*kraftu

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *kraftu for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *kraftuz (“strength, power”),^[1] which Kroonen cites as the tu-stem *kraftu-, Köbler as *kraftu-, *kraftuz, and Orel as *kraftiz.^[2][3][4] Wiktionary analyses the noun as Proto-Germanic *krafjaną (“to demand”) with the suffix *-þuz,^[5] and Orel too derives it from *krafjanan.^[4] Kroonen calls it possibly related to the verb *krabēn- "to urge, to demand", which has no certain etymology.^[2]

Morphology

The daughters differ in gender and stem class: the Old High German word is a feminine i-stem,^[6] and so is the Old Dutch one.^[7] The Old Saxon word is feminine or masculine, with i-stem, a-stem and consonant-stem forms;^[8] the Old Frisian one is masculine and perhaps feminine;^[9] the Old English one is masculine, with a-stem and i-stem forms.^[10]

Evidence

The noun is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English cræft,^[10] Old Frisian kreft, also kraft,^[9] Old Saxon kraft, often in the Heliand,^[11][12] Old Dutch kraft in a psalter source that Köbler dates to the 9th century,^[7] and Old High German kraft, recorded from the 8th century.^[6] Outside West Germanic it has Old Norse kraptr and krǫptr.^[6]

Competing analyses

Kroonen and Wiktionary reconstruct a Proto-Germanic stem in *-u-.^[2][5] EWA sets up Proto-Germanic *krafti-, feminine or masculine, and derives only the Old Norse words from *kraftu-;^[6] Orel too has an i-stem, *kraftiz,^[4] and Köbler traces the Old Frisian and Old Saxon words to *krafti- beside *krafta-.^[13][12]

Meanings

1. strength, power^[1]
2. skill^[1]

Old English also used the word for "art, skill, trade, cunning",^[10] Old Saxon for "host, troops",^[8] Old Frisian for "validity",^[9] and Old High German for "virtue" and "multitude".^[6]

Derivatives

• *kraftīg "full of strength, powerful", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[14] Old English cræftig, Old Saxon kraftag and Old High German kreftīg continue such an adjective.^[15][11][16]
• *kraftijan "to strengthen; to build", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[17] Old English cræftan (“to practise an art, to build”) and Old High German kreften (“to strengthen”).^[18][19]

Reflexes

• Old English: cræft (“strength, power, art, skill”)^[10]
• Old Frisian: kreft (“strength, validity”)^[9]
• Old Saxon: kraft (“power, might, host”)^[8]
• Old Dutch: kraft (“strength, power, virtue”)^[7]
• Old High German: kraft (“strength, power, virtue”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kraftu
2. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 300
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *kraftu-
4. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 220
5. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kraftuz
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. kraft
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kraft
8. ^ a b c Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. kraft
9. ^ a b c d Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. kreft
10. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. cræft
11. ^ a b Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 232
12. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kraft
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kreft
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kraftīg
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. cræftig
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kreftīg
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kraftijan
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. cræftan
19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kreften