*mast

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *mast "mast" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *mastaz (“pole, mast”),^[1][2] which Kroonen cites by its stem *masta- "post, mast", Orel as *mastaz and Köbler as *masta-, *mastaz.^[2][3][4] EWA too derives the West Germanic words from Proto-Germanic *masta-.^[5]

Morphology

A masculine a-stem.^[6][5]

Evidence

The word is attested as Old English mæst, glossing Latin arbor,^[6] and Old High German mast, in glosses from the 9th century for arbor nāvis, carīna and mālus.^[5] EWA also lists Old Saxon mast (“mast of a ship”) and a Latinised Old Low Franconian ⟨mastus⟩.^[5] ONW sets up an Old Dutch *mast and dates the gloss ⟨Artemon : malus, mastus nauis⟩ in the Reichenau Glossary to 750.^[7] Gamillscheg derives French mât, recorded from the 11th century, from Frankish *mast, and cites ⟨mastus navis⟩ from the Reichenau glosses.^[8] The North Germanic words for "mast", such as Old Norse mastr, were borrowed from Middle Low German.^[5]

Competing analyses

Orel and EWA connect the word with Latin mālus (“mast, pole”), EWA on condition that the Latin word goes back to an older *mādos.^[3][5] Kroonen finds that connection hard to maintain and takes the word for an isogloss shared by Celtic and Germanic.^[2]

Kroonen and Orel keep apart a second Proto-Germanic *masta-, *mastaz "mast, fruit of forest trees", the source of Old English mæst "fattening" and Old High German mast "fattening, fodder".^[2][3][6][5]

Meanings

1. mast^[1][2]

Old High German also used the word for "stick, pole".^[2]

Reflexes

• Old English: mæst (“mast”)^[6]
• Old High German: mast (“pole, mast”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *mast
2. ^ a b c d e f Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 357
3. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 263
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *masta-, *mastaz
5. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. mast
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mæst
7. ^ Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. mast
8. ^ Gamillscheg, Ernst (1966–1969), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der französischen Sprache, 2nd, fully revised ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 643