*gabulu

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *gabulu "fork" for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2] EWA writes the West Germanic form *gablō-, in which a vowel later developed between *b and *l.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *gabalō (“fork”) in Köbler's reconstruction, who also writes *gablō;^[4] Orel sets up *ʒaƀlaz.^[5] EWA finds a counterpart only in Celtic, as in Old Irish gabul (“fork, forked branch”) and Welsh gafl (“fork”), and derives the West Germanic and the Celtic words from a pre-Proto-Germanic *ghabhleh₂-, a noun with an instrument suffix.^[3]

Morphology

A feminine ō-stem.^[6][3] Old High German gabala is once inflected as an n-stem, in a gloss of the 12th century.^[3] Old Saxon gaflia has another stem formation, West Germanic *gabli̯ō-, in which no vowel developed.^[3]

Evidence

Ringe and Taylor cite Old Saxon gaƀala and Old High German gabala for the Proto-West Germanic noun.^[1] In Old English the *a of the root stayed a back vowel before the *u of the suffix, so that *gabulu became *gæbulu and then Old English gafol.^[1] EWA finds the word only in West Germanic: Old Saxon has it in the compounds flēskgavala (“meat fork”) and mistgavala (“dung fork”), and the Norse words for "fork" are borrowed from Middle Low German.^[3] Old High German gabala is recorded in glosses from the 9th century.^[3] Old Saxon gaflia glosses Latin furcilla in the 11th century.^[7]

Competing analyses

Wiktionary takes the word to be likely borrowed from Gaulish.^[2] Orel leaves it open whether it is related to or borrowed from Latin gabalus (“a kind of gallows”), a Latin word of Celtic origin, and the Celtic words such as Old Irish gabul (“gable, fork”).^[5] EWA treats the Germanic and Celtic words as cognates, and takes gabalus (“gallows, cross”) for a borrowing from Celtic.^[3] Holthausen compares the Old Irish, Welsh and Gaulish words without calling the English word a loan.^[8]

Meanings

1. fork^[1][2]

Old High German gabala glosses Latin words for a two-, three- or many-pronged fork, and also for a hoe.^[3][9]

Reflexes

• Old English: gafol (“fork”)^[8]
• Old Saxon: mistgavala (“dung fork”), a compound^[10]
• Old High German: gabala (“fork”)^[3]

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. 191
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gabulu
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. gabala
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *gabalō
5. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 121
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gafol
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gaflia
8. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. gafol
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gabala
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mistgavala