*skirmi

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *skirmi for Proto-West Germanic.^[1] EWA sets up West Germanic *skermi- beside *skerma-.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *skirmiz (“fur, hide; shelter, screen”),^[1] which Köbler cites as *skermi-, *skermiz, a masculine i-stem.^[3][4] EWA follows the usual connection with Indo-Iranian words for "skin, hide", which puts the word with the root of skeran (“to shear”); the meaning would then have passed from "hide, leather" through "leather-covered shield", or from "cut piece of wood" through "wooden shield", to "protection".^[2]

Morphology

Old High German skirm is a masculine i-stem,^[2] Old Dutch skirm a strong masculine,^[5] and Old Saxon skerm a masculine a-stem.^[6]

Evidence

The noun is attested in Old High German skirm, in a gloss of the early 9th century,^[4] in Otfrid, Notker and Williram,^[2] and in Old Dutch skirm, in Williram's commentary of 1100.^[5] Old Saxon skerm rests on the restoration of a damaged dative singular in the Genesis, and EWA accepts it only if that restoration is right.^[6][2] EWA lists no Old English or Old Frisian noun, only later Frisian words.^[2]

Competing analyses

EWA finds the relation of the vowels i and e unclear:^[2] they may go back to two stem formations, *skerma- beside *skermi-, with i from *e by i-umlaut in the latter; or the i may have entered the noun from the weak verb behind skirmen, so that there was only *skerma-.^[2] EWA rejects Boutkan's view that the group rests on a substrate word as unnecessary.^[2]

Meanings

1. covering, shelter, screen^[1]

Wiktionary also gives "fur, hide, pelt",^[1] and Köbler "fur" for the Proto-Germanic word.^[3] Old High German used the word for "protection, screen, shield",^[2] Old Dutch and Old Saxon for "protection".^[5][6]

Derivatives

• *skirmijan "to protect, to defend", which Wiktionary reconstructs from *skirmi with the suffix *-jan;^[7] Old Saxon has skermian in a gloss,^[8] and Old High German skirmen.^[9] ONW infers an Old Dutch *skirmen from Old French escremir (“to protect”).^[10]

Reflexes

• Old Saxon: skerm (“protection”)^[6]
• Old Dutch: skirm (“protection”)^[5]
• Old High German: skirm (“protection, screen, shield”)^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skirmi
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. skirm
3. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *skermi-
4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. skirm
5. ^ a b c d Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. skirm
6. ^ a b c d Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. skerm
7. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *skirmijan
8. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. skermian
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. skirmen
10. ^ Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. skirmen