*hauh

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *hauh for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *hauhaz (“high”),^[1][3] which Kroonen cites by its stem *hauha- and Köbler as *hauha-, *hauhaz.^[3][4] Ringe and Taylor derive the Proto-West Germanic masculine dative singular *hauhummē from Proto-Germanic *hauhammai, and the weak nominative and accusative *hauhō, *hauhan from *hauhō̄, *hauhanų.^[1]

Morphology

An adjective.^[1] Heidermanns counts it among the primary adjectives.^[5] Ringe and Taylor reconstruct the masculine accusative singular *hauhanā, continued by Old English hēane.^[6] In Old English the h between vowels was lost, so that *hauh, *hauhummē, *hauhō, *hauhan gave West Saxon hēah, hēam, hēa, hēan, while Old High German kept it in hōh, hōhemu, hōho, hōhun.^[1]

Evidence

The adjective is attested as Old English hēah, Old Saxon hōh and Old High German hōh,^[3] and as Old Frisian hāch, whose final consonant Ringe and Taylor derive from *h; since a final *g not after a nasal was devoiced to the same sound in Old Frisian, such forms are ambiguous.^[7] Old Dutch has hō in the psalms, which ONW dates to 901–1000.^[8] In High German *au became a monophthong ō before *h and dentals, as in hōh, but kept the diphthong elsewhere.^[9] Gamillscheg explains French haut, recorded from the 11th century, as a blend of Latin altus with Frankish *hauh or *hōh.^[10]

Meanings

1. high^[1][2]

Old English also used the word for "great, deep, exalted, proud",^[11] Old Frisian for "grave" and "respected, noble",^[12] and Old High German for "exalted, venerable, great, loud".^[13]

Derivatives

• *hauhī "height", an n-stem whose Proto-West Germanic paradigm Ringe and Taylor give with the nominative *hauhī and the oblique singular *hauhīn;^[14] Köbler sets up Proto-Germanic *hauhī-, *hauhīn with Old Dutch hōi, Old Saxon hōhi and Old High German hōhī.^[15]
• *hauhiþu "height", which Wiktionary reconstructs from Old English hīehþu and its cognates;^[16] Köbler sets up Proto-Germanic *hauhiþō, with the Old English noun and Old High German hōhida.^[17]
• *hauhijan "to raise", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[18] Köbler sets up Proto-Germanic *hauhjan "to make high", with Old English hēan and Old Frisian hēia.^[19]

Reflexes

• Old English: hēah (“high, great, deep, exalted, important, proud”)^[11]
• Old Frisian: hāch (“high, grave, respected, noble”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: hōh (“high, lofty, noble, exalted”)^[20]
• Old Dutch: hō (“high”)^[8]
• Old High German: hōh (“high, towering, great, eminent, exalted”)^[21]

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. 315
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hauh
3. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 215
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hauha-
5. ^ Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. hauha-
6. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 264
7. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 100
8. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. hō
9. ^ Krogh, Steffen (1996), Die Stellung des Altsächsischen im Rahmen der germanischen Sprachen, Studien zum Althochdeutschen 29, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
10. ^ Gamillscheg, Ernst (1966–1969), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der französischen Sprache, 2nd, fully revised ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 552
11. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hēah
12. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hāch
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hōh, adj.
14. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 117
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hauhī-
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hauhiþu
17. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hauhiþō
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hauhijan
19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hauhjan
20. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hôh
21. ^ 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. hôh