*dādi

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *dādi for Proto-West Germanic,^[1][2] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *dēdiz (“deed”),^[1][4] which Kroonen cites by its stem *dēdi-, Orel as *đēđiz and Köbler as *dēdi-, *dǣdi-.^[4][5][6] The Northwest Germanic change of *ē to *ā made Proto-Germanic *dēdiz into Proto-Northwest Germanic *dādiz, the source of Old Norse dáð and of the West Germanic words.^[7] Proto-Northwest Germanic *dādiz then gave Proto-West Germanic *dādi.^[1]

Morphology

A feminine i-stem.^[8][9] Ringe and Taylor's Proto-West Germanic paradigm has the singular nominative and accusative *dādi, genitive, dative and instrumental *dādī, and the plural nominative *dādī, accusative perhaps *dādį̄, genitive *dādijō and dative-instrumental *dādim.^[8] The long *-ī of the dative and instrumental singular would not be expected from Proto-Germanic; they take it to have been adopted from the genitive in Proto-West Germanic, as the Old High German feminine dative and instrumental in -i, not lost after heavy stems, suggests.^[8] Kroonen takes the Proto-Germanic noun for a ti-stem from the root of *dōn- "to do".^[4]

Evidence

The noun is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English dǣd, Old Frisian dēde, Old Saxon dād and Old High German tāt.^[2] In Old English the vowel became West Saxon ǣ and Mercian ē, and the final *-i was lost after the heavy syllable: West Saxon has dǣd, Mercian and Anglian dēd.^[1][2] In Old Dutch, the Old Low Franconian psalms have the accusative plural deda,^[10] and Williram's commentary of about 1100 has daaden.^[11]

Meanings

1. deed^[2][3]

Old Frisian also used the word for "crime",^[1] and for "wound";^[12] Old Saxon also for "event, power, omen",^[9] and Old High German for "action, event, thing".^[13]

Derivatives

• *balwadādi "misdeed, evil deed", which Wiktionary reconstructs and takes for a possible calque of Latin maleficium;^[14] Old Saxon has the compound baludād.^[9]
• *firinudādi "wicked deed, crime", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[15] Old English, Old Saxon and Old High German have the compound.^[16][9][17]
• Wiktionary reconstructs Proto-Germanic *missadēdiz (“misdeed”);^[18] Orel lists the compound in Old English, Old Saxon and Old High German.^[19]

Reflexes

• Old English: dǣd (“deed, action, event”)^[20]
• Old Frisian: dēde (“deed, act, wound, crime”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: dād (“deed”)^[21]
• Old Dutch: dāt (“deed”)^[11]
• Old High German: tāt (“deed, action, event, thing”)^[13]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 149
2. ^ 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. 287
3. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *dādi
4. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 92
5. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 72
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *dēdi-
7. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 12
8. ^ a b c Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 115
9. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dād
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dād
11. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. dāt
12. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. dēde
13. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. tāt
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *balwadādi
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *firinudādi
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dǣd
17. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. firintāt
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *missadēdiz
19. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 272
20. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. dǣd
21. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 77