*hlūd

*hlūd¹ loud

Etymology tree of *hlūd¹

inherited borrowed derived

Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz

Proto-West Germanic *hlūd

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct the adjective *hlūd "loud" for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz (“loud”),^[3][2] which Kroonen cites by its stem *hlūda- and EWA as West Germanic *χlūđa-.^[3][4]

Morphology

An adjective.^[1][5] The Heliand has the superlative hlūdost.^[5]

Evidence

The adjective is attested in Old English hlūd, Old Frisian hlūd, Old Saxon hlūd and Old High German lūt, and EWA finds it only in West Germanic.^[4] Old Dutch has it only as the first part of the place name ⟨Lodebrune⟩, recorded in 1129.^[4] In Old High German it appears from the 8th century, sometimes with initial ⟨hl⟩.^[6][4]

Competing analyses

The long *ū needs explaining.^[3][4] Kroonen derives the adjective from the root *kleu-, which did not end in a laryngeal, so that the long vowel must have arisen inside Germanic; he suggests a vṛddhi gerundive meaning "hearable".^[3] EWA sets beside it a Proto-Germanic *χluþa- with a short vowel, kept only in personal names such as the Old English name ⟨Hloþhere⟩ and the Frankish ⟨Clodevechus⟩, and holds that West Germanic made from it a form with a secondary full grade *-ū- in place of the regular *-eu-;^[4] North Germanic and Gothic have the regular full grade, as in Old Norse hljóðr (“quiet”).^[4] Berr, by contrast, names Lothar and Ludwig among the Germanic names that contain the adjective,^[7] and Wiktionary derives the name *Hlūdawīg from *hlūd.^[2] Wiktionary calls the origin of the long vowel unclear.^[2]

Meanings

1. loud^[1][2]

Old High German also used the adjective for "clearly audible, known".^[4]

Derivatives

• *hlūdijan "to make a loud noise", derived from the adjective, behind Old Saxon āhlūdian (“to proclaim”), Old High German lūten and Old English hlȳdan;^[1] Ringe and Taylor keep Old Norse hlýða (“to listen”) apart, as a derivative of hljóð (“sound, hearing”).^[1]
• *hlūdēn "to sound, to become loud", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[8] Köbler sets up Proto-Germanic *hlūdēn for Old Dutch lūdon (“to sound, to crash”) and an Old High German verb.^[9]

Reflexes

• Old English: hlūd (“loud, sounding”)^[10]
• Old Frisian: hlūd (“loud”)^[11]
• Old Saxon: hlūd (“loud”)^[7]
• Old High German: lūt (“loud, resounding, clearly audible, known”)^[4]

*hlūd² sound

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs a noun *hlūd "sound".^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *hlūdą (“sound”), the adjective used as a noun.^[2] Köbler sets up a neuter *hlūda-, *hlūdam for the Old Frisian word,^[12] and a masculine *hlūda, *hlūdaz for the Old Dutch one.^[13]

Morphology

The Old Frisian noun is a neuter a-stem;^[14] the Old Dutch noun is masculine, an a-stem or an i-stem.^[15]

Evidence

Old Frisian has hlūd "sound, noise, rumour, wording", also in the phrase hlūd slā "to make a noise".^[11] In Old Dutch the psalms of the 9th century have luit for Latin sonus.^[15] Köbler has only an uncertain Old High German *lūt beside the Old Dutch word.^[16]

Meanings

1. sound^[2]

Old Frisian also used the noun for "rumour" and "wording".^[11]

Reflexes

• Old Frisian: hlūd (“sound, noise, rumour, wording”)^[11]
• Old Dutch: lūd (“sound”)^[15]