*hwattjastain

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *hwattjastain "whetstone" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Proto-West Germanic *hwattjan (“to sharpen, whet”) + *stain (“stone”), as Wiktionary derives it.^[1] Köbler refers Old English hwetstān to the verb hwettan (“to whet”) and the noun for "stone",^[2] and Old High German wezzistein to wezzen (“to whet”) and stein.^[3] The verb continues Proto-Germanic *hwatjaną (“to sharpen, to incite”),^[4] which Köbler writes *hwatjan.^[5][6]

Morphology

A masculine a-stem in Old English, Old Saxon and Old High German.^[2][7][3]

Evidence

The compound is found in Old English, Old Saxon and Old High German, where it glosses Latin cōs (“whetstone”).^[2][7][3] The Old High German word is recorded from the middle of the 9th century,^[3] the Old Saxon one in glosses of the early 11th century.^[7] Old Frisian and Old Dutch forms are given by Wiktionary only as reconstructions.^[1]

Competing analyses

Köbler refers Old Saxon hwetistēn to the noun hwessi (“sharpness, edge”) and the noun for "stone",^[7] while under the reconstructed Old Saxon verb *hwetian "to whet" he points to the compound as well.^[8] For the Old High German word he asks whether it was influenced by Latin.^[3]

Meanings

1. whetstone^[1][7]

Reflexes

• Old English: hwetstān (“whetstone”)^[2]
• Old Saxon: hwetistēn (“whetstone”)^[7]
• Old High German: wezzistein (“whetstone, grindstone”)^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hwattjastain
2. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hwėtstān
3. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wezzistein
4. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hwatjaną
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hwėttan
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hwatjan
7. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hwetistên
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hwetian