*hamiþi

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *hamiþī "shirt" for Proto-West Germanic, and trace Old English hemeþe to it through *hąmiþī and *hæmiþi.^[1][2]

Etymology

Wiktionary writes *hamiþi and derives it from Proto-West Germanic *hamō (“wrapping, binding”) + *-iþi.^[3] EWA likewise sets up a West Germanic *χamiþii̯a-, a neuter formed with the Proto-Germanic suffix *-iþi̯a-, in a modifying function, from Proto-Germanic *χaman- "covering, skin".^[4] Köbler cites the word as Germanic *hamiþja-, *hamiþjam.^[5][6]

Morphology

A neuter ja-stem.^[4][6]

Evidence

The noun is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English hemeþe, Old Frisian hemethe, Old Saxon hemithi and Old High German hemidi.^[1] The Old Saxon word glosses Latin camisia.^[6] EWA holds that this Gallo-Latin word for "shirt", continued in French chemise, was borrowed from Germanic, its k- being a substitute for Proto-Germanic *χ- rather than a trace of a form older than the Germanic sound shift.^[4] Wiktionary reconstructs a doublet *kamisi "tunic, shirt", borrowed back from Late Latin camisia.^[7]

Meanings

1. shirt^[1][3]

Old High German also used the word for "garment, cloak, undergarment, liturgical vestment",^[4] and Old Frisian for "undershirt, undergarment".^[8]

Reflexes

• Old English: hemeþe (“shirt”)^[5]
• Old Frisian: hemethe (“shirt”)^[9]
• Old Saxon: hemithi (“shirt”)^[6]
• Old High German: hemidi (“shirt, garment, undergarment”)^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 229
2. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 270
3. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hamiþi
4. ^ a b c d e 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. hemidi
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hėmeþe
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hėmithi
7. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kamisi
8. ^ Bremmer, Rolf H., Jr. (2009), An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins, p. 198
9. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hemethe