*skaunī

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *skaunī for Proto-West Germanic,^[1][2] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *skauniz (“beautiful”),^[1][4] which Kroonen and Heidermanns cite by its stem *skauni-, Orel as *skauniz, and EWA as *skau̯ni(i̯a)-.^[4][5][6][7] Kroonen takes the Proto-Germanic word, continued by Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌿𐌽𐍃 (skauns), for a ni-stem.^[4] In West Germanic the feminines of the i-stem and ija-stem adjectives fell together, and masculine and neuter paradigms in *-(i)ja- were usually formed anew from the old feminines of the i- and u-stems.^[8] Ringe and Taylor trace West Saxon sċīene through *skǣunī and *skēanī.^[1]

Morphology

A ja-stem adjective.^[9]

Evidence

The adjective is attested in Old Frisian skēne, Old Saxon skōni and Old High German scōni,^[2] and Old Dutch has skōni in Williram's commentary of 1100 and in a list of names from a poem on the convent of Munsterbilzen of 1130.^[10] Looijenga reads ⟨skanomodu⟩ on a struck gold solidus of unknown findspot, dated 575–610, as a personal name whose first part is Germanic *skaun- "fine, beautiful"; she takes the text for Old Frisian because *au has become ā and the ending is -u.^[11] Versloot derives ⟨skano-⟩ in this name from *skauni- or *skauna-.^[12] EWA notes that the Germanic word was also borrowed into Finnic, as Finnish kaunis (“beautiful”).^[7]

Competing analyses

Kroonen takes *skauni- for a gerundive ni-stem of a lost strong verb, parallel to Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌿𐌽𐍃 (siuns) beside *sehwan-, so that the first meaning was "watchable", whence "beautiful".^[4] EWA gives this as the traditional view, and as the alternative Heidermanns's formation from the same root with an *-n- taken over from the verb *skīne/a- "to shine".^[7]

Meanings

1. beautiful^[1][3]

Old English also used the word for "shining, bright",^[13] Old Saxon for "shining",^[14] Old Frisian for "excellent, clean, clear",^[15] and Old High German for "lovely, splendid, shining".^[7]

Derivatives

• *skaunōn and *skaunijan "to make beautiful", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[16][17] Köbler sets up Proto-Germanic *skaunōn, in Old Frisian skēnia, and *skaunjan, in Old High German.^[18][19]
• Orel derives the feminine noun *skaunīn "beauty" from the adjective: Old Saxon skōni (“beauty, radiance”), Old High German scōnī.^[20][21]

Reflexes

• Old English: sċīene (“beautiful, shining, bright”)^[13]
• Old Frisian: skēne (“beautiful, excellent, clean, clear”)^[15]
• Old Saxon: skōni (“shining, beautiful”)^[22]
• Old Dutch: skōni (“beautiful”)^[10]
• Old High German: scōni (“beautiful, lovely, splendid, shining”)^[7]

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. 206
2. ^ a b 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 Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skaunī
4. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 441
5. ^ Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. skauni-
6. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 336
7. ^ a b c d e 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. skôni
8. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 21
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. scíene
10. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. skōni
11. ^ Looijenga, Tineke (2003), Texts and Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. Skanomodu
12. ^ Versloot, Arjen P. (2019), Reduction of unstressed vowels in Proto-Frisian and the Germanic 'Auslautgesetze', NOWELE 72/1, 78–98
13. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sciene
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. skôni
15. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. skēne
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skaunōn
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skaunijan
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *skaunōn
19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *skaunjan
20. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 337
21. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. skōni
22. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 362