*hiu dagu

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *hiu dagu "today, on this day".^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *hinō dagō (“on this day”), as Wiktionary reconstructs the Proto-Germanic phrase, from the instrumental of Proto-Germanic *hiz (“this”) and Proto-Germanic *dagaz (“day”).^[1] Kroonen gives the instrumental of the pronoun as *hiō, preserved in West Germanic only in fixed phrases such as the words for "today".^[2] EWA too derives the phrase from an instrumental singular of the pronominal stem "this" and the masculine a-stem "day", and compares Latin hodiē (“today”), composed of inflected forms of hic (“this”) and diēs (“day”).^[3]

Morphology

An adverb: the phrase became one word in all the West Germanic languages,^[3] and EWA derives Old High German hiutu by contraction from the instrumental singular *hiu tagu.^[3]

Evidence

The adverb is attested as Old English hēodæg, which Köbler queries as either Old English or Old Saxon,^[4] Old Frisian hiūdega, also hiūde, hiōde and hiōda,^[5] Old Saxon hiudu, three times in the Heliand,^[6][3] and Old High German hiutu, in glosses from the end of the 8th or the beginning of the 9th century.^[3] Old Dutch has hiudo, written ⟨hindo⟩ in the Wachtendonck Psalms of 901–1000 and ⟨hůde⟩ in the Middle Franconian Rhyme Bible of 1151–1200.^[7]

Meanings

1. today, on this day^[1]

Old High German also used it for "now, at present".^[3]

Reflexes

• Old English: hēodæg (“today”)^[4]
• Old Frisian: hiūdega (“today”)^[5]
• Old Saxon: hiudu (“today”)^[8]
• Old Dutch: hiudo (“today”)^[7]
• Old High German: hiutu (“today, now, at present”)^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hiu dagu
2. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 225
3. ^ 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. hiutu
4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. híodæg
5. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hiūdega
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hiudu
7. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. hiudo
8. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 199