*drepan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs the infinitive *drepan.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *drepaną (“to hit, to strike”),^[1][2] which Kroonen cites by its stem *drepan-, Orel as *đrepanan and Köbler as *drepan.^[2][3][4] Kroonen takes the Proto-Germanic strong verb for a back-formation from an iterative *drupp/bōn- "to hit", so that its *p arose inside Germanic.^[2]

Morphology

A strong verb.^[5] Köbler puts Old English drepan in class 5,^[6] but the Old Saxon, Old Dutch and Old High German verbs in class 4.^[7][8][9]

Evidence

The verb is recorded in Old English drepan,^[5] Old Dutch drepan and Old High German treffan.^[2][8] Old Saxon has only the compound ovardrepan (“to exceed”), glossing Latin eminere in the late 10th century.^[10][11] Köbler sets up the simple verb as unattested.^[7] In Old Dutch, ONW has the verb from Williram's commentary on the Song of Songs of about 1100.^[12] Köbler dates the first Old High German record to glosses from after 765.^[9] Wiktionary lists no Old Frisian form.^[1]

Meanings

1. to hit, to strike^[1]

Old English also used the verb for "to kill" and "to defeat",^[5] Old Dutch for "to concern",^[8] and Old High German for "to aim" and "to concern".^[9]

Derivatives

• *dripi "striking, stroke, slaying", which Wiktionary reconstructs as related to the verb, behind Old English drepe and drype.^[13] Köbler lists the Old English noun, which he writes ⟨drėpe⟩, as an i-stem meaning "stroke, blow, violent death".^[14]
• Köbler sets up Proto-Germanic *gadrepan (“to strike”) for Old English gedrepan and Old High German gitreffan.^[15]

Reflexes

• Old English: drepan (“to hit, to strike, to kill, to defeat”)^[5]
• Old Saxon: ovardrepan (“to exceed”)^[11]
• Old Dutch: drepan (“to hit, to reach”)^[12]
• Old High German: treffan (“to hit, to aim, to concern, to strike”)^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *drepan
2. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 101
3. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 75
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *drepan
5. ^ a b c d Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. drepan
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. drepan
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *drepan?
8. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. drepan
9. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. treffan
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ovardrepan
11. ^ a b Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. ovardrepan
12. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. drepan
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *dripi
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *drepa-, *drepaz
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *gadrepan