*slot

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *slot "bar, bolt" for Proto-West Germanic, from an earlier *slut.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *slutą (“bar, bolt”),^[1] which Köbler cites as *sluta-, *slutam and Orel as *slutan.^[2][3] Wiktionary, Orel and Köbler derive it from the strong verb "to close", Wiktionary's *sleutan.^[1][3][2] Kroonen calls that verb, *sleutan- ~ *slūtan-, a West Germanic word, and traces Old Frisian, Middle Dutch and Old High German "lock" to *sluta-.^[4] He argues from the meanings of Middle English slot that the sense "to lock" must have developed from "to bar", and traces Old Frisian slette (“lock”) to a different formation, *slutja-.^[4]

Morphology

A neuter a-stem.^[5][6]

Evidence

The noun is attested in Old Frisian slot,^[7] Old Saxon slot, glossing Latin repāgulum in a manuscript of the 9th century,^[5] Old Dutch slot^[8] and Old High German sloz.^[6] In Old Dutch, ONW records the accusative plural ⟨sclot⟩ for Latin sera in the psalm glosses of 901–1000, and ⟨floz⟩, read ⟨sloz⟩, for the same Latin word as the Old Saxon gloss in the North-East Lower Rhenish Prudentius glosses of 951–1000.^[8] Kroonen cites no Old English form, only Middle English slot "bar for a door, gate or window; bolt on a lock; iron rod".^[4] Orel adds Old Norse vind-slot (“abatement”).^[3]

Meanings

1. bar, bolt^[1]

Old Frisian, Old Saxon and Old Dutch used the word for "lock",^[7][5][9] and Old High German for "lock, bolt, enclosure" and also "conclusion".^[6] Old Frisian also used it for a castle and for a decision.^[7]

Reflexes

• Old Frisian: slot (“lock, fastening; castle; decision”)^[7]
• Old Saxon: slot (“lock”)^[5]
• Old Dutch: slot (“lock”)^[9]
• Old High German: sloz (“lock, bolt, enclosure, conclusion”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *slot
2. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sluta-, *slutam
3. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 352
4. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 453
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. slot
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sloz
7. ^ a b c d Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. slot
8. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. slot
9. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. slot