*dragan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs the infinitive *dragan.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *draganą (“to haul”),^[2] which Kroonen cites by its stem *dragan- and Orel as *đraʒanan.^[3][4] Ringe and Taylor reconstruct its Proto-Germanic present third singular as *dragidi.^[2]

Morphology

A strong verb of class VI.^[5][6] Kroonen calls it an o-grade intensive verb.^[3] In pre-Old English the infinitive and third singular *dragąn, *drægiþi were remade as *dragąn, *dragiþi, the source of dragan and dræġþ.^[2] Boutkan and Siebinga explain the variation between Old Frisian drega and draga by the spread of the vowel that arose by i-umlaut in the second and third singular present, *dragis, *dragiþ;^[6] Middle Dutch, Middle Low German and Middle High German have the same variation.^[6]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English dragan, Old Frisian drega, Old Saxon dragan, Old Dutch dragan and Old High German tragan.^[7][8] Old English and Old Norse use it for "to draw, to drag", while Old Frisian, Old Saxon and Old High German have "to carry";^[9] Boutkan and Siebinga note that the Old Norse and Old English words show a shift in meaning but are generally taken as belonging here.^[6] Old Dutch has the verb in Williram's commentary of 1100.^[10]

Competing analyses

The further etymology is unclear: Kroonen finds no clear etymology,^[3] Berr calls the cognates outside Germanic uncertain,^[11] and Boutkan and Siebinga discuss a connection with Latin trahō (“to pull”) as problematic.^[6]

Meanings

1. to haul, to carry^[1]

Kroonen glosses the Proto-Germanic verb "to draw, pull, carry".^[3] Old Frisian also used the verb for "to amount to" and "to endure",^[12] and Old High German also for "to endure, to bring, to have".^[13]

Derivatives

• *dragēn "to behave", which Wiktionary reconstructs as closely related to the strong verb;^[14] ONW takes the reflexive Old Dutch dragon of the Middle Franconian Rhyme Bible for a derivative of the verb,^[15] but Köbler derives Old High German tragēn (“to behave”) from Proto-Germanic *trēgēn.^[16]

Reflexes

• Old English: dragan (“to draw, to drag, to protract, to go”)^[9]
• Old Frisian: drega (“to carry, to bring in, to amount to, to endure”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: dragan (“to carry, to bring, to bear”)^[17]
• Old Dutch: dragan (“to carry”)^[10]
• Old High German: tragan (“to carry, to bear, to bring”)^[13]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *dragan
2. ^ a b c Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 233
3. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 99
4. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 74
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dragan
6. ^ a b c d e Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. drega
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. dragan
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. drega
9. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. dragan
10. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. dragan
11. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 86
12. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. drega
13. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. tragan
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *dragēn
15. ^ Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. dragon
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. tragēn
17. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. dragan