*leuhtōn

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *leuhtōn "to shine, to give light" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *leuhtōną (“to shine”), which Köbler sets up as *leuhtōn and supports with Old English lēohtian alone.^[2][3]

Morphology

A weak verb of class II.^[3]

Evidence

The other West Germanic languages have a weak verb of class I for "to shine", which Köbler traces to Proto-Germanic *leuhtjan: Old Saxon liuhtian and Old High German liuhten, beside liohten.^[4][5][6] Wiktionary also gives an Old Frisian liāchtia, and marks the Old Saxon, Old Dutch and Old High German forms of *leuhtōn as unattested.^[1]

Competing analyses

Köbler places the verb in Proto-Germanic,^[2] while Wiktionary takes it as formed from Proto-West Germanic *leuht² (“light”) + *-ōn in West Germanic, or else from the adjective *leuht (“light, bright”) with the same suffix.^[1]

Meanings

1. to shine, to give light^[1][2]

Reflexes

• Old English: lēohtian (“to shine”)^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *leuhtōn
2. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *leuhtōn
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. léohtian
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. liuhtian
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. liuhten
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. liohten