Etymology and origin of the Proto-West Germanic word *sad
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Inherited
- Inherited from
- Proto-Germanic *sadaz
- Ultimate origin
- Proto-Indo-European *seh₂-
Etymology tree
From the same root
Reconstruction
Wiktionary reconstructs the adjective *sad "sated, full".[1]
Etymology
It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *sadaz (“sated, full”),[1] which Kroonen and Heidermanns cite by its stem *sada- and Orel as *sađaz.[2][3][4] EWA reconstructs Proto-Germanic *sađa- and explains the t of Dutch: since the adjective was mostly used predicatively, the t that arose only by final devoicing spread to the inflected forms.[5]
Morphology
An adjective,[3][6] an a-stem in Old High German.[5] Heidermanns calls it common Germanic and mostly predicative.[3] Kroonen takes it for an old past participle,[2] and Schaffner counts it among the Germanic passive verbal adjectives in *-da-.[7]
Evidence
The adjective is attested in Old English sæd,[6] Old Saxon sad in the Heliand,[8] Old Dutch sada, glossing Latin saturati in the Old Low Franconian Psalms of the 10th century,[9][10] and Old High German sat, recorded from the end of the 8th century.[5] Wiktionary gives the Old Frisian adjective only as a reconstruction.[1]
Meanings
- sated, full[1]
Old English also used the word for "weary of",[6] with compounds for "battle-weary" and "drunk",[3] and Old High German for "abundant".[5]
Derivatives
- *sadōn "to sate", which Wiktionary reconstructs;[11] Kroonen bases a verb *sadōjan- on Old English sadian (“to become sated”) and Old High German satōn (“to sate”).[2]
- *saddjan "to satiate", which Wiktionary reconstructs from Proto-Germanic *sadjaną;[12] EWA infers an Old English verb *seddan from Old English unāsedd (“unsated”).[5]
- EWA takes Old High German setī (“satiety”) and Old Frisian sēde (“satiety, food”) to be probably derived from the adjective too, and traces the Old Frisian word to a West Germanic *sadīn-.[5]
Reflexes
- Old English: sæd (“sated, weary”)[6]
- Old Saxon: sad (“sated”)[8]
- Old Dutch: sat (“sated”)[9]
- Old High German: sat (“sated, full”)[5]
References
- ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sad
- ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 419
- ^ a b c d Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. sada-
- ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 310
- ^ 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. sat
- ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sæd
- ^ Schaffner, Stefan (2001), Das Vernersche Gesetz und der innerparadigmatische grammatische Wechsel des Urgermanischen im Nominalbereich, Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft 103, Innsbruck, p. 259
- ^ a b Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 331
- ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. sat
- ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sad
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sadōn
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *saddjan
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“*sad.” Etymologically, 16 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/gmw-pro/*sad. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.
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