*hlaþan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *hlaþan.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *hlaþaną (“to load”),^[2] which Kroonen cites as *hlaþan- and Köbler as *hlaþan, *hladan.^[3][4] Ringe and Taylor reconstruct the Proto-Germanic present with the second and third singular *hlaþizi, *hlaþidi, continued by Old High German ladan, third singular ⟨ledit⟩.^[2] Old English hladan has -d- levelled in from the past stem.^[2] The voiced alternant was carried through the whole paradigm in Old English, as in Old Saxon hladan and the Old Frisian past participle ⟨hleden⟩, while Old High German continues *-þ- and Old Norse hlaða is ambiguous.^[5] EWA agrees that Old Saxon, Old English and Middle Dutch levelled the alternation in favour of the past plural, but holds Old Frisian to be too poorly attested to show whether it had *-þ- or *-đ-; it finds two Proto-Germanic verbs, one with each consonant, less likely, since the meaning agrees so closely in all the languages.^[6]

Morphology

A strong verb of class VI.^[7][6] Old English has the principal parts hladan, ⟨hlōd⟩, ⟨hlōdon⟩, ⟨hladen⟩,^[5] and Old High German the past ⟨luod⟩, ⟨luodun⟩ and past participle ⟨giladan⟩.^[6]

Evidence

The verb is attested in Old English hladan,^[8] Old Frisian hleda,^[9] Old Saxon hladan in the Heliand^[10] and Old High German ladan, in glosses from the beginning of the 9th century and mostly in the past participle.^[6] Wiktionary gives the Old Dutch verb only as a reconstruction.^[1]

Meanings

1. to load^[1]

Old English also used the verb for "to draw (water)",^[2] "to heap up" and "to build",^[8] Old Saxon for "to take up, to receive",^[10] and Old High German for "to burden".^[6]

Derivatives

• *hlasti "load, burden", which Wiktionary reconstructs as *hlaþan with the suffix *-þi and an intrusive *-s-;^[11] it is continued by Old English hlæst (“load, burden, freight”).^[12]

Reflexes

• Old English: hladan (“to load, to draw, to heap up, to build”)^[8]
• Old Frisian: hleda (“to load”)^[9]
• Old Saxon: hladan (“to load, to take up”)^[10]
• Old High German: ladan (“to load, to burden”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hlaþan
2. ^ 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. 233
3. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 228
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hlaþan
5. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 344
6. ^ 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. ladan
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hladan
8. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hladan
9. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hleda
10. ^ a b c Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 200
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hlasti
12. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hlæst