*lausijan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *lausijan for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *lausijaną (“to release, to set free”),^[2] which Kroonen cites as *lausjan-, Orel as *lausjanan, and EWA as *lausii̯e/a-.^[3][4][5] EWA calls it a denominal factitive to the adjective Old High German lōs,^[5] and Orel and Kroonen likewise derive it from Proto-Germanic *lausaz, *lausa-.^[4][3] Wiktionary analyses the West Germanic verb as *laus "loose, free" with the suffix *-jan.^[1]

Morphology

A weak verb of class I.^[6][7] Ringe and Taylor give the Proto-Germanic past third singular as *lausidē, continued by Old Saxon lōsda, Old High German lōsta and, through *lēasidǣ, West Saxon Old English ālīesde.^[8]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English līesan, Old Frisian lēsa "to ransom", Old Saxon lōsian and Old High German lōsen,^[2] and Old Dutch lōsen in Williram's commentary on the Song of Songs of 1100.^[9] In Old English the diphthong developed differently by dialect: Ringe and Taylor trace *lēasjąn to West Saxon līesan and to Kentish lēsan, Mercian ā-lēsan and Northumbrian ā-lēsa.^[2]

Meanings

1. to release, to set free^[2][1]

Old English also used the verb for "to redeem",^[10] Old Frisian for "to ransom, to buy free",^[11] Old Saxon for "to take away",^[6] and Old High German also for "to plunder"^[5] and "to pay".^[7]

Derivatives

• *uʀlausijan "to release, to set free", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[1] EWA lists Old High German irlōsen with Old Saxon alōsian, Old Dutch irlōsen of 901–1000 and Old English ālīsan.^[5]
• EWA also lists Old High German bilōsen (“to deprive”) beside Old Saxon bilōsian and Old Frisian bilēsa.^[5]

Reflexes

• Old English: līesan (“to loosen, to redeem, to free”)^[10]
• Old Frisian: lēsa (“to ransom, to redeem, to release”)^[11]
• Old Saxon: lōsian (“to loosen, to redeem, to take away”)^[6]
• Old Dutch: lōsen (“to release”)^[9]
• Old High German: lōsen (“to loosen, to free, to redeem, to ransom”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *lausijan
2. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 246
3. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 329
4. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 239
5. ^ a b c d e f 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. lôsen
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. lôsian
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. lōsen
8. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 262
9. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. lōsen
10. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. liesan
11. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. lēsa