*hwīlu

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *hwīlu for Proto-West Germanic.^[1] It continues inherited from Proto-Germanic *hwīlō (“while, time”),^[1][2] which Kroonen cites as *hwīlō- and Köbler as *hwīlō.^[2][3] Ringe and Taylor show that word-final unstressed *-ō had become short *-u already in Proto-Northwest Germanic, so that the nominative singular of these feminines ended in *-u in Proto-West Germanic.^[4][5] In the West Germanic languages this *-u was later lost after heavy syllables and kept after light ones.^[4]

Morphology

A feminine ō-stem.^[6][7] Old High German also inflects it as a weak noun and has an indeclinable wīl (“while”) beside it.^[8][9] Casaretto explains the Proto-Germanic noun as an adjective meaning "resting" used as a noun, since the Old Norse hvíld (“rest”) presupposes such an adjective.^[10]

Evidence

The noun is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English hwīl,^[11] Old Frisian hwīle,^[12] Old Saxon hwīla, in the Heliand,^[13][7] and Old High German wīla, also written hwīla.^[8] In Old Dutch, ONW records wiila in Williram's commentary of about 1100 and wilen in the Middle Franconian Rhyme Bible of 1151–1200.^[14]

Meanings

1. time, period of time, while^[1]

Wiktionary also gives "period of rest, pause";^[1] Köbler glosses the Proto-Germanic noun "while, time, rest",^[7] and Old Norse hvíla meant "bed, resting place".^[13] In West Germanic the word means "time, while" throughout:^[6][12][7] Old High German also used it for "hour" and "moment".^[8]

Reflexes

• Old English: hwīl (“while, time, period”)^[6]
• Old Frisian: hwīle (“time, period, while”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: hwīla (“period of time”)^[13]
• Old Dutch: wīla (“time, while”)^[14]
• Old High German: wīla (“while, time, hour”)^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *hwīlu
2. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 266
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *hwīlō
4. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 15
5. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 55
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hwīl
7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hwīla
8. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wīla
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wīl
10. ^ Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. ƕeila
11. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hwīl
12. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hwīle
13. ^ a b c Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 217
14. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. wīla