*sehs

Reconstruction

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

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *sehs (“six”),^[2][3] a form on which Ringe and Taylor, Kroonen and Köbler agree, while EWA writes *seχs.^[2][3][4][5]

Morphology

A cardinal numeral.^[3][5] In Old High German it stays uninflected before a noun, but is inflected as a masculine and feminine i-stem in the plural when it follows its noun or is used as a noun.^[5] The Heliand has the inflected neuter plural ⟨sehsi⟩.^[6]

Evidence

The numeral is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old Frisian sex, Old Saxon sehs and Old High German sehs,^[2] and EWA lists Old Dutch ⟨sehs⟩ and ⟨ses⟩ and Old Saxon ⟨ses⟩ as well.^[5] In Old English it became *seohs and then, by palatal umlaut, early West Saxon siex; a 9th-century Kentish charter has the monophthongized ⟨sex⟩.^[2] In Old Dutch, ONW records ⟨sehs⟩ in the Middle Franconian Rhyme Bible of 1151–1200.^[7]

Meanings

1. six^[2][1]

Derivatives

• *sehstō "sixth": Ringe and Taylor trace Northumbrian Old English sesta, West Saxon siexta, Old Saxon sehsto and Old High German sehsto to Proto-West Germanic *sehstō, the Northumbrian form showing a variable loss of *h before two consonants;^[8] they note that the shape of "sixth" could be influenced by that of "six" in any daughter at any time.^[9] Wiktionary reconstructs instead *sehtō, from Proto-Germanic *sehtô;^[10] EWA takes the older *seχtan- to be shown by the North Germanic forms and the rare Old High German ⟨sehto⟩, and *seχstan- to be remade on the cardinal.^[11]
• Wiktionary reconstructs Proto-Germanic *sehstehun (“sixteen”) and Proto-Germanic *sehs tigiwiz (“sixty”);^[1] Old Saxon has sehstein and sehstig.^[6]

Reflexes

• Old English: siex (“six”)^[12]
• Old Frisian: sex (“six”)^[13]
• Old Saxon: sehs (“six”)^[14]
• Old Dutch: sehs (“six”)^[7]
• Old High German: sehs (“six”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sehs
2. ^ a b c d e Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 337
3. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 431
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sehs
5. ^ a b c d e 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. sehs
6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sehs
7. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. ses
8. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 157
9. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 158
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sehtô
11. ^ 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. sehsto
12. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. siex
13. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sex
14. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 339