*skrapōn

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *skrapōn for Proto-West Germanic.^[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *skrapōną (“to scrape, to scratch”).^[1][2] Köbler cites the Proto-Germanic verb as *skrapōn.^[3] Ringe and Taylor give Proto-Northwest Germanic *skrapōną "to scrape", continued by Old Norse skrapa, and trace Old English sċrapian from it through pre-Old English *skræpōjan, without a Proto-West Germanic form.^[4] Like the other weak verbs of class II, the Old English verb has the retracted vowel a rather than æ before a single consonant, because the following syllable contained *ō.^[4]

Morphology

A weak verb of class II.^[5][4] Wiktionary derives the Proto-Germanic verb from *skrepaną "to scratch, to scrape" with the suffix *-ōną,^[2] and Holthausen also connects Old English sċrapian with screpan.^[6]

Evidence

Of the early West Germanic languages, only Old English attests the verb, as sċrapian "to scratch".^[6] The forms Wiktionary gives for Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Old Dutch and Old High German are all reconstructed.^[1] Holthausen compares Middle Low German schrapen and Middle High German schraffen.^[6]

Competing analyses

EWA explains Middle High German schraffen (“to cup”) otherwise: it continues a West Germanic *skrapōi̯e/a-, whose -p- was carried over from the intensive *skrappōi̯e/a-, and the group probably belongs, with metathesis of the r, to the family of Proto-Germanic *skerfe/a-.^[7]

Meanings

1. to scrape^[1]

Ringe and Taylor gloss the Proto-Northwest Germanic verb "to scrape",^[4] and Holthausen glosses Old English sċrapian "to scratch".^[6]

Reflexes

• Old English: sċrapian (“to scratch”)^[6]

Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Old Dutch and Old High German do not attest the verb.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skrapōn
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skrapōną
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *skrapōn
4. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 190
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. scrapian
6. ^ a b c d e Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. scrapian
7. ^ 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. skrefunga