*leþr

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *leþr for Proto-West Germanic.^[1] It continues inherited from Proto-Germanic *leþrą (“leather”),^[1][2] which Kroonen cites by its stem *leþra-, Orel as *leþran and Köbler as *leþra-, *leþram.^[2][3][4] Ringe and Taylor describe how the loss of final *-a, *-ą and *-az in Proto-West Germanic left *r and the other sonorants between an obstruent and the end of the word, as in *akr "field" and *fingr "finger"; they take these sonorants to have been presumably syllabic.^[5] Kroonen, Orel and EWA take the Proto-Germanic word for a loan from Celtic,^[2][3][6] and Wiktionary calls it possibly borrowed from Proto-Celtic.^[7]

Morphology

A neuter a-stem.^[2][6]

Evidence

The noun is attested in Old English leþer,^[8] which EWA finds in compounds such as leþerhelm (“leather helmet”),^[6] in Old Frisian lether, also leder,^[9] and in Old High German ledar.^[6] EWA concludes from the derived adjective lidirîn "leathern", recorded from the 9th century, that the noun must be much older.^[6] Old Saxon has it only in the compound letharmakeri (“leather-maker, tanner”), in a gloss of the second half of the 12th century,^[6] and in the adjective litharīn (“leathern”) of the end of the 10th century.^[10] Old Dutch has no record of it, and EWA dates the first Middle Dutch leder to 1240.^[6] Outside West Germanic, EWA cites ⟨leþro⟩ on the gold ornament of Strårup, dated perhaps to about 400, a word derived from *leþra-.^[6]

Meanings

1. leather^[1]

Old High German also used the word for the skin of humans and animals,^[6] and Old Frisian has the phrase "mith lethere bileid" for a horse with a saddle on it.^[9]

Derivatives

• *liþrīn "made of leather", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[11] Old Saxon has litharīn,^[10] and Old High German lidirîn.^[6]
• *liþrijā "leather strap", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[12] Old English has liþera (“sling made of leather”).^[13]

Reflexes

• Old English: leþer (“leather”)^[8]
• Old Frisian: lether (“leather”)^[9]
• Old Saxon: letharmakeri (“leather-maker, tanner”)^[6]
• Old High German: ledar (“leather, skin”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *leþr
2. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 332
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 241
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *leþra-
5. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 48
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. ledar
7. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *leþrą
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. leþer
9. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. lether
10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. litharīn
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *liþrīn
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *liþrijā
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. liþera