*mānōþ

Reconstruction

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

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *mēnōþs (“month”),^[3][4] which Ringe and Taylor and Kroonen cite as *mēnōþ-, Orel as *mēnōþz.^[3][4][5] Proto-Germanic *ē became *ā in Proto-Northwest Germanic, giving *mānōþ- beside *mānō "moon".^[3] EWA notes that the word originally belonged to the same paradigm as the word for "moon".^[6]

Morphology

A masculine noun, a consonant stem in Proto-Germanic.^[7][6] Ringe and Taylor derive the Proto-West Germanic nominative and accusative plural *mānōþ from Proto-Germanic *mēnōþiz through *mānōþi, with loss of the final vowel.^[1] They think that this loss of final high vowels probably caused syncretisms in the paradigm of *mānōþ, judging from the Old English nominative and accusative plural mōnaþ, with no umlaut, and the Old High German accusative plural mānōt, found once.^[8] In the daughters the noun has mostly passed to the a-stems: Old English has the plural mōnaþas beside consonant-stem forms, and Old Saxon and Old High German have a-stems.^[6] Old English often has mōnþ- before endings beginning with a vowel, although the second syllable unquestionably had a long vowel.^[9]

Evidence

The word is attested in Old English mōnaþ, Old Frisian mōnath, Old Saxon mānuth and Old High German mānōd.^[3] Old Saxon has it in a gloss of the 10th century,^[6] and Old Dutch in the Middle Franconian Rhyme Bible of 1151–1200.^[10] In Old English and Old Frisian the *ā was nasalised before the nasal, *mą̄nōþ, and became ō: Old English mōnaþ, Old Frisian mōnath, against Old Saxon mānuth and Old High German mānōd.^[11][6]

Meanings

1. month^[8][2]

EWA finds the meaning "moon" still in Old High German compounds such as mānōdtuldo (“lunatic”).^[6]

Derivatives

• *aʀanimānōþ "harvest month, August", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[12] Old Dutch has aranmānōth (“August”) in a glossary of the 11th century.^[13]
• *harbistamānōþ "autumn month", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[14] Old Dutch has hervistmānoth (“November”),^[15] and Orel lists the compound in Old English and Old High German.^[16]
• *hailagamānōþ "holy month", which Wiktionary reconstructs from Old English hāligmōnaþ and its continental cognates;^[17] Köbler lists the Old English compound.^[7]

Reflexes

• Old English: mōnaþ (“month”)^[7]
• Old Frisian: mōnath (“month”)^[18]
• Old Saxon: mānuth (“month”)^[19]
• Old Dutch: mānoth (“month”)^[10]
• Old High German: mānōd (“month”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 59
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *mānōþ
3. ^ 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. 11
4. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 365
5. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 270
6. ^ a b c d e f g 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. mânôd
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mōnaþ
8. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 57
9. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 273
10. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. mānoth
11. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 143
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *aʀanimānōþ
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. aranmānōth
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *harbistamānōþ
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hervistmānoth
16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 161
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hailagamānōþ
18. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. mōnath
19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mānuth