continued by Old English ēawan (“to show”), Old Saxon ōgan and Old High German ougen, from the noun.^[16]
• *augahlid "eyelid", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[17] Old Frisian has āghlid.^[18]

Reflexes

• Old English: ēage (“eye, opening, hole”)^[13]
• Old Frisian: āge (“eye”)^[19]
• Old Saxon: ōga (“eye”)^[20]
• Old Dutch: ōga (“eye”)^[12]
• Old High German: ouga (“eye, look, face”)^[14]

References

1. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 117
2. ^ a b c Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 153
3. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *augā
4. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2018), Historical Development of Dutch: Phonology & Morphology, Dialects & Stages, course reader, Leiden Summer School in Languages and Linguistics, p. §4.6
5. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 172
6. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 41
7. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 29
8. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 300
9. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 333
10. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 309
11. ^ a b Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. age
12. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. ōga
13. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. eage
14. ^ a b Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. ouga
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *augijan
16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 28
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *augahlid
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. âge
19. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. āge
20. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ôga