*aftar

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *aftar "after, behind" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *after (“after, behind”),^[1][2] which Kroonen writes *after(i) and Köbler *after, *afteri.^[2][3] EWA finds two formations in North and East Germanic, one in *af-ter- and one in *af-tra-, probably ablaut forms of a comparative suffix.^[4] In West Germanic, where the vowel inserted between t and r made the two suffixes indistinguishable, there is only one formation, probably the one in *-ter-; it took over many of the meanings of both, while others passed to the related adverb Old English eft (“again, back”).^[4]

Morphology

A preposition and adverb.^[5][4] In Old Saxon the preposition takes the dative or the instrumental,^[6] and in Old Frisian the genitive, dative or instrumental.^[7]

Evidence

The word is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English æfter, Old Saxon aftar, Old Dutch after and Old High German after, and in Old Frisian with e for a, Old Frisian efter.^[4] Old Frisian also has ⟨after⟩, ⟨eftar⟩ and ⟨āfter⟩.^[8] The Old Dutch Psalms have ⟨after⟩ and ⟨aftir⟩,^[9] and Middle Franconian has ⟨ahter⟩ and ⟨ather⟩.^[4]

Meanings

1. after, behind^[1][2]

As a preposition the word also meant "along" and "according to" in Old English,^[5] Old Saxon^[6] and Old High German,^[4] and as an adverb "afterwards, later".^[5][6]

Reflexes

• Old English: æfter (“after, behind, along, through, according to”)^[5]
• Old Frisian: efter (“after, behind, according to”)^[8]
• Old Saxon: aftar (“after, behind, afterwards”)^[6]
• Old Dutch: after (“after, according to”)^[9]
• Old High German: after (“after, behind, along, according to”)^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *aftar
2. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 3
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *after
4. ^ 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. after
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. æfter
6. ^ a b c d Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. aftar
7. ^ Bremmer, Rolf H., Jr. (2009), An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins, p. 193
8. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. efter
9. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. after