*dal

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *dal "valley, dale" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *dalą (“valley”),^[2][3] which Kroonen cites by its stem *dala-, as a masculine, Orel as *đalaz, a masculine or neuter, and Köbler both as a neuter *dalam and as a masculine *dalaz.^[2][4][3] Casaretto sets up *dal-a-, masculine or neuter, and finds no base word for it within Germanic.^[5]

Morphology

A neuter a-stem in Old English, Old Frisian and Old Saxon;^[6][7][8] Old Saxon, Old Dutch and Old High German also have it as a masculine.^[9][10][11] Köbler records Old High German forms of the s-stem type beside those of the a-stem.^[11]

Evidence

The noun is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English dæl, Old Frisian del, Old Saxon dal, Old Dutch dal and Old High German tal.^[2][4][10] In Old Dutch it is recorded in the Old Low and Middle Franconian Psalms of the 10th century and as the genitive plural ⟨dala⟩ in Williram's commentary of 1100.^[12] Old High German has it in glosses from the third quarter of the 8th century.^[11] Hofmann and Popkema ask whether the Old Frisian word was used only as a field name.^[13]

Meanings

1. valley, dale^[2][1]

Old English also used the word for "abyss",^[6] Old Saxon for "abyss, pit",^[9] and Old High German for "abyss, ravine";^[11] Old Frisian had the adverbial phrase tō dele "down".^[14]

Derivatives

• Orel derives a Proto-Germanic *đaljan, *đaljō from the noun, the source of Old English dell (“deep hollow, valley”), ofdæle (“downward slope”) and Old Frisian dele;^[4] Wiktionary reconstructs it as Proto-Germanic *daljō (“a dell”).^[15]
• Kroonen relates the lengthened-grade *dōljō- "depression", the source of Old High German tuolla (“pit, hollow”), and the zero-grade *dulō- "ditch", the source of tola.^[16][17]

Reflexes

• Old English: dæl (“valley, abyss”)^[6]
• Old Frisian: del (“valley”)^[14]
• Old Saxon: dal (“valley”)^[8]
• Old Dutch: dal (“valley”)^[12]
• Old High German: tal (“valley, abyss, ravine”)^[11]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *dal
2. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 87
3. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *dala-
4. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 67
5. ^ Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. dals
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dæl
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. del
8. ^ a b Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 78
9. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dal
10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dal
11. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. tal
12. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. dal
13. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. del
14. ^ a b Bremmer, Rolf H., Jr. (2009), An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins, p. 192
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *daljō
16. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 98
17. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 108