*legr

Reconstruction

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

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *legrą (“a lying, a place where one lies”),^[1][2] which Ringe and Taylor trace from Proto-Germanic *legra- "bed, lair" through Proto-Northwest Germanic *legrą,^[3] and Köbler cites as *legra-, *legram.^[4] Wiktionary takes the Proto-Germanic noun for a substantivised adjective *legraz.^[5] In Old English *legr became *leġr and then leġer.^[3][1]

Morphology

A neuter a-stem in Old English, Old Saxon and Old High German.^[6][7][8] Casaretto contrasts the Gothic masculine a-stem 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐍂𐍃 (ligrs) with the neuter of the other languages,^[9][5] while Hofmann and Popkema give Old Frisian leger as a masculine.^[10]

Evidence

The noun is attested in Old English leġer, leger, Old Saxon legar and Old High German legar.^[1] Old Saxon has it in the Heliand,^[7] and Old High German in glosses from the 10th century, in Otfrid and in Notker.^[11] For Old Dutch, Köbler sets up only an unattested *leger.^[12]

Competing analyses

Wiktionary also reconstructs a separate adjective *legr "lying (together with someone)", from a hypothetical Proto-Germanic *legraz without cognates in the other Germanic languages, on the evidence of Old English compounds such as ānleġer and dierneleġer.^[2] Köbler, however, takes the latter for a neuter noun, a compound of this noun.^[13]

Meanings

1. bed, lair^[1][2]

Old English also used the word for "sickbed" and "grave",^[1] and for "illness";^[14] Old Saxon for "sickbed",^[1] Old High German for "lying", "cohabitation" and "position, place",^[11] and Old Frisian for "position", "camp" and a camp for watching the dykes.^[10]

Derivatives

• *galigrī "lying together", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[15] Ringe and Taylor trace Old English ġeliġre from Proto-Germanic *galigriją "sleeping together, cohabitation".^[3]

Reflexes

• Old English: leġer (“bed, lair, grave, illness”)^[14]
• Old Frisian: leger (“position, lying, camp”)^[10]
• Old Saxon: legar (“lair, couch, bed, grave”)^[16]
• Old High German: legar (“resting place, cohabitation, lying, position”)^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 328
2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *legr
3. ^ a b c Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 212
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *legra-, *legram
5. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *legrą
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. leger
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. legar
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. legar
9. ^ Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. leger
11. ^ 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. legar
12. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *leger?
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. díerneleger
14. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. leger
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *galigriją
16. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 244