*sihti

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *sihti "seeing, sight".^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Proto-West Germanic *sehwan (“to see”) + *-þi.^[1] EWA likewise takes Old High German siht for an abstract noun to the verb sehan, with the suffix *-ti-.^[2] On the Proto-Germanic level Köbler reconstructs *sehwti-, *sehwtiz, and Bammesberger sets up *-sehw-ti- behind Old High German gisiht.^[3][4]

Morphology

A feminine i-stem.^[2][5] Köbler classes Old English sihþ as a feminine jō-stem.^[6]

Evidence

Old High German has the simple noun siht only in the Abrogans and in one gloss of the end of the 9th century.^[2] Old English has sihþ, also spelled ⟨siht⟩ and ⟨syhþ⟩.^[6] Old Saxon and Old Dutch record only the prefixed Old Saxon gisiht and Old Dutch gisiht,^[7][8] and Old Frisian only *sicht, in a compound with a prefix.^[9]

Competing analyses

EWA notes that the prefixed formations such as Old High German gisiht are much better attested, and that the possible counterparts of the simple noun in the other languages, such as Old English sihþ "vision", occur only sporadically; it therefore suspects that they were back-formed from prefixed forms or are miswritings of them.^[2] Wiktionary reconstructs the simple noun for Proto-West Germanic beside *gasihti.^[1]

Meanings

1. seeing, sight^[1]

Old High German used the noun for "sight, outward appearance",^[2] and Old English for "apparition, eyesight, seeing".^[6]

Derivatives

• *gasihti "sight", which Wiktionary reconstructs from Old English gesihþ, Old Saxon gisiht and Old Dutch gisiht.^[10]

Reflexes

• Old English: sihþ (“apparition, sight, eyesight, seeing”)^[6]
• Old High German: siht (“sight, view, outward appearance”)^[2][5]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sihti
2. ^ a b c d e f 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. siht
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sehwti-, *sehwtiz
4. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 142
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. siht
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sihþ
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gisiht
8. ^ Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. gisiht
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sicht
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gasihti