*grīpan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs the infinitive *grīpan "to grab, to grasp" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *grīpaną (“to grasp”),^[1][2] which Kroonen cites by its stem *grīpan-, Orel as *ʒrīpanan and Köbler as *greipan.^[2][3][4]

Morphology

A strong verb of class I.^[5][6] Old High German conjugates it in the same class.^[7]

Evidence

EWA finds the verb in all the Germanic languages: Old English grīpan, Old Frisian grīpa, Old Saxon grīpan and Old High German grīfan.^[7] Old High German has it only in Notker and in two glosses of the 9th and 12th centuries,^[7] and Old Saxon in the Heliand.^[6] In Old Dutch, ONW records the past ⟨grep⟩ in the Groningen psalm glosses of 1151–1175.^[8] A Lombard *grīfan is inferred from Comasque ⟨grifà⟩ "to scratch, to rob" and Piedmontese ⟨grifè⟩ "to claw".^[9] Gamillscheg derives French gripper, recorded from the 15th century, together with Medieval Latin agrippare of the 10th century, from Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍀𐌰𐌽 (greipan),^[10] while Wiktionary lists an Old French *gripper among the descendants of *grīpan.^[1]

Competing analyses

Kroonen takes the strong verb to be probably a back-formation to an iterative *gripp/bōn- "to grasp", since its root-final *p must go back to a pre-Germanic geminate.^[2][11] EWA sets up Proto-Germanic *grei̯p-, with Baltic cognates only.^[7]

Meanings

1. to grab, to grasp^[1][2]

Old Saxon also used the verb for "to touch",^[6] and Old High German for "to feel, to touch, to stroke".^[7]

Derivatives

• *bigrīpan "to grasp, to comprehend", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[12] Old English and Old Frisian have the prefixed verb.^[5][13]

Reflexes

• Old English: grīpan (“to grasp, to seize, to comprehend”)^[14]
• Old Frisian: grīpa (“to grasp, to seize”)^[15]
• Old Saxon: grīpan (“to grasp, to touch”)^[6]
• Old Dutch: grīpan (“to grasp”)^[8]
• Old High German: grīfan (“to feel, to grasp, to touch”)^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *grīpan
2. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 190
3. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 143
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *greipan
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. grīpan
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. grīpan
7. ^ a b c d e f 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. grîfan
8. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. grīpan
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *grīfan?
10. ^ Gamillscheg, Ernst (1966–1969), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der französischen Sprache, 2nd, fully revised ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 533
11. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 191
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *bigrīpan
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. grīpa
14. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. grīpan
15. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. grīpa