*melþōn

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *melþōn, with *meldōn as an alternative form.^[1][2] EWA writes the West Germanic verb *meldōi̯e/a-.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *melþōną (“to inform, to betray”),^[1][4] which Köbler writes *melþōn, *meldōn,^[4] and Boutkan and Siebinga *meldōjanaN, a form they mark as Proto-(West) Germanic.^[5] Köbler sets beside it a noun *melþō, *meldō "denunciation", the source of Old English meld (“proclamation”) and Old High German melda (“betrayal, accusation”).^[6] The Old High German noun keeps the unshifted cluster ⟨ld⟩ from Proto-Germanic *-lđ-, as is usual in parts of Franconian.^[7]

Morphology

A weak verb of class II.^[8][3] Old English also has forms of class I,^[9] and Old High German also has a class III verb meldēn, recorded from the beginning of the 9th century.^[10]

Evidence

The verb is attested as Old English meldian,^[11] Old Saxon meldōn in the Heliand,^[8] and Old High German meldōn, in glosses from the third quarter of the 9th century, in the Tatian and in Otfrid.^[3] Old Frisian has it only in compounds such as Old Frisian urmeldia (“to give up”).^[5] The only Old Dutch form is farmelden (“to betray”), in the Middle Franconian Rhyme Bible of 1151–1200.^[12]

Competing analyses

EWA does not take the verb back to Proto-Germanic: it explains it as a denominal derivative, formed in West Germanic, of the noun *meldō-, from Proto-Germanic *melđō- "announcement".^[3][7] For the noun it weighs two explanations, a root *meldh- "to proclaim, to speak solemnly" and an obscured compound with a root *mel(H)-, and prefers the first, which needs fewer extra assumptions.^[7] Köbler gives the root *meldʰ- with a query.^[4]

Meanings

1. to make known, to announce, to declare^[1]
2. to inform against, to betray^[4][1]

Old English also used the verb for "to accuse",^[11] and Old High German for "to reveal" and "to denounce".^[3]

Derivatives

• *bimelþōn "to announce, to inform; to tell on", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[13] Old Frisian has the prefixed verb Old Frisian bimelda.^[14]

Reflexes

• Old English: meldian (“to announce, to declare, to accuse”)^[11]
• Old Frisian: only in compounds, as urmeldia (“to give up, to disclose”)^[15]
• Old Saxon: meldōn (“to announce, to report”)^[16]
• Old Dutch: only farmelden (“to betray”)^[12]
• Old High German: meldōn (“to reveal, to denounce, to betray”)^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *melþōn
2. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *meldōn
3. ^ 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. meldôn
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *melþōn
5. ^ a b Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. -meldia
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *melþō
7. ^ a b c 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. melda
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. meldōn
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. meldian
10. ^ 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. meldên
11. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. meldian
12. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. farmelden
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *bimelþōn
14. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. -meldia
15. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. urmeldia
16. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 278