*dauþu

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *dauþu for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *dauþuz (“death”),^[2] which Kroonen cites by its stem *dauþu- and Orel as *đauþaz ~ *đauþuz.^[3][4] Its diphthong *au is one of Ringe and Taylor's examples of Proto-West Germanic *au, which became ⟨ēa⟩ in most Old English dialects and ⟨ā⟩ in Old Frisian: Old English dēaþ, Old Frisian dāth.^[2]

Morphology

Kroonen takes the Proto-Germanic noun for a tu-stem formed to the verb *daujan- "to die",^[3] and Casaretto for a verbal abstract with the full grade, beside the verbal adjective *dauda- "dead".^[5] Wiktionary analyses the Proto-West Germanic word as *dauwjan "to die" with the suffix *-þu.^[1] In the daughters the noun is masculine.^[6][7] Köbler gives Old English dēaþ as an a- or u-stem and Old Dutch dōd as a u-stem, but Old Frisian, Old Saxon and Old High German forms as a-stems.^{[6][8][9][10][7]}

Evidence

The noun is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English dēaþ, Old Frisian dāth, Old Saxon dōth and Old High German tōd,^[2] and Old Dutch dōd in the Old Low Franconian psalms of the 9th century and in Williram's commentary of about 1100.^[8][11] The Old Frisian variants dād and dāt show the merger of final -þ and -d, which the archaic language of the manuscript R₁ still keeps apart.^[12]

Meanings

1. death^[2][1]

Old Frisian also used the word for "killing, homicide".^[13][14] Old High German used it also for "ruin".^[7]

Reflexes

• Old English: dēaþ (“death”)^[6]
• Old Frisian: dāth (“death, killing”)^[13]
• Old Saxon: dōth (“death”)^[10]
• Old Dutch: dōth (“death”)^[11]
• Old High German: tōd (“death, ruin”)^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *dauþu
2. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 172
3. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 91
4. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 69–70
5. ^ Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. déaþ
7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. tōd
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dōd
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dâth
10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dôth
11. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. dōth
12. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. dath
13. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. dāth
14. ^ Bremmer, Rolf H., Jr. (2009), An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins, p. 192