*undar

Reconstruction

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

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *under (“under; among”),^[2][3] which Kroonen writes *under- and Orel *unđer;^[2][4] Boutkan and Siebinga give the Proto-Germanic form as *undar and the Proto-Frisian one as *undir.^[5]

Morphology

An adverb and preposition,^[2][6] also used as a verbal prefix in Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Old Dutch and Old High German.^[7][6][8][9] Old Frisian construes the preposition with the dative.^[10]

Evidence

The word is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English under, Old Frisian under, Old Saxon undar, Old Dutch under and Old High German untar.^[5] Old Frisian also has ⟨onder⟩, the Old West Frisian variant with o before a nasal.^[5] In Old Dutch it is recorded, also as ⟨undir⟩, in the Psalms of the 10th century and in Williram's commentary of 1100.^[11]

Competing analyses

Whether the Proto-West Germanic form ended in *-ar is disputed.^[12] Fulk reports the usual view that Proto-Germanic final *-er remained in Anglo-Frisian, and the alternative that it became *-ar in West Germanic and then, through Anglo-Frisian brightening, *-ær and finally -er.^[12] In favour of the alternative, Ringe points out that West Germanic *-ar does give Old English -er in Old English fēower (“four”), from *feuwar;^[12][13] Fulk replies that this does not require Old English under to come from *undar, and leaves the question open.^[12]

Meanings

1. under, beneath^[2][1]
2. among, between^[2][1]

Old English also used the word for "during, through",^[14] Old Frisian for "within, during" and "in the power of",^[15] and Old High German for "in, at, from".^[9]

Derivatives

• *undarfą̄han "to receive, to undertake", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[16] the compound is found as Old English underfōn (“to receive, to accept”),^[17] Old Dutch underfān, in the Groningen psalm glosses of 1151–1175,^[18] and Old High German untarfāhan (“to catch, to take away, to support”).^[19]
• *undarsittjan "to sit under, to be subject", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[20] Old Frisian has the compound undersitta.^[7]

Reflexes

• Old English: under (“under, during, through”)^[14]
• Old Frisian: under (“under, within, between, during”)^[15]
• Old Saxon: undar (“under, below, between”)^[6]
• Old Dutch: under (“under”)^[11]
• Old High German: untar (“under, between, in, among”)^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *undar
2. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 559
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *under
4. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 434
5. ^ a b c Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. under
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. undar
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. under
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. under
9. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. untar
10. ^ Bremmer, Rolf H., Jr. (2009), An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins, p. 215
11. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. under
12. ^ a b c d Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins
13. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 59
14. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. under
15. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. under
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *undarfą̄han
17. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. underfōn
18. ^ Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. underfān
19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. untarfāhan
20. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *undarsittjan