*faran

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs the infinitive *faran.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *faraną (“to go, to travel”),^[2] which Kroonen cites by its stem *faran- and Orel as *faranan.^[3][4] Ringe and Taylor reconstruct the Proto-West Germanic present participle *farandī "travelling, going", continued by Old Saxon farandi and Old High German faranti, and the dative of the infinitive *farannjē, continued by Old Saxon and Old High German faranne.^[5]

Morphology

A strong verb of class VI.^[6][7] Kroonen calls it an o-grade intensive-iterative verb, whose past in *fōr- arose secondarily after verbs with roots of the shape CHC.^[3] Ringe and Taylor cite the Proto-Germanic present second and third singular *farizi, *faridi, with the Old High German third singular ferit.^[2]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English faran,^[8] Old Frisian fara,^[9] Old Saxon faran,^[10] Old Dutch faran, with the past fuor in the Old Low Franconian psalms,^[11] and Old High German faran.^[7] In West Saxon Old English the *a of the present stem of class VI was generalised at the expense of *æ at an early date, giving faran beside færst, færþ.^[2]

Meanings

1. to go, to travel^[2][1]

Old English also used the verb for "to happen" and "to act",^[8] Old Frisian for "to proceed" and "to sail",^[9] and Old High German for "to flow", "to pass away" and "to behave".^[7]

Derivatives

• *faru "journey": Ringe and Taylor trace Proto-Northwest Germanic *faru, genitive *farōz, to Proto-West Germanic *faru, *farā, the source of Old English faru and Old Frisian ūtfere (“journey abroad”).^[12][13]
• *farō "traveller", which Wiktionary reconstructs from Proto-Germanic *farô;^[14] Köbler lists the weak masculine for "traveller" in Old English, Old Frisian, Old Saxon and Old High German, found there in compounds.^[15]
• *ūtfaran "to go out, to depart" and *uppfaran "to go up, to ascend", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[16][17] Köbler lists Old Dutch ūtfaran among the Old Dutch compounds of the verb.^[11]
• Kroonen names among its Proto-Germanic derivatives *fardi-, *farjōn-, *farma-, *fōri- and *fōrjan-.^[3]

Reflexes

• Old English: faran (“to go, to travel, to happen, to act, to suffer”)^[8]
• Old Frisian: fara (“to go, to travel, to proceed, to sail”)^[9]
• Old Saxon: faran (“to go, to travel”)^[10]
• Old Dutch: faran (“to go, to travel”)^[18]
• Old High German: faran (“to go, to travel, to move, to flow”)^[7]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *faran
2. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 232
3. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 128
4. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 93
5. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 230
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. faran
7. ^ 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. faran
8. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. faran
9. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. fara
10. ^ a b Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 114
11. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. faran
12. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 196
13. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 288
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *farō
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *farō-, *farōn
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ūtfaran
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *uppfaran
18. ^ Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. faran