*fūliþu

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *fūliþu "rottenness" for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *fūliþō (“rottenness”), the Proto-Germanic noun as Köbler and Fulk reconstruct it;^[3][4] Köbler also gives the variant *fūleþō and refers the noun to the adjective *fūlā-.^[3]

Morphology

A feminine ō-stem.^[5][6] EWA refers Old High German fūlida to the suffix -ida.^[6] Old High German also has a masculine n-stem fūlido beside it, recorded in the Tatian.^[7]

Evidence

Ringe and Taylor cite Old Saxon fūlitha and Old High German fūlida for the Proto-West Germanic noun, and trace Old English fȳlþ to it through *fȳliþu, with *ū fronted to *ȳ.^[1] Fulk gives the Old English word, Kentish fēlþ, as an example of this change of ū to ȳ (Kentish ē), and compares the adjective fūl (“foul”).^[4] In Old Dutch, Old Dutch fūlitha glosses Latin putrēdō in the Old Low and Middle Franconian psalms and glosses of the 10th century.^[8] Old Saxon has the word in a gloss of the end of the 10th century, also for putrēdō.^[5]

Competing analyses

Wiktionary takes the noun for a West Germanic formation from *fūl (“foul, dirty”) with the abstract suffix *-iþu,^[2] while Köbler and Fulk already set it up for Proto-Germanic.^[3][4]

Meanings

1. rottenness^[1][2]
2. foulness, filth^[2][9]

Old High German also used the word for "stench" and "depravity".^[6]

Reflexes

• Old English: fȳlþ (“dirt, uncleanness”)^[10]
• Old Saxon: fūlitha (“decay, rotten place”)^[5]
• Old Dutch: fūlitha (“rotting”)^[8]
• Old High German: fūlida (“rottenness, stench, depravity”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 224
2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fūliþu
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *fūliþō
4. ^ a b c Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fūlitha
6. ^ a b c d Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. fûlida
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fūlido
8. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. fūlitha
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fūlitha
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fȳlþ