*felþu

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *felþu for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *felþuz (“field”), which Ringe and Taylor write *felþu- and Orel *felþuz;^[2][3] EWA and Köbler set up an a-stem *felþa- instead.^[4][5] Old English feld, early ⟨-felth⟩ in place names, is one of two words that Ringe and Taylor think might reflect a Verner's law alternation of *þ and *d, *felþu- ~ *feldaw-; the related folde (“earth”) has the zero grade and *-d-.^[6]

Morphology

A u-stem in Ringe and Taylor's and Orel's reconstruction.^[2][3] The daughters differ in gender and stem class: Old English feld is masculine, an a- or u-stem;^[5] Old Frisian feld is masculine for Boutkan and Siebinga and neuter for Hofmann and Popkema;^[7][8] Old Saxon feld is a neuter a-stem;^[9] and Old High German feld is a neuter a-stem, originally an s-stem.^[4]

Evidence

The noun is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English feld, Old Frisian feld, Old Saxon feld, Old Dutch felt and Old High German feld.^[4] In Old Dutch, ONW records it in the Old Low Franconian psalms (manuscript H) of the 10th century, and as ueld in Williram's commentary of about 1100.^[10] North Germanic has the same ablaut grade only in Old Swedish, but EWA infers from the loans Finnish pelto that the word existed very early in the North,^[4] and Gothic does not attest it.^[4]

Competing analyses

It is often suggested that word-internal *lþ became *ld in Proto-West Germanic, but Ringe and Taylor find that the facts do not support so broad a rule: Old High German faldan (“to fold”) and wildi (“wild”) keep the reflex of *þ.^[2] They accept the change as regular only in northern West Germanic.^[11] For feld they allow the alternative of an old Verner's law variant with *d.^[2]

Meanings

1. field^[3][1]

Old English also used the word for "plain" and "battlefield",^[5] Old Frisian for "battlefield" and "arable land",^[8] Old Saxon for "ground",^[9] and Old High German for "pasture", "plain" and "surface".^[4]

Derivatives

• *gafilþī "plain, a stretch of fields", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[12] Old English ġefilde, Old Saxon gifildi and Old High German gifildi attest it.^[13][14][15]

Reflexes

• Old English: feld (“field, plain, battlefield”)^[16]
• Old Frisian: feld (“field, battlefield, arable land”)^[8]
• Old Saxon: feld (“field, ground”)^[9]
• Old Dutch: felt (“field”)^[10]
• Old High German: feld (“field, plain, pasture, battlefield, surface”)^[4]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *felþu
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. 155
3. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 97
4. ^ a b c d e f g 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. feld
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. feld
6. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 155–156
7. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. feld
8. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. feld
9. ^ a b c Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. feld
10. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. felt
11. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 156
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gafilþī
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gefilde
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gifildi
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gifildi
16. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. feld