*kuning

Reconstruction

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

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *kuningaz (“headman”), which Ringe and Taylor reconstruct for Proto-Germanic and Proto-Northwest Germanic,^[1] Orel as *kuninʒaz and Köbler as *kuninga- beside *kununga-.^[3][4] The Proto-West Germanic loss of the short low vowels at the end of the word fell especially on the endings of the a-stems in the nominative and accusative singular: *kuningaz > *kuning.^[1] That the West Germanic word continues *kuningaz is guaranteed by the early Finnish loanword kuningas (“king”).^[5]

Morphology

A masculine a-stem.^[6][7] Ringe and Taylor take it to have meant originally "leader of the clan", from *kuni "clan".^[5] EWA explains it as a derivative of Proto-Germanic *kuni̯a- "lineage" meaning "member of a (noble) lineage", and the North Germanic forms such as Old Norse konungr as having a suffix in another ablaut grade, with the -o- taken from konr (“son, man”).^[7]

Evidence

The word is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English cyning, Old Frisian kening, Old Saxon kuning and Old High German kuning.^[1] Old Dutch has cuning in the Old Low and Middle Franconian Psalms of 901–1000.^[8] Old High German has the word from the 8th century.^[7] Old Norse konungr is the same word, though its phonological shape is divergent.^[5] Besides Finnish kuningas, the word was later borrowed into Proto-Slavic as *kъnędzь.^[7] In Stiles's relative chronology of the changes shared by English and Frisian, the i-umlaut of *kuning to *kyning, the source of cyning and kening, comes after the palatalization of velars, which therefore did not affect its initial consonant.^[9]

Competing analyses

Ringe and Taylor hold that the word rose in society as the older words for "king" went out of use, a development they compare with that of Ancient Greek βασιλεύς (basileús), originally a subordinate leader.^[5] Wiktionary derives Proto-Germanic *kuningaz from *kunją "clan" with the suffix *-ingaz of belonging, through "someone of the family" and "someone who inherits", while Orel derives it from *kuniz.^[10][3]

Meanings

1. king^[1][2]

Old High German also used the word for God and Christ, and for the wren.^[7][11]

Derivatives

• *kuningadōm "kingdom", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[12] Orel has the Proto-Germanic compound in Old English cyningdōm and Old Saxon kuningdōm.^[3]
• *kuningarīkī "realm, kingdom", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[13] Orel lists Old English cyningrīce, Old Saxon kuningrīki and Old High German kuningrīhhi.^[3]
• *kuningini "queen", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[14] Old High German has kuningin and Old Dutch kuninginna.^[15][16]

Reflexes

• Old English: cyning (“king”)^[17]
• Old Frisian: kening (“king”)^[18]
• Old Saxon: kuning (“king”)^[6]
• Old Dutch: kunink (“king”)^[8]
• Old High German: kuning (“ruler, king, God, Christ, wren”)^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 45
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kuning
3. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 224
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *kununga-
5. ^ 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. 129
6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kuning
7. ^ 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. kuning
8. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. kunink
9. ^ Stiles, Patrick V. (1995), Remarks on the 'Anglo-Frisian' thesis, in: Volkert F. Faltings, Alastair G. H. Walker, Ommo Wilts (eds), Friesische Studien II, NOWELE Supplement 12, Odense: Odense University Press, 177–220, p. §8.1
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kuningaz
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kuning
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kuningadōm
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kuningarīkī
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kuningini
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kuningin
16. ^ Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. kuninginna
17. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. cyning
18. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. kening