*dailijan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *dailijan "to divide" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *dailijaną (“to divide, to share”),^[1] which Kroonen cites as *dailjan-, Köbler as *dailjan and Orel as *đailjanan.^[2][3][4] Kroonen calls it a factitive verb to the noun *daili- "part, share",^[2] and Orel and Wiktionary also derive it from that noun, Wiktionary's Proto-Germanic *dailiz (“part”).^[4][5] For Proto-West Germanic, Wiktionary analyses the verb as *daili "part, division" with the suffix *-jan.^[1]

Morphology

A weak verb of class I.^[6][7]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English dǣlan,^[8] Old Frisian dēla,^[9] Old Saxon dēlian in the Heliand,^[6] Old Dutch dēlon, with the infinitive ⟨deilon⟩ in the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century, known from a copy of about 1600,^[10] and Old High German teilen, from the last quarter of the 8th century.^[7] Outside West Germanic, Kroonen cites Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌹𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (dailjan) and Old Norse deila.^[2][5]

Meanings

1. to divide^[1]

Old Frisian also used the verb for "to judge, to decree",^[9] Old Saxon for "to pass sentence",^[6] and Old High German for "to distribute" and "to condemn".^[7]

Derivatives

• *fradailijan "to deal away, to distribute", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[11] Old English fordǣlan and Old High German firteilen have the prefix.^[12][13]
• *uʀdailī "allotment, share", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[14] Köbler takes Old English ordāl (“ordeal”) for a loan from Old Frankish and compares the Old Frisian, Old Saxon and Old High German words.^[15]

Reflexes

• Old English: dǣlan (“to divide, to distribute”)^[8]
• Old Frisian: dēla (“to divide, to distribute, to judge”)^[9]
• Old Saxon: dēlian (“to divide, to share, to pass sentence”)^[6]
• Old Dutch: deilon (“to divide”)^[10]
• Old High German: teilen (“to divide, to distribute, to condemn”)^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *dailijan
2. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 87
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *dailjan
4. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 67
5. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *dailijaną
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dêlian
7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. teilen
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dǣlan
9. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. dēla
10. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. dēlon
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fradailijan
12. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fordǣlan
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. firteilen
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *uʀdailī
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ordāl