*hailijan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *hailijan "to heal, to cure" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *hailijaną (“to heal, to cure”),^[2] which Köbler cites as *hailjan.^[3] Wiktionary derives the verb from Proto-Germanic *hailaz (“whole, healthy”) with the suffix *-janą,^[4] and Köbler refers Old English hǣlan to the adjective hāl, the reflex of *hail.^[5] In Old English the diphthong became *ā, which was then umlauted: *hailijaną gave *hāljąn and then hǣlan.^[2] The usual Old Frisian outcome of the diphthong was ē,^[6] as in Old Frisian hēla.^[2]

Morphology

A weak verb of class I.^[7][8] Old High German also has a weak verb of class III, heilēn (“to become healthy”).^[9]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English hǣlan, Old Frisian hēla, Old Saxon hēlian and Old High German heilen, and Gothic has 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hailjan).^[2][4] Old Saxon has it in the Heliand,^[7] and Old Dutch the imperative heile in the Old Low Franconian psalms of the 10th century and the verb in Williram's commentary of 1100.^[10] Old High German has it from the end of the 8th century.^[8]

Meanings

1. to heal, to cure^[2][1]

Old English also used the verb for "to save" and "to greet",^[5] Old Frisian for "to restore, to make good" and for declaring someone unhurt after the ordeal of the cauldron,^[11] Old Saxon for "to forgive, to save",^[12] and Old High German for "to redeem, to save".^[8]

Derivatives

• *hailīni "healing, cure", which Wiktionary reconstructs from Old Frisian, Old Saxon and Old High German forms.^[13]

Reflexes

• Old English: hǣlan (“to heal, to save, to greet”)^[5]
• Old Frisian: hēla (“to heal, to become whole, to restore”)^[11]
• Old Saxon: hēlian (“to heal, to cure, to forgive, to save”)^[12]
• Old Dutch: hēlen (“to heal”)^[10][14]
• Old High German: heilen (“to heal, to redeem, to save”)^[8]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hailijan
2. ^ a b c d e Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 234
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hailjan
4. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hailijaną
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hǣlan
6. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 171
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hêlian
8. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. heilen
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. heilēn
10. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. hēlen
11. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hēla
12. ^ a b Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. hēlian
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hailīni
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. heilen