*klainī

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs the adjective *klainī.^[1] EWA sets up West Germanic *klai̯nii̯a-, a ja-stem, and thinks it probably shows the usual move of old i-stem adjectives into the ja-class, so that Proto-Germanic had an i-stem *klai̯ni-, as the meaning also suggests.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *klainiz (“fine, delicate”),^[3][4] which Orel writes *klainiz and Köbler *klaini-, *klainiz.^[3][5] Boutkan gives Proto-Germanic *klainja- and Proto-Frisian *klēni.^[6] Düwel, Nedoma and Oehrl take the runic ⟨klain⟩ of Aquincum for a feminine nominative singular of the strong adjective, whose West Germanic ending *-i, from Proto-Germanic *-iz, had already been lost after the heavy syllable.^[7]

Morphology

An adjective;^[2] the Old English adjective is a ja-stem.^[8]

Evidence

The adjective is attested as Old English clǣne, Old Frisian klēne, Old Saxon klēni, Old Dutch klēni and Old High German kleini,^[2] Old High German from the 8th century in glosses,^[2] and Old Dutch in Williram's commentary on the Song of Songs of about 1100.^[9] Düwel, Nedoma and Oehrl find the Proto-Germanic adjective only in the West Germanic languages,^[7] and EWA takes the North Germanic forms for loans from Middle Low German;^[2] Orel, however, also lists a Burgundian *klaini "tender, shining".^[3]

The fibula of Aquincum, of about 550, has the runes ⟨klain⟩, which Düwel, Nedoma and Oehrl read as an early Lombard word "fine, precious", from *klainiz, with the digraph ⟨ai⟩ for the inherited diphthong.^[10][7] Findell reports Grønvik's reading ⟨klain kingia⟩ "[This is] a pretty fibula", but finds the interpretation of the sequence very uncertain: its first rune is widely regarded as uninterpretable, and it may instead contain the word for "one".^[4]

Versloot cites Flemish Middle Dutch cleen beside standard Dutch klein as evidence that Flemish went through a stage with only monophthongs.^[11]

Competing analyses

Wiktionary calls the origin unknown: the word is usually connected with *klenan (“to stick, to smear”) and *klaij (“clay”), through a meaning "shining" or "finely smeared, plastered", which is disputed, or else taken for a substrate loan, perhaps merged from two words meaning "clean" and "small".^[1] Köbler derives it from a root meaning "to stick, to smear",^[5] and Orel equates it with Proto-Slavic *glěnь "clay, dregs".^[3] Boutkan finds no Indo-European etymology and thinks a substrate origin very probable.^[6] He doubts the usual view of one word that went from "shining" through "fine" to "small", and suggests two homonymous substrate words, one "clean, shining" and one "small", pointing to the limited spread of each meaning and to by-forms with *ī.^[6] EWA explains a by-form with ī in the dialects of Switzerland as an ablaut variant continuing Proto-Germanic *-ei-.^[2]

Meanings

1. fine, delicate^[1]
2. small^[1]
3. clean^[1]

Köbler glosses the Proto-Germanic adjective "shining, fine, delicate".^[5] Old English used it for "pure, chaste, innocent, clear",^[8] Old Frisian for "small, slight",^[12] Old Saxon for "tender, slender, clever",^[13] and Old High German for "small, tiny, thin, fine, delicate, precious, clever".^[2]

Derivatives

• *klainisōn "to cleanse", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[14] Köbler sets up the verb from Old English clǣnsian.^[15][16]

Reflexes

• Old English: clǣne (“pure, chaste, innocent, clear”)^[8]
• Old Frisian: klēne (“small, slight”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: klēni (“tender, slender, clever”)^[13]
• Old Dutch: klēni (“small”)^[9]
• Old High German: kleini (“small, fine, delicate, clever”)^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *klainī
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. kleini
3. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 214
4. ^ a b Findell, Martin (2012), Phonological Evidence from the Continental Runic Inscriptions, Ergänzungsbände zum Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde 79, Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. § 3.2.1
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *klaini-
6. ^ a b c Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. klene
7. ^ a b c Düwel, Klaus; Nedoma, Robert; Oehrl, Sigmund (2020), Die südgermanischen Runeninschriften, 2 vols, Ergänzungsbände zum Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde 119, Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. SG-2
8. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. clǣne
9. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. klēni
10. ^ Düwel, Klaus; Nedoma, Robert; Oehrl, Sigmund (2020), Die südgermanischen Runeninschriften, 2 vols, Ergänzungsbände zum Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde 119, Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. § 3.4.2
11. ^ Versloot, Arjen P. (2017), Proto-Germanic ai in North and West Germanic, Folia Linguistica Historica 38, 281–324
12. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. klēne
13. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. klêni
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *klainisōn
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *klainisōn, *klainesōn
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. clǣnsian