*þrukkijan

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *þrukkijan "to press, to oppress" for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *þrukkijaną (“to press on, to crowd”),^[3][4] which Orel cites as *þrukkjanan, Köbler as *þrukkjan and EWA as *þrukk(i)jan-.^[3][5][4] Ringe and Taylor note, after Campbell, that its *kk did not arise by the gemination of Proto-West Germanic.^[1] In Old English it became *þruċċjąn and then Old English þryċċan.^[1] EWA explains the Proto-Germanic verb as an intensive formation to a root *þrūχ- "to press, to squeeze", also found in Old High German drūh (“fetter, chain”).^[4]

Morphology

A weak verb of class I.^[6][4] Ringe and Taylor reconstruct the past *þrukkidē "(s)he pressed", Old High German dructa, which became Old English þrycte by syncope.^[7] Unlike streċċan, streahte and a few other class I verbs in *-k-, the Old English verb kept the regular past ⟨þrycte⟩, although Old Frisian thritsa has a past participle ⟨thracht⟩.^[8]

Evidence

The verb is attested as Old English þryċċan, Old Frisian thritsa and Old High German drucken.^[1] Old High German has it only in Tatian, in Notker and in glosses.^[4] Hofmann and Popkema head the Old Frisian verb thretza, with the variant ⟨tritza⟩.^[9] EWA also lists Old Swedish and later Scandinavian forms.^[4]

Meanings

1. to press, to oppress^[1][2]

Old English also used the verb for "to crush", "to trample" and "to offend",^[6] and Old High German for "to press down" and "to torment".^[4][10]

Reflexes

• Old English: þryccan (“to crush, to trample, to oppress, to push”)^[6]
• Old Frisian: thretza (“to press”)^[9]
• Old High German: drucken (“to press down, to squeeze, to oppress”)^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 209
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *þrukkijan
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 427
4. ^ 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. drucken
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *þrukkjan
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. þryccan
7. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 268
8. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 98
9. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. thretza
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. drukken