*skadu

Reconstruction

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

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *skaduz (“shadow”),^[1][3] the source also of Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌳𐌿𐍃 (skadus).^[1][4] Kroonen cites it by its stem *skadu-, Orel as *skađuz, and Köbler sets up both *skadu- and *skadwa-.^[3][5][6]

Morphology

Ringe and Taylor take the word for the one u-stem of Proto-Germanic that became a wa-stem in West Germanic: *skadu was reinterpreted as the nominative singular of a stem *skadwa-, whence Old Saxon skado and Old High German scato, dative scat(a)we.^[1] The same change may lie in part behind Old English sċeadu, with an oblique stem in -w-; but as that noun is feminine and has a neuter byform sċead, they think it at least as likely to continue an old collective.^[1] In Old High German the noun is a masculine wa-stem, with -w- or -aw- in the oblique cases.^[7]

Evidence

The noun is attested in Old English sċeadu, Old Saxon skado and Old High German skato,^[3] and Old Dutch skado in the Old Low Franconian psalms and in Williram's commentary of about 1100.^[8][9] Old Saxon has it only once, in the nominative singular in the Cotton manuscript of the Heliand.^[7] Old High German has it from the third quarter of the 8th century, in glosses.^[7] No Old Frisian form is recorded: Wiktionary gives only a reconstructed *skade.^[2]

Competing analyses

EWA reconstructs West Germanic *skadu̯a- and holds that the u-stem of Gothic also continues a wa-stem, as its derivatives show: the nominative singular *skađu̯az became *skađuz, which made its ending the same as that of the u-stems.^[7] It therefore sets up Proto-Germanic *skađu̯a-, not the u-stem *skađu- of Kroonen and others,^[7] where Ringe and Taylor take the u-stem to be the older and the wa-stem of West Germanic a reinterpretation.^[1] EWA also takes the Old English feminine and neuter for remodellings of the masculine.^[7]

Meanings

1. shadow^[1][2]

Old English also used the word for "darkness, bower, protection",^[10] and Old High German for "shady place, dark cloud, covering".^[7]

Derivatives

• *skadwijan "to shade, to darken", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[11] Holthausen lists Old English sċeadwian (“to protect, to shade”) with Old Saxon skadoian and Old High German skatowen.^[12]

Reflexes

• Old English: sċeadu (“shadow, darkness, bower, protection”)^[10]
• Old Saxon: skado (“shadow”)^[13]
• Old Dutch: skado (“shadow”)^[9]
• Old High German: skato (“shadow, shady place, dark cloud”)^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 47
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skadu
3. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 438
4. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skaduz
5. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 331
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *skadu-
7. ^ 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. skato
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. skado
9. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. skado
10. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sceadu
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skadwijan
12. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sceadwian
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. skado