*laidijan

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *laidijan "to lead" for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2] It continues inherited from Proto-Germanic *laidijaną (“to make go”), the causative of Proto-Germanic *līþaną "to go (away)", which Ringe and Taylor compare with Old Norse leiða (“to accompany”).^[1] Kroonen cites it as *laidjan-, Orel as *laiđjanan and Köbler as *laidjan, *leidjan.^[3][4][5] Kroonen notes that the causative has the same ablaut grade as the noun behind Old Norse leið and Old English lād "road".^[3] The verb has a heavy root, and in Proto-West Germanic the alternation *-ī- ~ *-ija- of such verbs was replaced by *-i- ~ *-ija-, with the short *-i- of the light-root verbs.^[6] Ringe and Taylor accordingly derive the Proto-West Germanic second and third singular *laidisi, *laidiþi from Proto-Germanic *laidīsi, *laidīþi.^[7]

Morphology

A weak verb of class I.^[8][9] In Old English *laidijan became *lādjąn and, by i-umlaut, lǣdan,^[1] and the third singular *laidiþi became *lǣdiþi, *lǣtþi and finally lǣt.^[7]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English lǣdan, Old Frisian lēda, Old Saxon lēdian and Old High German leiten,^[1] and Old Dutch lēden, recorded from the 10th century in the psalms.^[10] In one Old Frisian manuscript the stem varies between ē and ā, as in the infinitive lēda against the third singular lat.^[11] Boutkan and Siebinga take this as possible evidence for a separate phoneme from the i-umlaut of *ai.^[11]

Meanings

1. to lead^[1][2]
2. to cause to go^[2][10]

Old English also used the verb for "to bring, to carry, to produce",^[12] Old Frisian for "to call as a witness" and "to swear (an oath)",^[13] and Old High German also for "to lead home (a wife), to marry".^[9]

Derivatives

• *fralaidijan "to lead astray, to seduce", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[14] Old Saxon has farlēdian.^[8]
• *ūtlaidijan "to lead out", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[15] Old Dutch has ūtlēden, and Old Saxon ūtlēdian.^[10][8]

Reflexes

• Old English: lǣdan (“to lead, to bring, to carry, to produce”)^[12]
• Old Frisian: lēda (“to lead, to bring, to call as a witness, to swear”)^[13]
• Old Saxon: lēdian (“to lead”)^[16]
• Old Dutch: lēden (“to lead, to bring”)^[10]
• Old High German: leiten (“to lead, to guide, to accompany, to carry”)^[9]

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. 234
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *laidijan
3. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 323
4. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 232
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *laidjan
6. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 70
7. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 297
8. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. lêdian
9. ^ a b c 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. leiten
10. ^ a b c d Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. lēden
11. ^ a b Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. leda
12. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. lǣdan
13. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. lēda
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fralaidijan
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ūtlaidijan
16. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 243