*sterban

Reconstruction

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

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *sterbaną (“to become stiff, to die”),^[3][4] which Kroonen cites as *sterban-, Orel as *sterƀanan and EWA as *sterƀ-e/a-.^[3][5][6] In Old English the *e before r and a consonant was broken, so that *sterban became Old English steorfan.^[7]

Morphology

A strong verb of class III.^[8][9][10]

Evidence

Ringe and Taylor list *sterban among the noteworthy words found only in West Germanic, with Old English steorfan, Old Frisian sterva, Old Saxon sterƀan and Old High German sterban.^[11] EWA notes that the family is wholly absent from East Germanic, and that North Germanic does not continue the verb itself, only nominal formations such as Old Norse stjarfi (“tetanus”) and Old Norse stjarfr (“hard-mouthed”).^[6] In Old High German the verb is found in a Middle Franconian gloss of the 10th century, and the prefixed irsterban already in the Abrogans.^[6] Old Dutch has starf "(he) died" in Williram's commentary of 1100, and the verb in the Middle Franconian Rhyme Bible.^[12]

Meanings

1. to die^[1][2]

Kroonen's gloss of the Proto-Germanic verb is "to become stiff, die".^[3] Old Frisian also used it for "to fall back", of hereditary estates that had formed part of a dowry.^[13]

Derivatives

• *sterbō "death, plague", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[14] Orel derives Proto-Germanic *sterƀōn from the verb and lists Old English steorfa (“mortality, pestilence”), Old Saxon mansterbo (“epidemic”) and Old High German sterbo (“pest”).^[5]
• *starbijan "to kill", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[15] EWA finds a transitive weak verb *starƀii̯e/a- continued in German.^[6]

Reflexes

• Old English: steorfan (“to die”)^[16]
• Old Frisian: sterva (“to die”)^[13]
• Old Saxon: stervan (“to die”)^[8]
• Old Dutch: stervan (“to die”)^[12]
• Old High German: sterban (“to die”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 127
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sterban
3. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 477
4. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sterbaną
5. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 375
6. ^ 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. sterban
7. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 182
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. stervan
9. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. sterva
10. ^ Mailhammer, Robert (2007), The Germanic Strong Verbs: Foundations and Development of a New System, Trends in Linguistics 183, Berlin / New York: Mouton de Gruyter, p. 220
11. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 126–127
12. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. stervan
13. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sterva
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sterbô
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *starbijaną
16. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. steorfan