*etan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs the infinitive *etan.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *etaną (“to eat”),^[2] which Kroonen cites by its stem *etan- and Orel as *etanan.^[3][4] The Proto-Germanic past plural *ētun "they ate" became Proto-Northwest and Proto-West Germanic *ātun.^[5][6]

Morphology

A strong verb of class V.^[7][8] Its irregularity is the past singular *ēt, with the long vowel of the plural, as also in *fra-ēt to *fra-etanan "to devour".^[9] EWA takes this levelling of the plural vowel into the singular for a Proto-Germanic one, continued by Old English ǣt, Old Frisian ēt and Old High German āz.^[10] One of the explanations Hogg and Fulk find likeliest for the long *ǣ in the past plural of the strong verbs is that it arose in this verb, by contraction of the root vowel with the reduplicating vowel of the Indo-European perfect or with the augment of the imperfect.^[11]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English etan, Old Frisian eta, Old Saxon etan and Old High German ezzan,^[2] and Old Dutch etan, recorded in the Old Low Franconian psalms.^[12][13] In Mercian and Northumbrian Old English it underwent back umlaut, giving eotan and eotta, eatta.^[2] Holthausen explains the Old Frisian form ita as a derailment of the ablaut.^[14]

Meanings

1. to eat^[2][1]

Old High German also used the verb for "to graze" and "to devour".^[10]

Derivatives

• *fraetan "to devour, to eat up", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[15] Kroonen traces Old English fretan and Old High German frezzan to Proto-Germanic *fra-etan-.^[3]
• *etul "gluttonous", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[16] Orel derives Proto-Germanic *etulaz, the source of Old English etol, from the verb.^[4]
• Proto-Germanic *ēsą (“carrion, bait”), which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[17] Kroonen takes *ēsa- for an s-stem derived from *etan-.^[3]
• De Vaan derives Middle Dutch ate (“food”) from *ǣta-, a derivative of *etan- found also in Old Saxon āt and Old High German āz.^[18]

Reflexes

• Old English: etan (“to eat”)^[14]
• Old Frisian: ita (“to eat”)^[19]
• Old Saxon: etan (“to eat”)^[20]
• Old Dutch: etan (“to eat”)^[12]
• Old High German: ezzan (“to eat, to graze, to devour”)^[10]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *etan
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. 325
3. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 119
4. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 86
5. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 11
6. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 149
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. etan
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. etan
9. ^ Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins, p. 289
10. ^ a b c 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. ezzan
11. ^ Hogg, Richard M.; Fulk, R. D. (2011), A Grammar of Old English, vol. 2: Morphology, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, p. 228
12. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. etan
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. etan
14. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. etan
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fraetan
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *etul
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ēsą
18. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2017), The Dawn of Dutch: Language Contact in the Western Low Countries before 1200, NOWELE Supplement Series 30, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins, p. 497
19. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. ita
20. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 109