*halftrijā

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *halftrijā "harness, halter" for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and EWA sets up West Germanic *χalftrō-.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *halftrō (“halter”), which Köbler also gives as *halftrjō.^[3] EWA derives the word with the Proto-Germanic suffix *-tra-, which forms names of instruments, from Proto-Germanic *χala/i- "handle": the halter is "an instrument for holding a horse", and Latin capistrum (“halter”) beside capiō (“to take, to seize”) is a parallel in meaning.^[2]

Morphology

A feminine noun.^[3] Old High German halftra is an ō-stem or n-stem,^[2] and Old Saxon halftra and Old Dutch heliftra are likewise either ō-stems or n-stems.^[4][5] Old English has hælftre beside hælfter, healfter.^[6]

Evidence

The word is attested in Old English as hælftre, glossing Latin camus,^[6] in Old Saxon glosses as halftra, with the spellings ⟨halaftra⟩, ⟨halefdra⟩ and ⟨haltere⟩, for Latin capistrum,^[7] in Old Dutch as the dative ⟨heliftron⟩ in the Old Central and Old Low Franconian psalms and glosses of the 10th century,^[8] and in Old High German as halftra, in glosses from the 9th century.^[2] Köbler notes that one of the Old Saxon glosses may rather be Old High German.^[4]

Competing analyses

Wiktionary analyses the word as a West Germanic formation from *halb (“half”), the instrumental suffix *-þr and the suffix *-jā,^[1] while EWA sets up an ō-stem, *χalftrō-, formed with the instrument suffix from a word for "handle".^[2] Köbler connects the Proto-Germanic noun with a verb *helb- "to split".^[9]

Meanings

1. halter^[1][3]
2. harness^[1][3]

Old High German also used the word for "(leather) strap" and "girdle".^[2]

Reflexes

• Old English: hælftre (“halter”)^[6]
• Old Saxon: halftra (“halter”)^[7]
• Old Dutch: heliftra (“halter”)^[8][5]
• Old High German: halftra (“halter, strap, girdle”)^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *halftrijā
2. ^ 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. halftra
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *halftrō
4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. halftra
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. heliftra
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hælftre
7. ^ a b Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. halftra
8. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. halftra
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *helb-