Etymologically

Etymology and origin of the Proto-West Germanic word *daud

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
Inherited from
Proto-Germanic *daudaz
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European *dʰew-
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Proto-Germanic *daudaz
Proto-West Germanic *daud
Dutch dood
German tot

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs the adjective *daud.[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *daudaz (“dead”),[2][3] which Kroonen and Heidermanns cite by its stem *dauda- and Orel as *đauđaz.[3][4][5] Ringe and Taylor give it as an example of Proto-West Germanic *au, which appears in most Old English dialects as ⟨ēa⟩: Proto-Germanic *daudaz gave Old English dēad and Old Frisian dād.[2] Schaffner finds the verbal adjective *dauda- secured by Old High German, Old English, Old Saxon and Old Frisian; the -þ- of Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃 (dauþs) was taken from the noun Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌸𐌿𐍃 (dauþus, “death”).[6][7][5]

Morphology

An adjective.[8][9] Kroonen takes it for the original past participle of *daujan- "to die",[3] and Schaffner for the to-adjective of that strong verb of class VI.[7]

Evidence

The adjective is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English dēad, Old Frisian dād, Old Saxon dōd and Old High German tōt.[2] Old Frisian also has dāth and once ⟨thāth⟩, which show the merger of final -d and -þ, kept apart in the archaic language of the first Rüstring manuscript;[10] Kroonen counts dād beside dōd among the Old Frisian spellings with a and o for Proto-Germanic *au.[11] Old Saxon has it in the Heliand and the Genesis,[8] Old High German from the 8th century,[9] and Old Dutch in Williram's commentary of 1100.[12][13] Heidermanns, by contrast, finds the Dutch word only from Middle Dutch doot on.[4]

Meanings

  1. dead[2][1]

Old English also used the word for "stiff", "numb", "sluggish" and "curdled",[14] and Old Frisian for "unconscious", "invalid" and "settled".[15]

Derivatives

  • *daudijan "to kill", which Wiktionary reconstructs;[16] Köbler sets up Old English *dīedan "to kill", recorded with the prefix ā-.[17]
  • *daudēn "to die", which Wiktionary reconstructs;[18] Old English has dēadian (“to die”) in glosses.[19]

Reflexes

  • Old English: dēad (“dead, stiff, numb, sluggish”)[14]
  • Old Frisian: dād (“dead, unconscious, invalid”)[15]
  • Old Saxon: dōd (“dead”)[20]
  • Old Dutch: dōt (“dead”)[12]
  • Old High German: tōt (“dead, deceased”)[9]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *daud
  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 c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 90
  4. ^ a b Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. dauda-
  5. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 69
  6. ^ Schaffner, Stefan (2001), Das Vernersche Gesetz und der innerparadigmatische grammatische Wechsel des Urgermanischen im Nominalbereich, Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft 103, Innsbruck, p. 259
  7. ^ a b Schaffner, Stefan (2001), Das Vernersche Gesetz und der innerparadigmatische grammatische Wechsel des Urgermanischen im Nominalbereich, Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft 103, Innsbruck, p. 282
  8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dôd
  9. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. tōt
  10. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. dad
  11. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 217
  12. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. dōt
  13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dōd* 1
  14. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. dēad
  15. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. dād
  16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *daudijan
  17. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *díedan
  18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *daudēn
  19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. déadian
  20. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 82

Related etymologies

  • *stain · also from Proto-Germanic
  • *beran · also from Proto-Germanic
  • *sōkijan · also from Proto-Germanic
  • *fimf · also from Proto-Germanic
  • *hail · also from Proto-Germanic
  • *hertā · also from Proto-Germanic
  • *busk · also from Proto-Germanic
  • *reht · also from Proto-Germanic
Cite this entry

“*daud.” Etymologically, 16 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/gmw-pro/*daud. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·