*sehwan

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *sehwan for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *sehwaną (“to see”),^[1][3] which Kroonen cites by its stem *sehwan- and Köbler as *sehwan.^[3][4] Ringe and Taylor trace Old English sēon from it through breaking to *seohan,^[1] the loss of *w after a velar that was not at the start of the word, giving *seohąn,^[5] and the later loss of intervocalic *h with contraction.^[6]

Morphology

A strong verb of class V.^[7][8] Ringe and Taylor reconstruct the Proto-West Germanic infinitive *sehwan, present indicative first singular *sehu, third plural *sehwand, and present subjunctive third singular *sehwē, third plural *sehwēn.^[6] EWA notes that Old High German still shows grammatical change in forms such as the past participle gisewan, as does Old English sewen.^[9]

Evidence

The verb is attested in Old English sēon, Old Frisian siā, Old Saxon sehan and Old High German sehan.^[10] In Old Dutch, ONW records sian in Williram's commentary on the Song of Songs of 1100 and in the Middle Franconian Rhyme Bible, and the prefixed gisian already in the psalms of the 10th century.^[11][12] Old High German has the verb from the 8th century.^[9] Nielsen notes that an intervocalic consonant was lost in Old English, Old Norse and Old Frisian but kept in Old Saxon, Old Low Franconian and Old High German, and that the Old English form, which presupposes breaking, shows the loss to be a late one.^[13]

Meanings

1. to see^[1][2]

Old English also used the verb for "to perceive, to understand, to visit, to experience",^[14] and Old High German for "to look at, to notice, to take care of".^[9]

Derivatives

• *gasehwan "to see", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[15] Köbler lists the prefixed verb in Old English, Old Dutch, Old Saxon and Old High German,^[16] and Old Dutch has gisian.^[12]
• *sihti "seeing, sight", which Wiktionary reconstructs from the verb with a suffix *-þi;^[17] Old English has sihþ (“sight, vision”).^[18]

Reflexes

• Old English: sēon (“to see, to perceive, to understand, to visit”)^[14]
• Old Frisian: siā (“to see”)^[19]
• Old Saxon: sehan (“to see”)^[20]
• Old Dutch: sian (“to see”)^[11]
• Old High German: sehan (“to see, to look at, to notice”)^[9]

References

1. ^ 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. 178
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sehwan
3. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 431
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sehwan
5. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 214–215
6. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 315
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sehan
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sehan
9. ^ a b c d 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. sehan
10. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 215
11. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. sian
12. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. gisian
13. ^ Nielsen, Hans Frede (1989), The Germanic Languages: Origins and Early Dialectal Interrelations, Tuscaloosa / London: University of Alabama Press, p. 138
14. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sēon
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gasehwan
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *gasehwan
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sihti
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sihþ
19. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. sia
20. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 338