*krank

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *krank "weak, sick" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *krankaz (“bent, crooked, weak”),^[2][3] which Orel writes *krankaz, Kroonen *kranga- ~ *kranka-, and Heidermanns cites by its stem *kranka-.^[3][4][5] Kroonen takes it for an adjective derived from the strong verb *kringan- ~ *krinkan-,^[4] and EWA derives it from a strong verb of class III meaning "to fall", continued by Old English crincan (“to fall in battle, to perish”), so that the adjective first meant "decayed".^[6]

Morphology

An adjective.^[6][7]

Evidence

The adjective is recorded in Old Frisian kronk, also krank in West Frisian texts,^[7] and Old High German krank, found only once, as ⟨cranker⟩ for Latin dēbilis in a Middle Franconian gloss of the 12th or 13th century.^[6] Middle Low German and Middle Dutch have it as well.^[6] The Old Norse and later North Germanic forms were borrowed from Middle Low German.^[6][5] Wiktionary gives only unattested Old English, Old Saxon and Old Dutch forms;^[1] EWA allows that the first part of Old English crancstæf (“a weaving implement”) may belong here.^[6]

Competing analyses

Orel takes *krankaz for a phonetic variant of *kranʒaz,^[3] while Kroonen sets up one adjective *kranga- ~ *kranka- beside a verb *kringan- ~ *krinkan-, whose variant with *-k- he explains by interference from the iterative *krunkōn-.^[8] EWA likewise sees the *-k- as having entered secondarily, probably from the iterative verb, and connects Old Norse krangr (“weak, frail”) with the form with *-g-.^[6]

Meanings

1. weak, sick^[1]

Kroonen glosses the Proto-Germanic adjective "bent, crooked, weak".^[4] Old Frisian also used it for "bad",^[7] and Old High German for "frail".^[6]

Derivatives

• *krankijan "to make weak, to make worse", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[9] Kroonen takes Old Frisian krenza and the Middle High German and Middle Dutch verbs for a factitive to the adjective,^[10] and Orel lists the Old Frisian verb, glossed "to damage", and Old High German bikranken (“to make ill”) under *krankjanan.^[3]
• *krankēn "to be weak, to become weak", which Wiktionary reconstructs.^[11]

Reflexes

• Old Frisian: kronk (“sick, weak, bad”)^[7]
• Old High German: krank (“frail, weak”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *krank
2. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *krankaz
3. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 220
4. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 301
5. ^ a b Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. kranka-
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. krank
7. ^ a b c d Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. kronk
8. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 305
9. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *krankijan
10. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 302
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *krankēn