*brigdil

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *brigdil "strap, rein; bridle" for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Gamillscheg gives the same basic form *brigdil for the Old High German and Dutch words for the bridle.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *brigdilaz (“bridle”),^[1] which Köbler writes *bregdila-, *bregdilaz beside *brigdilaz.^[3] Wiktionary analyses it as *bregdan "to move back and forth, to weave" with the suffix *-il,^[1] and Gamillscheg likewise relates *brigdil to the Frankish verb bregdan (“to bridle”).^[2] EWA puts Old High German brittil with the verb brettan, formed with the suffix *-ila- that made names of implements.^[4]

Morphology

A masculine a-stem.^[4][5]

Evidence

The word is found only in West Germanic: EWA notes that it is not attested in North or East Germanic.^[4] Old High German has brittil in glosses and in Notker, beside brīdil, a late Alemannic form in Notker that EWA calls unexplained.^[4] Old English has brigdels "bridle", which Holthausen traces to *bregdel and connects with the verb bregdan;^[6] EWA gives Old English brīdel beside the forms ending in -els, which it explains with another suffix.^[4] Old Saxon has the word only in the compound kāmbriddil (“bridle”), glossing Latin lupatum in the Trier glosses of the early 11th century, and Köbler doubts whether this gloss is Old Saxon rather than Old High German.^[7]

Competing analyses

Gamillscheg derives French bride (“bridle”), recorded from the 13th century, through a Gallo-Romance *brejda from Frankish *brëgda, a noun to the Frankish verb.^[2] EWA instead takes bride perhaps from a Middle High German or Middle Franconian brīdel, following the FEW, and names Gamillscheg's Frankish source as an alternative; it also takes bretelle (“strap”) for a loan from Old High German brittil.^[4]

Meanings

1. strap, rein^[1]
2. bridle^[1]

Old High German used the word for both the bridle and the reins.^[4][8]

Derivatives

• *brigdilōn "to bridle", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[9] Old High German has the prefixed verb gibrittilōn (“to bridle, to tame”), from the late 8th century.^[10]

Reflexes

• Old English: brigdels (“bridle”)^[6]
• Old High German: brittil (“bridle, rein”)^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *brigdil
2. ^ a b c Gamillscheg, Ernst (1966–1969), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der französischen Sprache, 2nd, fully revised ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 164
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *bregdila-
4. ^ 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. brittil
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. brigdels
6. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. brigdels
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kāmbriddil
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. brittil
9. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *brigdilōn
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gibrittilōn