*arg

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *arg for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2] It continues inherited from Proto-Germanic *argaz (“cowardly, effeminate”), which Ringe and Taylor set up for Proto-Northwest Germanic,^[1] Kroonen and Heidermanns cite by its stem *arga-, and Orel as *arʒaz.^[3][4][5] In pre-Old English the *a was fronted to *æ and broken before *r and a consonant, giving Old English earg.^[1] Boutkan and Siebinga hold that the ⟨er-⟩ of Old Frisian and Dutch is not the oldest stage, given the older ⟨ar-⟩ of the other dialects, and assume a change of *a to *e before r and a labial or velar.^[6]

Morphology

An adjective.^[1] Old High German has the comparative argiro and the superlative argisto,^[4] and variants such as arug, with a secondary vowel between r and the velar.^[7]

Evidence

The adjective is attested as Old English earg, Old Frisian erch and Old High German arg,^[1] and Old Dutch has arug, glossing Latin perversa in the psalm glosses of the 10th century.^[8] Old Saxon has it only in personal names,^[7][9] and Heidermanns finds it in Saxon only from Middle Low German on.^[4] EWA notes that if Lombard counts as the oldest West Germanic, the record begins with Lombardic arga in the Edict of Rothari of 643 and in Paulus Diaconus, who renders it with Latin "iners et inutilis"; since Grimm its ending has been explained as that of a weak masculine adjective, a "North Sea Germanic" form, though Kuhn suggested a feminine noun of abuse.^[7]

Meanings

1. cowardly, unmanly^[7][2]

EWA takes "cowardly, unmanly" for the older meaning, beyond doubt in Lombard and in the Hildebrandslied; it then became more generally "inferior, useless, wretched" or, in the sexual sphere and especially in Old Norse, "perverse".^[7] Boutkan and Siebinga report a suggested development from "shake, jump" to "voluptuous, perverse", then to "unmanly, cowardly" and "evil", perhaps under Christian influence.^[6] Old English used the word for "slothful, cowardly, wretched, useless",^[10] Old Frisian for "evil, bad",^[11] and Old High German also for "lewd" and "greedy".^[7]

Derivatives

• *argēn "to become spoiled, to become a coward", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[12] Köbler sets up a Proto-Germanic *argēn behind Old Frisian *ergia "to become worse".^[13]
• *argijan "to spoil, to ruin", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[14] Orel derives Proto-Germanic *arʒjanan from the adjective.^[5]

Reflexes

• Old English: earg (“slothful, cowardly, wretched, useless”)^[10]
• Old Frisian: erch (“evil, bad”)^[11]
• Old Dutch: arug (“perverse”)^[8]
• Old High German: arg (“cowardly, sluggish, depraved, bad, lewd, greedy”)^[7]

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. 180
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *arg
3. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 34
4. ^ a b c Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. arga-
5. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 23
6. ^ a b Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. erch
7. ^ 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. arg
8. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. arg
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *arg?
10. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. earg
11. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. erch
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *argēn
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *argēn
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *argijan