*fader

Reconstruction

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

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *fadēr (“father”),^[1][3] which Kroonen cites as *fader- and Orel as *fađēr.^[3][4] Ringe and Taylor count it among the few examples of Proto-Germanic unstressed *ē; the Proto-Germanic nominative is not attested in Gothic, where only the vocative is found, but can be safely inferred.^[5] In West Germanic, after the unrounding of *ō with two morae, vowels were shortened before word-final *-r in unaccented syllables, and *fadēr became *fader.^[1] The best evidence for this change is the short vowel before -r in the nominative singular of the r-stem kinship terms in Old High German, which did not normally shorten vowels in closed final syllables.^[1]

Morphology

A masculine r-stem.^[6][7] In Old High German it is a consonant stem that also takes a-stem endings.^[8]

Evidence

The word is found in all the West Germanic languages: Old English fæder, Old Frisian feder, Old Saxon fadar, also ⟨fader⟩, and Old High German fater.^[1] The æ of Old English and the e of Old Frisian show the fronting of short *a in the northern dialects, which Old Saxon and Old High German lack.^[9] The by-form ⟨fader⟩ of Old Frisian is Old West Frisian and lacks the fronting, like Middle Dutch vader.^[10] Old Dutch has fadar, as ⟨uader⟩ in Williram's commentary of about 1100 and in the Middle Franconian Rhyme Bible, and as the byname ⟨Vader⟩ in the Liber Traditionum of St Peter's, Blandinium.^[11]

Meanings

1. father^[9][2]

Old English also used the word for "God the Father",^[12] Old Frisian for "confessor",^[13] and Old High German for "abbot" and "creator".^[8]

Derivatives

• *fadurjō "paternal uncle", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[14] Orel sets up Proto-Germanic *fađurwjōn behind Old English fædera, Old Frisian federia and Old High German fatureo, and Kroonen *fadurwjan-.^[4][15]
• *faderlaus "fatherless" and *hauhafader "forefather, patriarch", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[16][17] Köbler lists the Old English compounds fæderlēas and hēahfæder.^[12]

Reflexes

• Old English: fæder (“father, God the Father”)^[12]
• Old Frisian: feder (“father, confessor”)^[13]
• Old Saxon: fadar (“father”)^[7]
• Old Dutch: fadar (“father”)^[11]
• Old High German: fater (“father, abbot, creator”)^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 60
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fader
3. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 121
4. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 88
5. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 25
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fadar
7. ^ a b Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. fadar
8. ^ a b c 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. fater
9. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 147
10. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. feder
11. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. fadar
12. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fæder
13. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. feder
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fadurjō
15. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 122
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *faderlaus
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hauhafader