*ain

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *ain "one" for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *ainaz (“one”),^[2][3] which Kroonen cites by its stem *aina- and Orel as *ainaz.^[3][4]

Morphology

As in Proto-Germanic, *ain was a morphologically unremarkable adjective.^[1] Old High German used the weak form eino mostly predicatively, for "alone, as the only one".^[5]

Evidence

The numeral is attested in Old English ān, Old Frisian ēn, Old Saxon ēn, Old Dutch ēn and Old High German ein.^[5][3][6] Old High German has it from the 8th century,^[5] and Old Dutch in the Psalms of 901–1000 and in Williram's commentary of 1100.^[6] EWA notes that the numeral was already used in Old High German as an indefinite pronoun "some", from which the indefinite article developed in West Germanic as in North Germanic, whereas in Gothic it had not yet taken that function.^[5]

Meanings

1. one^[1][2]

Old English also used the word for "alone, only, single", and in the plural for "individuals".^[7] Old Frisian used it as the indefinite article and with numerals for "about".^[8]

Derivatives

• *ainag "only, any", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[9] Orel derives Proto-Germanic *ainaʒaz from the numeral and lists Old English ǣniġ (“any”), Old Frisian ēnich (“only”) and Old Saxon ēnig.^[10]
• *ainfald "single, simple", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[11] Orel lists the compound in Old English, Old Frisian, Old Saxon and Old High German.^[10]
• Boutkan and Siebinga trace Old Frisian ek (“each”) and Old English ælc to a compound *aina-galīk-, of the numeral and *galīk, and note that the word is restricted to Ingvaeonic West Germanic.^[12]

Reflexes

• Old English: ān (“one, alone, only, single”)^[7]
• Old Frisian: ēn (“one; a”)^[8]
• Old Saxon: ēn (“one, the same, alone, only”)^[13]
• Old Dutch: ēn (“one”)^[6]
• Old High German: ein (“one, some, a certain, alone”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 120
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ain
3. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 11
4. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 9
5. ^ a b c d e 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. ein
6. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. ēn
7. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. ān
8. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. ēn
9. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ainag
10. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 8
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ainfald
12. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. ek
13. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. ēn