*kopp

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs a masculine noun *kopp for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *kuppaz (“round object, vessel, head”),^[1] which Orel reconstructs as a masculine noun *kuppaz on the evidence of Old Norse koppr (“cup, small vessel”), Old English cop "top, summit", Middle Low German kop (“cup, bowl”) and Old High German kopf (“cup, skull, head”).^[2] Köbler sets up the Proto-Germanic word as *kupa, *kuppa "vat, cup" and derives it from Latin cūpa.^[3]

Morphology

A strong masculine noun of the a-stems in Old English, Old Saxon and Old High German.^[4][5][6] The Old Frisian word is masculine, with a geminate in the stem.^[7]

Evidence

Old High German kopf is recorded from the end of the 8th century in glosses and in Notker, glossing Latin calix, cuppa, scyphus and occiput among other words.^[6] Old English copp glosses Latin calix,^[4] and Old Frisian kop means "cup".^[7] Köbler gives Old Saxon only as an uncertain *kop or *kopp "crest, knoll", inferred from the derivative koppodi.^[5] EWA lists an Old Dutch kop,^[6] and ONW records ⟨cop⟩ in a list of dues in the Liber Traditionum of the abbey of St Peter of Blandinium.^[8] EWA adds that the North Germanic words could also be loans from Middle Low German.^[6]

Competing analyses

EWA reports that the word group is usually taken for a loan from Medieval Latin cuppa (“cup”), a by-form of Latin cūpa (“vat, barrel”); on that view the sense "head" must be secondary.^[6] If the words around German Kuppe (“rounded hilltop, fingertip”) are taken together with it, the sense "head" must be the older one, since "hilltop, crest, peak" is most easily derived from it, and so Lühr in 1988 tied all the words to an inherited root meaning "to vault", with *kupp- arising by gemination before *n.^[6] EWA adds that even then the Old High German forms with u need the influence of the Medieval Latin word, and suggests that two word groups may have fallen together: an inherited word for "head", also used for "hilltop", and a loanword for "drinking vessel".^[6] Köbler derives the Proto-Germanic word from Latin,^[3] while Wiktionary calls the origin of *kuppaz uncertain.^[9]

Meanings

1. vessel, container, bowl^[1]
2. knoll, hilltop, summit^[1]
3. crown of the head, skull, head^[1]

Old English used the word for "top, summit" and "cup",^[4] Old Frisian for "head" and "cup",^[10] and Old High German for a drinking vessel, cup, bowl or jug, and for the head or the back of the head.^[11]

Reflexes

• Old English: copp (“top, summit, cup”)^[4]
• Old Frisian: kop (“cup”)^[7]
• Old Saxon: kop (“crest, knoll”), uncertain^[5]
• Old Dutch: cop^[8]
• Old High German: kopf (“drinking vessel, cup, bowl, head”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kopp
2. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 224
3. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *kupa, *kuppa
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. copp
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *kop?, *kopp?
6. ^ 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. kopf
7. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. kop
8. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. kop
9. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kuppaz
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kopp
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kopf