*feurþō

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *feurþō "fourth" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1] Orel writes that West Germanic turned *feđurþōn into *feurþōn,^[2] and Ringe and Taylor already reconstruct *feurþō̄ for Proto-Northwest Germanic, the source of Old Norse fjórði.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *fedurþô (“fourth”),^[1] which Orel reconstructs as *feđurþōn, derived from the cardinal *feđwōrez, *feđurez "four".^[2] Boutkan and Siebinga set up Proto-Germanic *feurþan-.^[4]

Morphology

An ordinal numeral.^[5][6]

Evidence

The ordinal is attested as Old English fēorþa, Old Frisian fiārda, Old Saxon fiortho and Old High German fiordo.^[3][7] Early Old High German also has ⟨feortho⟩.^[4] Köbler dates the first Old High German records to the end of the 8th century.^[8] Ringe and Taylor note that the Old Frisian outcome ⟨iā⟩ differs from the ⟨ēo⟩ of Old English ⟨fēorþa⟩.^[3]

Competing analyses

Wiktionary takes the *d of the Proto-Germanic form to have been removed by analogy with the cardinal *feuwar.^[1] Boutkan and Siebinga hold that the word must have lost the first of its two dentals by dissimilation, referring to Stiles.^[4]

Meanings

1. fourth^[3][1]

Reflexes

• Old English: fēorþa (“fourth”)^[9]
• Old Frisian: fiārda (“fourth”)^[7]
• Old Saxon: fiortho (“fourth”)^[5]
• Old High German: fiordo (“fourth”)^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *feurþō
2. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 96
3. ^ 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. 174
4. ^ a b c Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. fiarda
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fiortho
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fiārda
7. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. fiārda
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fiordo
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. féorþa
10. ^ 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. fiordo