*grōtijan

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *grōtijan "to address, to greet" for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *grōtijaną (“to cause to weep”),^[1] which Kroonen cites as *grōtjan-, Orel as *ʒrōtjanan and Köbler as *grōtjan.^[3][4][5] The Proto-Germanic verb was the causative of Proto-Germanic *grētaną (“to weep”).^[1][3][6] In Old English it became *grœ̅tjąn, whence West Saxon grētan.^[7]

Morphology

A weak verb of class I.^[6][8]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old Frisian grēta, Old Saxon grōtian and Old High German gruozen,^[1] and Old Dutch has gruoten, in the past participle ⟨gegruozet⟩ in Williram's commentary of 1100.^[9] North Germanic kept the causative meaning, as in Old Norse grœta (“to make cry”).^[6][3] Ringe and Taylor count the verb among at least three words inherited from Proto-Germanic that underwent dramatic shifts of meaning in West Germanic.^[1]

Competing analyses

EWA explains the West Germanic senses "to attack, to accuse, to shake" from an intermediate "to bring to tears", and "to greet" from "to approach" without a negative sense, comparing Old Norse kveðja (“to greet”) beside kveða (“to speak”).^[6] Orel cites Kluge and Seebold for an influence of Latin grātus (“beloved, welcome”) on the meaning in Old High German.^[4]

Meanings

1. to address, to greet^[1][2]
2. to blame, to accuse^[2][10]

Old English also used the verb for "to challenge" and "to attack",^[11] Old Frisian for "to bring a suit",^[10] Old Saxon for "to enrage" and "to harass",^[12] and Old High German for "to provoke, to stir up".^[6]

Reflexes

• Old English: grētan (“to greet, to address, to challenge, to attack”)^[11]
• Old Frisian: grēta (“to greet, to accuse, to sue”)^[10]
• Old Saxon: grōtian (“to address, to harass, to enrage”)^[12]
• Old Dutch: gruoten (“to address”)^[9]
• Old High German: gruozen (“to provoke, to stir up, to address, to greet”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 128
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *grōtijan
3. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 192
4. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 144
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *grōtjan
6. ^ a b c d e f 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. gruozen
7. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 227
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. grōtian
9. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. gruoten
10. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. grēta
11. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. grœ̄tan
12. ^ a b Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. grōtian