*þurban

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs the infinitive *þurban "to need" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *þurbaną (“to need”),^[2][3] whose principal parts Ringe gives as *þurbaną, *þarf, *þurftē, *þurftaz.^[2] Köbler sets up *þerban, *þerfan, *þurban, *þurfan, *þarban, *þarfan.^[4] Ringe and Taylor cite the Proto-Germanic third singular *þarf "(s)he needs", continued by Old Saxon tharf and Old High German darf, which became Old English þearf by breaking.^[5] EWA explains the verb as an old perfect of the root meaning "to satisfy oneself", *þarf first meaning "I have found satisfaction", which took on the meaning of a state, "I need something for my satisfaction", and so joined the preterite-presents.^[6]

Morphology

A preterite-present verb of class III.^[7][8] Fulk's table has the present second and third singular, third plural and past third singular Old English þearft, þearf, þurfon, þorfte, Old Saxon tharft, tharf, thurƀun, thorfta, and Old High German darft, darf, durfun, dorfta; of the West Germanic languages only Old English records an infinitive.^[8] Ringe and Taylor find that the inflection of the preterite-presents had changed little in Proto-West Germanic, and that their present second singular in *-(s)t survived unchanged;^[9] Old English, Old Saxon and Old High German agree in the form with -t, while Old Frisian thurst "you need" is a separate innovation.^[10] In early West Saxon the present subjunctive still has forms with and without i-umlaut, ðurfe ~ ðyrfe, mostly the latter.^[11] EWA notes that Gothic kept the alternation of grammatical change, while Old High German levelled it in favour of the *f of the singular; because the two sounds fell together medially, it cannot be decided whether *f was generalised in the rest of North and West Germanic too.^[6]

Evidence

The verb is attested in Old English þurfan,^[12] Old Frisian thurva,^[13] Old Saxon thurvan, in the Heliand and in glosses,^[7] and Old High German durfan.^[6] In Frisian it became mixed with the continuation of Proto-Germanic *đurzan- "to dare",^[6] Old Frisian dūra (“to dare”).^[14] For Old Dutch, EWA and Köbler cite only the adjective Old Dutch thurftig (“needy”) from the Old Low Franconian psalm glosses.^[6][15] Gothic has 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌱𐌰𐌽 (þaurban) and Old Norse þurfa.^[6]

Meanings

1. to need^[1]

Old English also used the verb for "to have to, to owe",^[12] Old Frisian and Old Saxon for "to be allowed",^[13][7] and Old High German for "to lack, to have cause, ought to".^[6] In Old English it is one of the pre-modal verbs.^[16]

Derivatives

• Wiktionary reconstructs Proto-Germanic *þurftiz (“need, necessity”), formed from the verb;^[17] Köbler lists Proto-Germanic *þurfti- "need" in Gothic, Old Frisian, Old Dutch, Old Saxon and Old High German.^[18]

Reflexes

• Old English: þurfan (“to need, to have to, to owe”)^[12]
• Old Frisian: thurva (“to be allowed, to need”)^[13]
• Old Saxon: thurvan (“to be allowed, to need”)^[7]
• Old High German: durfan (“to need, to lack, to have cause, ought to”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *þurban
2. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 291
3. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *þurbaną
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *þerban
5. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 180
6. ^ 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. durfan
7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. thurvan
8. ^ a b Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins, p. §12.53
9. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 109
10. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 354
11. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 368
12. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. þurfan
13. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. thurva
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dūra
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. thurftig
16. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 425
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *þurftiz
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *þurfti-