*Mānini dag

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *Mānini dag "Monday".^[1]

Etymology

Wiktionary takes it as formed from Proto-West Germanic *Mānini (“the Moon's”) + *dag (“day”), with the genitive of the word for "moon".^[1] EWA calls Old High German mântag a determinative compound and a loan translation of Latin diēs Lūnae (“day of the Moon”), which was itself formed after the Greek name of the day, and it sets up the compound as Proto-Germanic *mēnan-đaǥa-, literally "moon day".^[2]

Morphology

A masculine a-stem.^[2][3]

Evidence

The name is attested as Old English mōnandæg,^[3] Old Frisian mōnandei, also mōnendei and mānendei,^[4] and Old High German mântag, from about 1000 and in glosses.^[2][5] EWA records the Old Dutch Mānodag only from 1136.^[2] The word reached North Germanic through West Germanic, as Old Norse mánudagr and mánadagr.^[2] Wiktionary gives the Old Saxon form only as a reconstruction.^[1]

Competing analyses

The Old English and Old Frisian forms with ō against Old High German ā show one of the Ingvaeonic features that Stiles lists, the backing of long and short *a before nasals, with his example Old English mōna (“moon”) against Old High German māno.^[6] The traditional approach takes these features for innovations after Proto-West Germanic, High German being conservative in many respects.^[6]

Meanings

1. Monday^[1][2]

Reflexes

• Old English: mōnandæg (“Monday”)^[3]
• Old Frisian: mōnandei (“Monday”)^[4]
• Old High German: mântag (“Monday”)^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *Mānini dag
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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. mântag
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mōnandæg
4. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. mōnandei
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mānitag
6. ^ a b Stiles, Patrick V. (2013), The Pan-West Germanic isoglosses and the subrelationships of West Germanic to other branches, NOWELE 66/1, 5–38, p. 18