*grādag

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs the adjective *grādag "hungry, greedy" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1] It continues inherited from Proto-Germanic *grēdagaz (“hungry, greedy”),^[2][3] which Orel writes *ʒrēđuʒaz and Kroonen *grēduga-, *-aga-.^[4][5] Ringe and Taylor give it as an example of the Northwest Germanic change of Proto-Germanic *ē to *ā: Proto-Germanic *grēdagaz became Proto-Northwest Germanic *grādagaz, the source of Old Norse gráðugr, Old English grǣdiġ, Old Saxon grādag and Old High German grātag.^[2] In Old English they trace it through *grǣdæg to West Saxon grǣdiġ.^[6]

Morphology

An adjective formed with a suffix *-ag- or *-ug- on a noun for "hunger".^[5][4] Kroonen takes the noun, Proto-Germanic *grēdu- "hunger, desire", for a tu-stem, from which the adjective was formed as *grēduga-, *-aga-.^[5] Orel derives the adjective from *ʒrēđuz or *ʒrēđaz,^[4] and Wiktionary calls *grēdagaz an alteration of an earlier *grēdugaz.^[7] EWA likewise sets up a Proto-Germanic noun in ⟨-u-⟩ or ⟨-a-⟩ with adjectives in ⟨-īg⟩ or ⟨-ag⟩.^[8]

Evidence

The adjective is attested in Old English as grǣdig, also grēdig, in glosses,^[9] in Old Saxon as grādag in the Genesis and the Heliand,^[10][11] and in Old High German as grātag, found only in glosses of the 8th and 9th centuries.^[8] Wiktionary gives Old Dutch only as a reconstructed form.^[1]

Meanings

1. hungry, greedy^[1][2]

In the Heliand the Old Saxon adjective is used of the hunger of a fire,^[11] and Old High German glosses render Latin hians and inhians "gaping, eager" with it.^[8][12]

Reflexes

• Old English: grǣdiġ (“greedy, hungry”)^[9]
• Old Saxon: grādag (“hungry, greedy”)^[11]
• Old High German: grātag (“greedy, eager”)^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *grādag
2. ^ a b c Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 11
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *grēdaga-
4. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 142
5. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 187
6. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 212
7. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *grēdagaz
8. ^ a b c d 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. grâtag
9. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. grǣdig
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. grādag
11. ^ a b c Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 170
12. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. grātag