*diurī

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *diurī for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2] De Vaan writes the West Germanic adjective *diuri-.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *diurijaz (“valuable”),^[1] which Ringe and Taylor reconstruct for Proto-Northwest Germanic, Kroonen cites by its stem *deurja-, Orel as *đeurjaz and Köbler as *deurja-.^[1][4][5][6]

Morphology

An adjective.^[1] Ringe and Taylor derive from it the weak verb *diurisōn, one of a set of verbs in *-isōn formed to adjectives and nouns.^[1]

Evidence

The adjective is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English dīere, Old Frisian diūre, Old Saxon diuri and Old High German tiuri,^[1] and Old Dutch diuri in Williram's commentary of about 1100.^[7] Old High German has it from the end of the 8th century.^[8] In Dutch the diphthong developed differently by region: Early Middle Dutch has forms spelt with i or ie in all of Brabant and West Limburg, and forms with u only at Maastricht and in Cleves and Guelders.^[3]

Competing analyses

The origin is unknown.^[9][4] Kroonen notes that the adjective looks like a gerundive "to be mourned" to the verb *dūrēn- of Middle High German betūren and Middle English douren (“to grieve”), which has been derived either from an unattested adjective borrowed from Latin dūrus (“hard”) or taken for a dissimilated form of *drūrēn- "to mourn".^[4] Holthausen likewise connects the Old English adjective with Middle English douren.^[10] Berr knows no cognates outside Germanic, and Boutkan and Siebinga no Indo-European etymology,^[11][12] while Orel compares Sanskrit and Greek words.^[5]

Meanings

1. valuable, precious^[1][2]
2. expensive^[4]

Old English also used the adjective for "noble",^[10] Old Frisian of a high fine,^[13] and Old Saxon also for "dear, beloved".^[14]

Derivatives

• *diurisōn "to consider valuable, to praise, to extol": Old English dīersian, Old High German tiurisōn.^[1]
• *diurijan "to value, to praise", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[15] Köbler sets up Proto-Germanic *deurjan for Old English dīeran, Old Saxon diurian and Old High German tiuren.^[16]
• *diuriþu "dearness, preciousness", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[17] Orel derives Proto-Germanic *đeuriþō from the adjective, with Old Saxon diuritha (“glory”) and Old High German tiurida.^[5]

Reflexes

• Old English: dīere (“dear, precious, noble”)^[10]
• Old Frisian: diūre (“costly, valuable”)^[13]
• Old Saxon: diuri (“expensive, precious”)^[11]
• Old Dutch: diuri (“precious”)^[7]
• Old High German: tiuri (“dear, precious, valuable”)^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 130
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *diurī
3. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2017), The Dawn of Dutch: Language Contact in the Western Low Countries before 1200, NOWELE Supplement Series 30, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins, p. 454
4. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 94
5. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 71
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *deurja-
7. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. diuri
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. tiuri
9. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *diurijaz
10. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. diere
11. ^ a b Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 81
12. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. diore
13. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. diūre
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. diuri
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *diurijan
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *deurjan
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *diuriþu